Dean Riggott Photography
Surescripts
The year was 1792. George Washington was elected to a second term as the first president of the United States. But it would be more than 100 years before modern amenities like electricity and cars were available to American families. As hard as it is to imagine daily life then, it is nearly impossible to comprehend the practice of medicine and patient access to healthcare as we know it today.
But 1792 was also the year that Edward Stabler would come to the bustling port city of Alexandria, VA, to open his own apothecary, following his apprenticeship with his brother. Stabler’s apothecary would represent the pinnacle of healthcare in a new America.
Today, the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum owned by the City of Alexandria, is just a few miles south of Surescripts headquarters. After changing hands and undergoing a few renovations since then, it remains a frozen-in-time 1850s era pharmacy that comes to life in the historical accountings shared by Callie Stapp, the museum’s curator, and Lauren Gleason, the assistant director of education and museum operations.
