Even before the founding of the City of Alexandria in 1749, Africans and their descendants, enslaved and free, have lived and worked along the waterfront, making significant contributions to the local economy and culture. In the 1820s and 1830s Alexandria became home to the country's largest domestic slave trading firm, which profited from the sale and trafficking of enslaved African Americans from the Chesapeake to the Deep South. The Civil War revolutionized social and economic relations, and newly freed African Americans found new job opportunities as a result of the waterfront’s industrialization. The Potomac River played an important role in leisure activities too, including picnicking, boating, and fishing, much as it does for Alexandrians and visitors today.

The African American Heritage Trails comprise interconnecting routes in the City of Alexandria. Together, these trails illuminate the history of the African American community over a span of several centuries. The Trails currently have two routes along the Waterfront. The African American Heritage Trail Committee created this walking tour through history, with the support of the Office of Historic Alexandria.

• The Alexandria Waterfront
• Archaeology on the Waterfront
• Self-Guided Tours of Historic Alexandria
• History of Alexandria's African American Community