What's New

Spring2Action - Moss Kendrix

Thank you to everyone who helped us raise more than $18,495 for the upcoming exhibit: Moss H. Kendrix - Reframing the Black Image. Because of your generosity we won two grants: 

• $500 for the most dollars raised between 7-8 p.m. and 
• $1500 for most donors in the free agent fundraiser. 

30th Anniversary - Certified Local Government!

This month marks the 30th anniversary of the City of Alexandria becoming a Certified Local Government. This designation from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources supports our city’s historic preservation programs and helps us to protect Alexandria’s heritage.

Joseph McCoy Remembrance Event

The 2024 Joseph McCoy Remembrance event was held April 23 at Penny Hill Cemetery on the 700 block of S. Payne Street. Joseph McCoy was lynched on April 23, 1897. We gathered to honor and remember Joseph McCoy on the 127th year of his passing. Thanks to everyone who joined us for a wreath laying and remarks during this powerful ceremony at the burial site for Mr. McCoy. Learn why we pay tribute to Joseph: https://alexandriava.gov/go/5707.

Upcoming Events

View the Historic Alexandria Calendar

Freedom House Museum Comprehensive Plan Public Presentation
Tuesday, April 30
3-5 p.m. Free
Virtual Zoom Presentation. To register, visit: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_eJiS_LYNQ5i1zguEgKHnnQ#/registration

Join the Office of Historic Alexandria and SmithGroup for the final presentation on the Comprehensive Planning process for the Freedom House Museum at 1315 Duke Street. The final report will be posted online in the coming weeks. 

For additional information on the process, visit https://www.alexandriava.gov/museums/comprehen

Community Cookout
Brent Place, 375 S. Reynolds Street
Tuesday, April 30
6- 7:30 p.m.
Free

Join us for  a series of Community Cookouts in 2024! A great time for neighbors and families to come together and connect with community resources. There will be free food, face painting and activities, games for the kids and giveaways. For more information, email Michael Johnson or call 703.898.5115; or email Officer Bennie Evans or call 703.627.0728

Preservation Tours: Lost Buildings of Alexandria - The Berg & Parker-Gray
Tours begin at Lee-Fendall House Museum, 614 Oronoco Street
Every Saturday in May, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
$20/50% off for Lee-Fendall museum members.
Tickets can be purchased at leefendallhouse.eventbrite.com.

In honor of Historic Preservation Month, Lee-Fendall House and Carlyle Historic Park bring a new "Lost Buildings" walking tour, focused on the Berg and Parker-Gray neighborhoods.

The City of Alexandria has seen older buildings and spaces being restored, preserved, and reused in different ways. However, there were many buildings that were not preserved. Explore the Berg and Parker-Gray neighborhoods of Alexandria and stop at locations where historic buildings once stood.

The program is a joint effort between the Lee-Fendall House and Carlyle Historic Park. The tour includes walking over many city blocks, so please dress appropriately for the terrain and weather. Tours are limited to 10 people. For more information, please call (703) 548-1789 or email contact@leefendallhouse.org.bennie.evans@alexandriava.gov. 

Alexandria-Caen Sister City Committee Spring Jazz Fête
Lloyd House, 220 North Washington Street
Saturday, May 4
4-7 p.m.
$55 / $22 for ages 17 & under
Tickets available online. 

Join the Alexandria-Caen Sister City Committee in the Lloyd House Garden for a spectacular afternoon celebrating the rich cultural exchange between France & America through the universal language of jazz! Dance to a live Jazz Band and immerse yourself in the world of jazz with Smithsonian lecturer Paul Glenshaw, co-director of the upcoming documentary “Jazz in Paris.” Indulge in exquisite French crêpes paired with sparkling wines and ciders from our “Crêpes and Bubbles Bar.” Scavenger hunt, games and an auction to benefit Alexandria - Caen Exchange Students. Tickets are $55 / $22 for children 17 and under.

Specialty Tour: Peeling Back the Layers
Gadsby’s Tavern Museum, 134 N. Royal Street
Every Sunday in May, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
$15/Historic Alexandria Members $12
Tickets available online. 

Explore the 18th century buildings, including spaces rarely opened to the public. From graffiti in the attic to clues in the basement about the building’s construction date, learn to “read” a building and its changes through time. Wear comfortable shoes, be prepared for stairs, and bring your camera! The tour begins in the shop of Gadsby’s Tavern Museum.

Lafayette, La Musique de la Garde Nationale Parisienne
Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum, 201 S. Washington St.
Tuesday, May 7
7-9 p.m.
$20 per person
Tickets available online. 

Enjoy a lecture and concert of music from Lafayette’s lifetime performed on early 19th -century instruments.

Traditional Music Series Concert
Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum, 201 S. Washington St.
Thursday, May 9
7-9 p.m.
$25/$12 Ages 12-17 at ticketstripe.com/magillandmurray

Traditional Music Series concert, featuring Andrew Finn Magill (fiddle) & Alan Murray (vocals, bouzouki, and guitar). For twenty years violinist/fiddler and composer Andrew Finn Magill has been pursuing parallel careers in traditional Irish music, Brazilian choro, jazz and American fiddle and he has performed with everyone from grammy-nominees Trio Brasileiro to Rising Appalachia.  He has been featured on PBS, NPR, TEDx and MTV-U. Guitarist, bouzouki player and singer Alan Murray hails from Glasgow, Scotland, where he grew up playing the whistle and later guitar. Eventually moving to New York City, he has established himself as an in-demand performer and teacher on the Irish music scene. He has played and toured around the world with many of the finest traditional musicians and acts today, including Niall and Cillian Vallely, Eileen Ivers, Colin Farrell, Paul Brock, Battlefield Band, and FourWinds. Doors open at 7 p.m., concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Free snacks; cash bar for beer, wine, and a specialty cocktail.

Story Time for Little Historians
Alexandria Black History Museum, 902 Wythe Street
Saturday, May 11
10-10:45 a.m.
Free event, no registration required. Call 703-746-4356 for more information. 

This FREE, fun, and educational story time is geared to children ages 5-8 years old and features stories related to Black History. The program uses books written by and about African American people and other communities of color to educate and inspire our youngest visitors. Along with the book reading, Museum Staff provides historical context and local community connections. Story time will be held in the Museum’s Parker-Gray Gallery. 

Civil War Hospital Tour
Lee-Fendall House, 614 Oronoco Street
Saturday, May 11
2-3:15 p.m.
$10 per person. Tickets can be purchased at leefendallhouse.eventbrite.com.

Free for museum members. Members, please call the museum to reserve your ticket. Call 703-548-1789 for more information or email contact@leefendallhouse.org  

Learn how the Lee-Fendall House was confiscated during the Civil War and operated as a Union Army hospital. Explore what life was like in Union-occupied Alexandria, how the Lee-Fendall House witnessed medical history, and how political divisions impacted those living here. 

The tour is limited to 12 participants.

Friendship & Firefighting in Alexandria
Friendship Firehouse Museum, 100 Block of South Alfred Street
Saturday, May 18
9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Free event, no registration required.  

Join us Saturday, May 18 in front of Friendship Firehouse Museum at 107 South Alfred Street for a muster of over 15 antique, hand-drawn firefighting apparatus. Participating vehicles will include 19th-century suction fire engines and hose reel carriages. Friendship Firehouse Museum will also be open for free during the event. 

Friendship & Firefighting in Alexandria is sponsored by the Friendship Veterans Fire Engine Association and the Office of Historic Alexandria.

Lecture: Remember the First Ladies
Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum, 201 S. Washington St.
Tuesday, May 21
7-8:30 p.m.
$15/$12 for Members and Volunteers
Tickets available online. 

Please join us for a moderated program featuring Diana Carlin, Anita McBride, and Nancy Kegan Smith, co-authors of a new book, “Remember the First Ladies: The Legacies of America’s History-Making Women.” The book illustrates First Ladies’ unique position to influence American society, policy, diplomacy, and life in the White House and illuminates how many of them broke barriers to make a mark on our country and, at times, the world. A book signing will follow the program.

Historic Alexandria receives City operational funding to support its mission; however, these resources do not cover the full scope of the department’s strategic goals and projects. Donations, special revenue, and grant funding help supplement staff, conservation work, and educational programs. Please consider making a gift today.

Historic Alexandria Museum Hours

Plan your Visit

• Alexandria Archaeology Museum
  Tuesdays through Fridays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturdays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Sundays, 1-5 p.m.
• Alexandria Black History Museum
  Thursdays and Fridays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturdays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Sundays, 1-5 p.m.
• Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum
  Thursdays and Fridays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturdays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Sundays, 1-5 p.m.
• Fort Ward Museum
  Thursdays and Fridays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturdays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Sundays, 1-5 p.m.
• Freedom House Museum
  Thursdays and Fridays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturdays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Sundays and Mondays, 1-5 p.m.
• Friendship Firehouse Museum
  Saturday, May 18, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
• Gadsby’s Tavern Museum
  Thursdays and Fridays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturdays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Sundays through Tuesdays, 1-5 p.m.
• Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum
  Wednesdays through Fridays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturdays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Sundays and Mondays 1-5 p.m. The Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum will be closed for preservation work April 29-May 17.

Visit our website and follow us on social media to discover new things about your hometown. For more information, visit alexandriava.gov/Historic. Admission to City of Alexandria museums is complimentary for city residents.

For reasonable disability accommodation, contact Nicole Quinn at historicalexandria@alexandriava.gov or call 703.746.4554, Virginia Relay 711.

This Week in Alexandria's History

More from This Day in History

On May 2, 1856, the future site of the U.S. Customs House and Post Office was acquired at the southwest corner of Prince and St. Asaph streets. Just a few years later the old Customs House on the corner of Union and King streets would be retrofitted into a military bakery supplying loaves of bread to U.S. Army soldiers camped in Alexandria at the start of the Civil War. Designed by architect Ammi B. Young, the granite building opened in 1858 and was expanded in 1904.

Upcoming Commission and Committee Events

Commissions Supporting Historic Alexandria

• May 7 HARC Advocacy Meeting
  La Madeleine, 500 King Street
  10 a.m.-12 p.m.
• May 7 ACRP Remembrance Steering Committee 
  Alexandria Black History Museum, 902 Wythe Street
  5-6 p.m.
• May 8 Historic Restoration and Preservation Committee Meeting
  Lloyd House, 220 N. Washington Street
  8:15-9:30 a.m.
• May 13 Alexandria-Caen Sister City Committee
  Sister Cities Conference Room 1101, Alexandria City Hall, 301 King Street
  7-9 p.m.
• May 15 Alexandria Archaeological Commission
  Lloyd House, 220 N. Washington Street
  7-9 p.m.
• May 20 Sister Cities Committee (SCC) Dundee and Helsingborg 
  Sister Cities Conference Room 1101, Alexandria City Hall, 301 King Street
  7-9 p.m.
• May 20 George Washington Birthday Celebration Committee (GWBCC)
  Lloyd House, 220 N. Washington Street
  7-9 p.m.
• May 20 Public Records Advisory Commission
  Archives and Records Center, 801 S Payne Street
  7:30 p.m.
• May 21 Historic Alexandria Resources Commission
  Lloyd House, 220 N. Washington Street
  7-9 p.m.