July 22-28, 2024
What's New
Pop-Up Archaeology - Buried Ships of Robinson Landing Exhibit
Step inside the temporary Buried Ships of Robinson Landing window front exhibit for a special chance to see scale models of three 18th century vessel remnants excavated in 2018 on the same block. Talk with an archaeologist and learn how these ships were used to create new land along the waterfront.
Through a partnership with the Robinson Landing Property Owners Association, Alexandria Archaeology has the unique opportunity to shine a light on this site’s history. Archaeologists use these digital and physical models to compare ship construction and to answer questions about the age and use of the vessels. This FREE exhibit is located at the corner of The Strand and Pioneer Mill Way (near BARCA).
For more information about the exhibit, visit www.alexandriava.gov/archaeology/archaeology-on-the-waterfront.
The Alexandria Film Festival Presents "The Arc of Oblivion"
Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum, 201 S. Washington Street
Friday, July 26
6:30 p.m. -8:30 p.m.
$15 per person
Tickets can be purchased online.
In commemoration of ALX275, the Alexandria Film Festival presents “The Arc of Oblivion,” a feature documentary that explores the universal impulse throughout human history to archive memory and record experience. A panel discussion and special presentation by ACHS students follows the screening. The event is made possible with grant funding from the NEA and City of Alexandria. Watch the trailer online.
Upcoming Events
View the Historic Alexandria Calendar
Yoga on the Magnolia Terrace-Happy Hour
Carlyle House Historic Park, 121 N. Fairfax Street
Last Friday of the month July-September (July 26th, Aug 30th, & Sept 27th)
6 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
$20
Join our yoga instructor for an hour long Yoga class on Carlyle’s Magnolia Terrace. Afterwards, enjoy a mocktail with yoga participants and staff. Mocktails will change based on the month and will be announced on our social media! Yoga Happy Hours are a fundraiser for new exhibit cases in the museum and sponsored by the Friends of Carlyle House.
For more details, visit the event website here.
Trivia Nights at Historic Sites: Summer Olympics
Lee-Fendall House Museum, 614 Oronoco Street
Friday, July 26
7-9 p.m.
$12 per person
Tickets can be purchased online.
The Lee-Fendall House Museum and Carlyle House Historic Park have combined their random nerd knowledge to create bi-weekly trivia nights in the beautiful gardens located at Lee-Fendall House. Join us all summer to test your knowledge on all things from pop culture to history! The theme of our July 26th trivia night will be Summer Olympics.
Trivia nights are $12 a person which includes 1 drink ticket. Additional drinks can be bought at our cash bar. Teams may have up to 6 members on them. Registration slots are first come, first served, so we recommend paying ahead of time to save your spot. Ages 21 and over only.
Trivia nights will take place every other Friday at 7pm from June-August (June 14 & 28, July 12 & 26, August 9 & 23). For more information on how to register visit www.leefendallhouse.org.
Science Behind Harry Potter
Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum, 105-107 S. Fairfax Street
Sunday, July 28
1 p.m.-6 p.m.
$15 per person
Tickets can be purchased online.
In honor of Harry Potter’s birthday, tour the Apothecary Museum to see the historic muggle herbology and potions referenced in the Harry Potter series and make your own potion! Recommended for ages 8 and older. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Don’t forget your camera!
Family Day with Young Historians
Gadsby’s Tavern Museum, 134 N. Royal Street
Every Sunday, July 28 through Labor Day weekend
2- 5 p.m.
Fees included in regular admission.
Every Sunday, July 28 through Labor Day weekend, guests can meet our Junior Docents, young historians grade 4 and up, as they share the stories of the tavern. The afternoon includes historic chocolate-making demonstrations. Past visitors have described the student presentations as an “exciting treat” that brings a “fun element” to the tour. Don’t miss out!
Friendship Firehouse Festival
Friendship Firehouse Museum, 107 S. Alfred Street
Saturday, August 3
9 a.m. -2 p.m.
Free
Join us for the Friendship Firehouse Festival to celebrate Friendship’s 250th year. Learn about fire safety today and yesterday and see City firefighting equipment up-close. There will be music, displays by community organizations, craft vendors, and food and beverages available. Children will receive free fire helmets and can visit the City’s fire trucks. This family event is presented by the Friendship Veterans Fire Engine Association and Historic Alexandria.
The Friendship Fire Company, established in 1774, was the first fire company in Alexandria. Today the Friendship Firehouse, built in 1855, is a museum open to the public. In addition to the day’s outdoor events, festival participants will enjoy visiting the Friendship Firehouse Museum.
2024 Benjamin Thomas Remembrance Event
Featuring Speaker Rachel Laser, an educator on racism and CEO of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State
Shiloh Baptist Church, 1401 Jamieson Ave.
Thursday, August 8
Doors open at 6:15 p.m.
Program begins at 6:30 p.m.
Free
Thursday, August 8, 2024, will be the 125th year since the lynching of Benjamin Thomas in Alexandria. To acknowledge this aspect of our history as we work toward creating a more inclusive community, the Alexandria Community Remembrance Project has invited Rachel Laser to speak about attempts to stifle the teaching of our shared history, book bans and disinformation that stokes fear about race in our public schools. Please join us for an hour-long program of music, memory and learning.
Story Time for Little Historians
Alexandria Black History Museum, 902 Wythe Street
Saturday, August 10
10 - 10:45 a.m.
Free
Dynamic storytellers use books written by and about African American people and other communities of color to engage with ages 5-8.
Specialty Tour: A Magical Apothecary
Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum, 105-107 S. Fairfax Street
Sunday, August 11
11 a.m.-12 p.m.
$15 per person, $12 OHA members
Tickets can be purchased online.
Learn about the muggle botanical science that inspired the potions and herbology of Harry Potter’s wizarding world on a tour of this 19th century apothecary, and make your own magical potion! Recommended for ages 8 and up.
Specialty Tour: Poisons at the Apothecary Museum
Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum, 105-107 S. Fairfax Street
Sunday, August 18
11 a.m.-12 p.m.
$15 per person, $12 OHA members
Tickets can be purchased online.
Come explore the sinister side of medicine on the Apothecary Museum’s Poisons Tour. This one-hour tour explores several different types of poisons, their historic uses at the Apothecary, and what we know today. Recommended for ages 18 and up.
Please arrive between 10:45-11:00 a.m. as the museum is not open to the public until 1:00 p.m. and the doors will be locked when the tour begins at 11:00 a.m.
Arts Enrichment Programs for Youth Grant Program
The Alexandria Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities’ Office of the Arts is collaborating with the Recreation Services Division to create Arts Enrichment Program for Youth – Grant Program (AEPY) which is funded by the American Rescue Fund Program for Alexandria. The AEPY is a program to provide funding for nonprofit organizations and teaching artists to develop high quality summer and afterschool arts programs which could be Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math; art, musical performance, culture, both traditional and nontraditional arts; and other creative projects will be in the City’s Recreation Centers.
Arts Enrichment Programs for Youth should:
1. Take place in one of the dedicated neighborhood recreation centers which are inspiring, welcoming spaces for all youth who want to participate and affirm the value of the arts and artists.
2. Focus on hands-on skill building using art supplies.
3. The culmination of the residency could result in a public event with audiences showcasing the work the youth have accomplished.
4. To actively involve youth in the implementation of the program.
The AEPY programs will be offered throughout the city between September 2 - December 15, 2024. Grant awards will be for $5,000 per residency, per location. Applicants can submit up to two applications and will not have a cash match requirement.
The application will be submitted on the SurveyMonkey online grant portal. Online applications must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. Friday, August 16, 2024. Mailed or hand-delivered applications will not be accepted. It is anticipated that funding decisions will occur by Friday, August 23, 2024.
To request a coaching session or language support email: arts@alexandriava.gov.
Support Historic Alexandria
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
- 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
August 3, 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–Fridays, 11 a.m.– 4 p.m., Saturdays, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sundays & Mondays 1 - 5 p.m.
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
On July 25, 1811, President James Madison and his wife, Dolley, passed through Alexandria on their way to Montpelier, Madison’s lifelong home in Orange Virginia. The Madison’s were escorted through the city streets by units of the Alexandria militia.
Upcoming Commission and Committee Events
Commissions Supporting Historic Alexandria
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July 30 Benjamin Thomas Remembrance Planning Committee
Alexandria Black History Museum, 902 Wythe Street
3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. -
August 12 Alexandria-Caen Sister City Committee
Sister Cities Conference Room, 1101 City Hall
7-9 p.m. -
August 19 George Washington Birthday Celebration Committee (GWBCC)
Lloyd House, 220 N. Washington Street
7-9 p.m. -
August 19 Sister Cities Committee (SCC) - Dundee and Helsingborg
Sister Cities Conference Room, 1101 City Hall
7-8 p.m. -
August 20 Historic Alexandria Resources Commission (HARC)
Lloyd House, 220 N. Washington Street
7-9 p.m. - August 21 Alexandria Archaeological Commission
Lloyd House, 220 N. Washington Street
7-9 p.m.