Stories of U.S.: Collecting the Present

Historic Alexandria intentionally collects personal items and oral histories as major events are happening.
Page updated on June 8, 2026 at 12:46 PM
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Collecting the Present

Historic Alexandria intentionally collects personal items and oral histories as major events are happening. This ensures these national stories are part of Alexandria’s history for future generations. Every person’s story is a part of history. What do you have to share?

September 11

On September 11, 2001, the Pentagon was struck in a terrorist attack, profoundly affecting the Alexandria community. Police and firefighters mobilized to assist. Many residents witnessed the smoke rising from the crash site, while others lost friends, family members, and colleagues. In the days that followed, Alexandria and the nation came together in vigils and acts of remembrance.

 

Schoolchildren from around the country expressed their thanks to Alexandria firefighters who responded to the Pentagon after the attack.

Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum Collection, transfer from the Alexandria Fire Department

A card made for the 9/11 rescuers, with a colorful message drawn in markers, “Thank you to the Rescuers, Age 10, Brittany.”

 

The inside of Brittany’s card for the 9/11 rescuers reads, “Dear Rescuers, You are heros (sic) to many people. We are glad that it was you and nobody else that might have made the fire worse. You are very much appreciated from all over the United States. Keep up the good work! Your friend, Brittany, age 10.”

 

Letter to Firefighters in Washington, D.C. on September 19, 2001, signed by all the students from the 4th graders of Room 165 in Hillsboro, Illinois.

 

A poster from a kindergarten class reads, “Thank you to all the Police Officers and Firefighters that lent a helping hand. We love you! Ballenger Creek Elementary Kindergarten.” The words are bordered with 22 traced hands with names of the students.

 

A poster in the shape of an American flag on a stick reads, “Dear our heroes, Thank you for helping our nation. God Bless you all and America. You are the kinds of people who have such a very good heart to help our nation. God Bless you a million times! Good luck to you all! Love, Alia Elnahas age 11.”

Chronicling the Pandemic

Historic Alexandria’s “Chronicling the Pandemic” initiative recorded Alexandria's response to the Covid-19 pandemic by collecting memories and photographs from across the Alexandria community.

All images The Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum Collection

 

Child’s drawing secured on the sidewalk with a small stone, April 27, 2020, Anna Frame photographer 

Alexandria resident Anna Frame took photos during her daily walks in the first months of the pandemic.

A child’s colorful sign reads, “I wish we could see other people. Marie.”

 

A woman and two boys in front of a house in Arlandria, 2020, Michele Islas photographer

This image is part of a series inspired by the "Front Porch Project," a grassroots social movement where photographers took socially distanced portraits of families on their front porches.     

A family with two boys stands in front of a doorway at their home in Arlandria.

         

The Birchmere Sign, Volunteers at the Central Kitchen near Four Mile Run, 2020, Elizabeth Bennett-Parker photographer                                                                                     

Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, Alexandria's Vice Mayor in 2020, documented the community’s response to the pandemic.     

The Birchmere Music Hall’s billboard reads, “Wash your hands. We will see you soon.”

“Each weekend night our neighbors pull out lawn chairs and set up a socially distanced happy hour in our driveways.  We have celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, and graduations together this way…A time like this truly makes you appreciate your community.” 

– Dana Wedeles, City of Alexandria employee and resident, July 2020.          

“During this time we were busy even at night during curfews. Most people in distress were stuck trying to find a gas station that was still open or had a flat tire and couldn’t find help…Our company offered free delivery of food to truckers who could not find a place to eat…and free assistance to the elderly…”

– Frank Scheer, owner, Road Res-Q, Old Town Alexandria, June 2020.

The Legacy of George Floyd: the Black Lives Matter Collection

The murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on May 25, 2020, ignited large-scale protests and activist movements across the United States and internationally. In Alexandria, community members demonstrated and documented their responses. Historic Alexandria launched a collecting initiative preserving protest signs, photographs, and digital submissions to ensure these events were recorded as they unfolded.

 

George Floyd Vigil and Community Protest, June 2020, photograph by Audrey Davis

Community members came together to mourn George Floyd and call for racial justice in the heart of Parker-Gray, a historically Black neighborhood long shaped by civic leadership and collective action. 

Division of African American History Collection

George Floyd Protest in the street in front of the Alexandria Black History Museum.

 

Protester Holding “We Won’t Stop” Sign, Vigil for George Floyd, Eric Chang photographer

A woman wears a face mask to help deter the spread of Covid 19 during the June 4, 2020 vigil at the Charles Houston Recreation Center. The image captures the urgency and emotion of community members who gathered in Alexandria to speak out against racial violence. 

Division of African American History Collection, Gift of Eric Chang

A woman in a cloth pandemic mask holds a brown cardboard side reading, “We won’t stop until everyone can breath (sic). #Blacklivesmatter.”

 

Van Pelt Siblings at NAACP Car Rally, photographs by Lynn Van Pelt

Two images submitted through Instagram show Lynn Van Pelt’s children participating in local demonstrations during early June 2020. The photographs capture how Alexandrians of all ages took part in regional calls for justice and safety.

Division of African American History Collection

Van Pelt siblings at a protest.

Preserving Their Memory: Joseph McCoy and Benjamin Thomas

The City of Alexandria’s social justice initiative, the Alexandria Community Remembrance Project (ACRP), is deeply committed to acknowledging Alexandria’s painful history of racial terror and working toward a community rooted in equity and inclusion. In the Fall of 2022, partnered with the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) and its Community Soil Collection Project, ACRP memorialized the lives of Joseph McCoy and Benjamin Thomas, lynched in Alexandria in 1897 and1899.

 

Soil Collection

Soil has been collected from areas in the City of Alexandria associated with the lives, arrests, and deaths of Joseph McCoy and Benjamin Thomas, as well as areas of historical significance to the local African American community.  

Division of African American History Collection 

ACRP Soil Collection Map, 2022

 

Glass jars filled with soil are labeled “Joseph McCoy/Alexandria, Virginia/April 23, 1897”, and “Benjamin Thomas/Alexandria, Virginia/August 8, 1899.”

 

On Display

Funeral Program for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 1968, Ebenezer Baptist Church / Morehouse College

This printed program was distributed at the April 9, 1968 funeral services for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at Ebenezer Baptist Church and Morehouse College in Atlanta. It includes a short biography. Saved by an Alexandrian, the program speaks to the deep connection residents felt to King’s leadership and the national mourning that shaped African American communities.

Division of African American History Collection

The framed program cover reads “Obsequies/Martin Luther King Jr./Tuesday, April 9, 1968/10:30 A.M./Ebenezer Baptist Church/2:00 P.M./The Campus of Morehouse College/Atlanta, Georgia.” A photograph shows Martin Luther King, Jr. in a church with his hands crossed.

 

Recordings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Funeral and Brotherhood Records

Audio from Dr. King’s April 9, 1968 funeral service is preserved on this vinyl release, which also features his “I’ve Been to the Mountain Top” and “I Have a Dream” speeches. It was issued to support the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and captures King’s powerful voice as well as the era’s calls for justice.  

Division of African American History Collection

The cover is from an LP from Brotherhood Records, for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Funeral Service, plus his speeches “I’ve been to the Mountain Top” and “I Have a Dream.”

 

Poll Tax Receipt for Levi Washington, 1878, issued by Treasurer M. B. Harlow

Poll taxes were a form of voter suppression, used throughout the Jim Crow era to disenfranchise Black residents by binding the right to vote to a mandatory fee.  This receipt issued to Alexandrian Levi Washington reveals barriers African Americans faced as they fought to maintain access to political power during a period of rising racial discrimination.

Division of African American History Collection

The receipt, dated Alexandria, Va., May 22 1878, reads “This is to Certify that Levi Washington has paid the Capitation Tax for the year 187 ”

 

Poor People’s Campaign Button, 1968, maker unknown

The Poor People’s Campaign was a national movement launched by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to confront poverty, housing inequality, and economic injustice across racial lines. Many Alexandrians supported the campaign’s goals, recognizing similar struggles in their own neighborhoods during the late 1960s.  

Division of African American History Collection 

A button reads Poor People’s Campaign 1968, with a stylized image of a woman with an infant.

 

Vietnam Veterans Against the War Button, ca. 1970s, maker unknown

This “Vietnam Veterans Against the War” button features the organization’s insignia. Items like this reflect how veterans and community members joined national conversations about war, justice, and civic responsibility. 

Division of African American History Collection

This button reads “Vietnam Veterans against the War” around a red and gold shield with a rifle and helmet.

Community Activism

Alexandria residents come together to raise awareness, express their concerns and demand change about a range of social and political issues that impact the community at both a local and national level. 

 

SCLC Protest March Photographs, ca. 1983, Chuck Horne photographer 

Marchers holding Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) signs move through Alexandria. Founded in 1957 by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other Black clergy, the SCLC led nonviolent campaigns for voting rights, education, and economic justice. Their messages - “Register and Vote” and “Fight Student Aid Cut-Backs” - echo concerns shared by many Alexandria residents.

 

Protesters marching with signs, including ones with photos of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the words "Register to Vote."

 

Patricia Byrd, an Alexandria community advocate, and Jim Moran, then Alexandria’s Vice Mayor, walk at the front of the SCLC march. Their leadership presence reflects how Alexandria’s civic figures participated directly in regional civil rights actions.

 

Patricia Byrd and Jim Moran lead the SCLC march.

 

Faith leaders played a central role in mobilizing residents during civil rights actions. This photograph highlights the collective strength and moral authority that clergy and laypeople brought to public demonstrations, showing how Alexandria’s churches and neighborhoods stood together in pursuit of justice and civic empowerment.

 

Faith leaders march in the SCLC protest, including men in SCLC t-shirts and a priest in a collar.

 

Division of African American History Collection

 

An Arena in Alexandria?

In December 2023, local and state officials announced plans to build a professional sports arena in the Potomac Yard area for the Washington Capitals and Wizards sports teams. These posters represent the debate within the Alexandria community about the proposed development. In March 2024, the City of Alexandria announced the arena plan would not move forward.

The Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum Collection

 

A handmade yellow poster reads, “Stop the Arena! Let the People Decide!!!!!”

 

A printed white on black poster reads, “We Support Monumental Opportunity For Alexandria.”

Introduction

This exhibition, marking the 250th anniversary of the United States, showcases recently acquired objects, many on view for the first time.

Buildings as Collections

Historic buildings provide a sense of place and space. They are the largest objects in Historic Alexandria’s collection and require constant care to ensure they can be visited for generations to come. 

Collecting Stories

Oral histories deepen our understanding of the past by capturing personal perspectives and memories. Historic Alexandria collects these through The Alexandria Oral History Center and uses a community-driven approach to document and preserve the stories of Alexandria.

Collecting the Past

Historic Alexandria collects objects to preserve them and make them publicly available to share. Museum collections do not just reflect the past; they provide a resource for future generations. 

Collecting the Present

Historic Alexandria intentionally collects personal items and oral histories as major events are happening. This ensures these national stories are part of Alexandria’s history for future generations. 

Conserving for the Future

Caring for collections is a fundamental part of the Office of Historic Alexandria’s work.  Conservation treatment is essential for ensuring historic objects survive into the future. Each object requires special storage and care, depending on its materials and condition.