Welcome
A Letter from the Co-Chairs
Welcome to the 81st Historic Alexandria Homes Tour, hosted by The Twig, supporting Alexandria Hospital & Serving the Community since 1933. We hope you enjoy the homes on this year’s Tour, ranging from grand manses to a tiny dollhouse-like home. Each offers a unique view of life in Old Town Alexandria.
We are incredibly grateful to the owners of this year’s Tour homes, as well as the numerous homeowners of Old Town who have opened their homes to our Tour guests for the past 81 years. Without their generosity, this tour would not have been possible.
We are also thankful for our Tour sponsors and advertisers, many of whom have been loyal supporters for several years. You will find their advertisements in our Tour Book, which can be viewed in hardcopy form or digitally at historicalexandriahomestour.org. Please patronize these philanthropic businesses.
In each home you will discover a beautiful floral arrangement, curated and donated by a local florist. We are appreciative of their artistry and grateful for their continued support over the years.
We would be remiss if we did not recognize our amazing Homes Tour committee members. These women have dedicated countless hours of preparation to make today’s Tour memorable for all participants.
Lastly, we are thankful for YOU, our Tour attendees. Our wish is that you have a delightful day strolling the streets of Old Town and glimpsing behind the front facades of our Tour’s elegant homes.
Sincerely,
Cathy Kilcoyne and Candace Beane
Co-Chairs, 2023 Historic Alexandria Homes Tour
A Letter from the President
Greetings from the Twig President,
It is my sincere pleasure to welcome you to the 81st Historic Alexandria Homes Tour presented by the Junior Auxiliary of Inova Alexandria Hospital. The Homes Tour has been a successful fundraiser for us and enables us to contribute financially to INOVA Alexandria Hospital.
An event like this is not possible without the generous support from the homeowners who share their homes and the stories they tell with the community. Their selfless contribution enriches a sense of history that breeds pride in our city’s past.
We also owe a debt of gratitude to our Homes Tour Committee led by Cathy Kilcoyne and Candace Beane, who along with their committee members worked diligently over the spring and summer to create a wonderful experience for you today. Beyond the Committee, there are the legions of Twigs who served as docents, assisted by spouses, daughters, and friends of the Twig, who tell the stories of the homes, adding color to a blank canvas.
The Twig is grateful for the support of our advertisers, home sponsors, individual sponsors whose generous donations are the foundation of our fundraising on the tour and the florists and garden clubs that contribute their floral creations that adorn the table of our homes.
Finally, thanks to you, our public, for purchasing a ticket and supporting our mission to provide financial support to the hospital for the betterment of our community. Enjoy yourself on the tour and if you are looking for a bargain, visit our Twig Thrift Shop at 106 N Columbus for a boutique experience at thrift shop prices.
Regards,
Jennifer Kilmer
Twig President 2023-24
Twig 2023-2024
Board of Directors
Jennifer Kilmer – President
Rachel Bishop – President-Elect/Membership
Merrie Schippereit – Recording Secretary
Lynne Rhoades – Corresponding Secretary
Kate Walker – Treasurer
Anne Fogle – Assistant Treasurer
2023 Homes Tour Committee
Candace Beane – Co-Chair
Cathy Kilcoyne – Co-Chair
Jocelyn Adamoli
Stacy Bass
Karen Buck
Patti Casey
Amy Fernandez
Anne Fogle
Ann Goedde
Kathy Hirsch
Kelly Moore
Wendy Payne
Patty Sheetz
Lillian Siegel
Special thanks to Anita Carson/T.W.I.G. Committee, Susan Lipcaman/Communications Committee and Lori Ring/Technology Committee.
History of The Twig
For the City’s first hundred years, doctors cared for patients in their homes. After the Civil War, the need for a facility became clear when an outbreak of typhoid fever occurred on a boat in the harbor. Many sailors were stricken and brought to the home of a local doctor. Miss Julia Johns, daughter of the Episcopal Bishop of Alexandria, called together a group of concerned women to “form a society to establish and control a hospital for the sick.” After this small group of charitably disposed friends met in 1872, the Alexandria Infirmary opened its doors in a converted house at the southwest corner of Duke and Fairfax streets. Miss Johns and the Board of Lady Managers oversaw the operation of the hospital, establishing a Nurse’s Training School, a dispensary, and a horse-drawn ambulance service. These first volunteers set the precedent for Alexandrians accepting responsibility for the support and operation of a community hospital.
In 1933, “The Twig” was born when a group of two dozen young women met at the home of Mrs. Julian T. Burke to form the Junior Auxiliary of Alexandria Hospital. Mrs. Nellie Sommers Blackwell suggested the name “The Twig;” this described the new organization as a small branch of the “tree” which supported the hospital. The Twig has worked since that time to help INOVA Alexandria Hospital provide the highest quality medical service.
To date, The Twig has raised more than $5 million in support of the hospital, primarily through the operations of its Thrift Shop located at 106 North Columbus Street and by sponsoring the Historic Alexandria Homes Tour. Our current pledge of $500,000 will assist in the purchase of a Leica Breast Reconstruction Microscope, providing advanced imaging features during reconstructive breast surgery, and providing funding for INOVA Alexandria’s Level 3 Trauma program.
