Gentleman loves the ‘80 — the 1780s

On a visit to Old Town Alexandria two decades ago, Canadian tourist Doreen Scott got an unexpected lesson in American history at Gadsby’s Tavern, the 18th-century inn that hosted many of America’s founding fathers.

A man in knee-length trousers and cut-away coat, with his long hair pulled back in a ponytail and wire-rimmed glasses balanced on his nose, stopped at her table and asked what she had done that the day.

I visited Washington, Mrs. Scott said.

Oh, the man replied, How is the general?

Mrs. Scott was perplexed. For John Douglas Hall, however, it was a perfectly reasonable question.

For Mr. Hall, the year was not 1985, but 1785. George Washington had led the Continental Army to victory over the British, and King George III had conceded defeat in the Treaty of Paris in September 1783.

Washington resigned his commission in December that year and returned to his Potomac River plantation at Mount Vernon, where he anticipated retirement as a Virginia country gentleman not so different from Mr. Hall’s alter ego.

Mr. Hall has been living in the past professionally for more than 30 years.

He performs as the 18th Century Gentleman at Gadsby’s, where Washington celebrated his birthday in the 1790s and Thomas Jefferson held an inaugural ball.

On a typical evening, Mr. Hall will pass among the diners at the inn, trading quips like an 18th-century version of a Borscht Belt comic.

Unfazed by the chatter of the guests, he plays a German lute and sings songs of ages past and accepts compliments with modesty.

I depend on a certain din in the room to distract from my defects, he said on a recent evening.

He had stopped at a table to chat with a young man from Texas, which, to the 18th-century gentleman, was a still a Spanish colony.

Speaking slowly and pretending the man did not speak English well, Mr. Hall said, We … are … pleased … to … see … you … sir.

When the man said his name was Kelsey, Mr. Hall inquired about his means of travel, asking if he came by land or sea. When the man said he flew into a Washington airport, the 18th-century gentleman responded, Well I don’t know about that, but we have a very good port here.

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