The historic Gadsbys Tavern Museum ballroom set the scene Saturday night for Alexandrias Civil War Ball, a kick-off to a yearlong series of events commemorating the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War.

We had a wonderful turnout tonight, said Gretchan Bulova, director of Gadsbys Tavern Museum. It was even better than we had anticipated.

Spearheaded by the Office of Historic Alexandria, a series of balls, Scouting programs, lectures and reenactments will be held throughout the year recounting how the city was affected by the Civil War, which saw more battles fought in Virginia than in any other state.

This is part of Alexandrias participation in the sesquicentennial 150th celebration of the Civil War, Bulova said. With all of these events, we will be bringing the history of the occupation of Alexandria during the Civil War to life.