September 2-September 8, 2024
What's New
Friendship and Firefighting in Alexandria
Celebrating 250 Years of Friendship Fire Company
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 and Firefighting in Alexandria is sponsored by the Friendship Veterans Fire Engine Association and the Office of Historic Alexandria.
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 Office of Historic Alexandria. For more information, visit packardsva.org.
Upcoming Events
View the Historic Alexandria Calendar
Beyond the Battlefield: A Civil War Walking Tour
Lee-Fendall House, 614 Oronoco Street
Saturday, September 7
10-11:30 a.m.
$15 and free for museum members
Tickets can be purchased online.
This walking tour shares the stories of soldiers, citizens, and self-liberated African Americans in Civil War Alexandria. It covers the military occupation, the conversion of public and private buildings into hospitals, and emancipation.
Tickets must be purchased in advance. The tour is limited to 12 participants and lasts approximately an hour and a half. Walking tours take place rain or shine, so please wear appropriate shoes and clothing. For more information, please call 703-548-1789 or e-mail contact@leefendallhouse.org.
Civil War Hospital Tour
Lee-Fendall House, 614 Oronoco Street
Saturday, September 7
2-3:15 p.m.
$10 and free for museum members
Tickets can be purchased online.
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.
Members, please call the museum to reserve your ticket. The tour is limited to 12 participants. Please e-mail contact@leefendallhouse.org or call 703-548-1789 with any questions.
Candlelight Vigil and Wreath Laying at Freedmen’s Cemetery
Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial, 1001 S. Washington Street
Saturday, September 7
8 p.m. (shuttle service from Lee Center starting at 7:30 p.m.)
Free
The City of Alexandria invites the public to participate in the tenth anniversary of the dedication of the Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial. The memorial honors the hundreds of African Americans who sought freedom and protection in Alexandria during the Civil War. This year’s remembrance will honor the late Lillie Finklea and her work with her friend Louise Massoud to create the Friends of Freedmen’s Cemetery.
To learn more about the vigil, visit alexandriava.gov/FreedmenMemorial
Call for Strikes: American Labor in the 20th Century
Lee-Fendall House, 614 Oronoco Street
Sunday, September 8, 2-3:15 p.m.
$10 and free for museum members
Tickets can be purchased online.
From deadly mine explosions to wartime strikes, the history of the 20th century American labor movement is full of violence and controversy. Explore the struggle for worker's rights at the home of one of its most powerful spokesmen, John L. Lewis.
The tour is limited to 12 participants. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Questions? Please call the museum at 703-548-1789 or e-mail contact@leefendallhouse.org.
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/.
Black History Presentation by Michael Johnson
Alexandria Black History Museum, 902 Wythe Street
Sunday, September 8
6-7 p.m.
Free
Michael Johnson will be sharing his latest work on researching and preserving Frederick Douglass Memorial Cemetery in Alexandria. The cemetery contains some 2,000 internments, but only 650 headstones are visible today. This work was supported through the African American Fellowship Program as part of the Voices Remembered initiative of Preservation Virginia.
Archaeology through the Ages
Alexandria Archaeology Museum, 105 N Union St, #327
Friday, September 13
7 – 9 p.m.
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.
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 - 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
Purchase tickets 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.
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.
Civil War Camp Day
Fort Ward Museum and Historic Site, 4301 W. Braddock Rd.
Saturday, September 28
10 a.m.- 4 p.m.
Free, Suggested donation $2 / $5 for families
The annual living history event features military and civilian reenactors in camp settings in and around the historic fort. The program includes camp life activities, infantry and artillery drills and firing demonstrations, equipment displays, and civilian impressions.
Among the living history units participating are the 28th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, Co. B, the 3rd U.S. Regular Infantry, Co. K, and the 1st U.S. Artillery, Co. D. Special interpretations include a U.S. Army Quartermaster tent, a Union company surgeon, a Northern schoolmarm who interprets 19th-century education and pastimes for children, and a soldier in the reconstructed Officers’ Hut portraying the daily routine and living quarters of an officer in the Defenses of Washington. At 3 p.m., the 8th Green Machine Regiment Band will perform a concert of Civil War music on the Museum lawn. This historical brass ensemble, sponsored by George Mason University, presents music of the 19th century on authentic period instruments.
Fort Ward is the best preserved of the Union forts that comprised the Civil War Defenses of Washington.
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
On September 6, 1654, Dame Margaret Brent obtained a patent for a 700-acre plot that included what is now Alexandria. In 1669, Governor Berkeley awarded an overlapping land grant to Robert Howson, an English ship captain. This tract extended along the Potomac River, from Hunting Creek on the south to the Little Falls on the north. Less than a month later, Howson sold the land to Scotsman John Alexander. The town was later named for the Alexander family in 1749.
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 11 Alexandria Historical Restoration and Preservation Commission
Lloyd House, 220 N. Washington Street
8:15 a.m. -
September 16 George Washington Birthday Celebration Committee
Lloyd House, 220 N. Washington Street
7-9 p.m. -
September 16 Sister Cities Committee (SCC) - Dundee and Helsingborg
Sister Cities Conference Room 1101, City Hall
7 p.m. -
September 16 Public Records Advisory Commission (PRAC)
Archives and Records Center, 801 S Payne St.
7:30 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
7-9 p.m.