Table of Contents
ALEXANDRIA — Mayor Alyia Gaskins and members of Alexandria's City Council Naming Committee gathered with descendants of Moses Stevens on Saturday at the Alexandria Black History Museum to formally mark the rededication of Moses Stevens Street.
The ceremony, held July 11 from 10 to 11 a.m. at 902 Wythe St., featured remarks by Mayor Gaskins, author and historian Char McCargo Bah, and members of the Stevens family.
"Moses Stevens built a church, built a business, and built something real for this community," Gaskins said. "Now, we get to see his story reflected in our streets, and I'm grateful we get to do it with his family here with us."
Following the event, Gaskins took to social media to mark the occasion. "Today, the Office of Historic Alexandria hosted a street-renaming reception at the Black History Museum," she wrote on X. "The ceremony honors Moses Stevens, who started a wagon & carriage business, owned several properties and was a founder of Mount Jezreel's Church."
Today, the Office of Historic Alexandria hosted a street-renaming reception at the Black History Museum. The ceremony honors Moses Stevens, who started a wagon & carriage business, owned several properties and was a founder of Mount Jezreel’s Church.#alyia4alx #mayorofalx pic.twitter.com/fNWs1PAKkM
— Alyia Gaskins (@Alyia4ALX) July 11, 2026
Moses Stevens was a pioneering Black entrepreneur in post-Civil War Alexandria. He operated a successful livery business, founded Mt. Jezreel Baptist Church, and was among the first in the city to adopt both telephone and automotive technology. Bah, a published author, freelance writer, independent historian, genealogist, and Living Legend of Alexandria, profiled Stevens in a 2019 Alexandria Gazette Packet article.
The rededication is part of Alexandria's multi-year street renaming and rededication process, launched in 2023. City Council approved the rededication in February as part of Phase 2, which also rededicated Calhoun Avenue and Frost Street. Stevens Street had previously honored one of two Confederate brigadier generals — Clement Hoffman Stevens or Walter Husted Stevens.
Because the rededication changes the historical figure honored — not the street name itself — residents and businesses on Moses Stevens Street face no changes to addresses, mailing information, voter registration, or official documents.
More information on the broader renaming effort is available at alexandriava.gov/StreetRenaming.
