August 26-September 1, 2024
What's New
Alexandria Community Remembrance Project Documentary Screening
George Washington National Masonic Memorial, 101 Callahan Drive
Saturday, September 21
5:30 p.m. Fundraiser Reception
6:30 p.m. Theater doors open
7-8:30 p.m. Film screening followed by a panel discussion
Purchase tickets online.
The Alexandria Community Remembrance Project (ACRP) will debut a documentary film titled Resolved: Never Again. Filmmaker Robin Hamilton explores the port city’s involvement in slavery and the domestic slave trade until the Civil War, an era followed by decades of racial terror when the lynchings of Joseph McCoy and Benjamin Thomas took place. The documentary also examines how Alexandria has been confronting parts of this past since 2019.
The evening opens at 5:30 with a Fundraising Reception where you can meet Filmmaker Robin Hamilton and individuals featured in the documentary.
All proceeds from this event support the work of the Alexandria Community Remembrance Project.
Archaeology through the Ages
Friday, September 13
7 – 9 p.m.
Alexandria Archaeology Museum, 105 N Union St, #327
Free
Celebrate the last five decades of community archaeology in the city with Alexandria Archaeology and the Alexandria Historical Society. Join us at 7 p.m. for recollections from the first City Archaeologist and Historical Society President, Dr. Pam Cressey, about the beginnings of archaeology in the building. Stay for a behind-the-scenes peak into the museum’s onsite collections space and view selected artifacts highlighting significant projects since the 1970s. This event coincides with the Torpedo Factory Art Center’s 50th anniversary celebration from 7 – 10 p.m. throughout the building.
Upcoming Events
View the Historic Alexandria Calendar
Yoga on the Magnolia Terrace-Happy Hour
Carlyle House Historic Park, 121 N. Fairfax Street
Friday, August 30
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.
The Women of Lee-Fendall
Lee-Fendall House, 614 Oronoco Street
Saturday, August 31
11a.m. - 12 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased online.
This special house tour will take you through the lives of some of the women who lived and worked in the Lee-Fendall House over the years as a private home and even when it became a museum in 1974. Learn about their struggles and achievements as women, wives, educators, workers, mothers, performers, and activists.
Tickets must be purchased in advance and are $10 per person. Members of Lee-Fendall House are free but must call or email to make a reservation.
Family Day with Young Historians
Gadsby’s Tavern Museum, 134 N. Royal Street
Sunday, September 1
2 p.m.- 5 p.m.
Fees included in regular admission.
Every Sunday 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!
WMPA Lyceum Chamber Series
Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum, 201 S. Washington Street
Sundays through September 15
3 p.m.
No tickets required, suggested donation $25
Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic Association “Lyceum Chamber Series” features different musicians each week. August 18 is Quodlibet, whose group includes flute, clarinet, and bassoon.
For more information, please visit https://www.wmpamusic.org/.
Muster Friendship and Firefighting in Alexandria
Friendship Firehouse Museum, 107 S. Alfred Street
Saturday, September 14
9 a.m.- 2 p.m.
Free
Join us for a muster of over 15 antique, hand-drawn firefighting apparatus to honor the 250th anniversary of the Friendship Firehouse! Participating vehicles will include 19th-century suction fire engines and hose reel carriages. Friendship Firehouse Museum will be open throughout the event for free as well.
Friendship & Firefighting in Alexandria is sponsored by the Friendship Veterans Fire Engine Association and the Office of Historic Alexandria.
Story Time for Little Historians
Alexandria Black History Museum, 902 Wythe Street
Saturday, September 14
10 a.m.- 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.
Liberation of Paris Garden Party
Lloyd House, 220 N. Washington Street
Saturday, September 14
6 p.m.- 9:30 p.m.
$75
Tickets can be purchased via Eventbrite “Liberation of Paris”
Celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Liberation of Paris at a festive garden party hosted by the British Officers Club, Washington, DC, and the Alexandria-Caen Sister City Committee. Enjoy swing music, dancing, delicious food, and a cash bar. 1940s attire welcome!
Alexandria Fire History Symposium
George Washington National Masonic Memorial, 101 Callahan Drive
Sunday, September 15
10 a.m.- 3 p.m.
Free, registration required.
Mark the 250th anniversary of the Friendship Fire Company on Sunday, September 15, and join the Friendship Veterans Fire Engine Association for the “Alexandria Fire History Symposium.” Three panels of firefighting history specialists will discuss Alexandria’s early and more recent firefighting history. Topics are: The Great Fires, Remembering Those Who Served, and Responding to Terror.
To register, please contact Jim McClellan at jimmiermcclellan@gmail.com by September 10th. For more details visit AlexandriaVa.gov/Historic.
Members of the Friendship Fire Company were volunteers motivated by their concern for safety and property. Now called the Friendship Veterans Fire Engine Association (FVFEA), the organization continues to support the Alexandria community.
Tavern Games Night: Rum Edition
Gadsby’s Tavern Museum, 134 N. Royal St.
Friday, September 20
7 - 9:30 p.m.
$10
Tickets can be purchased online.
It’s National Rum Punch Day! To celebrate, play tavern games and enjoy traditional rum punch–a popular tavern drink. Includes brief presentations about tavern entertainments and group games. Cash bar.
Classic Car Show
Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum, 201 S. Washington Street
Saturday, September 21
10 a.m.- 1 p.m.
Free
Join us in the parking lot of the Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum for a classic car show featuring a variety of “orphan” vehicles. This show will bring together cars that are no longer manufactured – hence the term “orphans” – and is scheduled to include cars made by Packard, Hudson, MG, Nash, Pontiac, and more.
The show is free and is co-sponsored by Packards Virginia and the Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum. For more information, visit packardsva.org.
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
Saturday, September 14, 11 a.m.-5 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
One August 26, 1948, the Alexandria Citizen’s Band was honored to win first prize in a competition held at the Virginia State Fireman’s Convention. The local band, a community organization comprising volunteer members who bring musical entertainment to Northern Virginia, Alexandria, and the DC Metro area, still plays a summer concert series annually at Alexandria’s Market Square and at community special events. The band was organized in 1912 and is one of the oldest community bands in the country.
Upcoming Commission and Committee Events
Commissions Supporting Historic Alexandria
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September 3 Historic Alexandria Resources Commission, Advocacy Subcommittee
La Madeleine, 500 King Street
10 a.m. -
September 9 Alexandria-Caen Sister City Committee
Sister Cities Conference Room, 1101 City Hall
7-9 p.m. -
September 10 Alexandria Community Remembrance Project Steering Committee
Alexandria Black History Museum, 902 Wythe Street
5 p.m. -
September 17 Historic Alexandria Resources Commission (HARC)
Lloyd House, 220 N. Washington Street
7-9 p.m. -
September 18 Alexandria Archaeological Commission
Lloyd House, 220 N. Washington