September 16 -22, 2024
 

What's New

Pop-Up Archaeology - Buried Ships of Robinson Landing Exhibit

Corner of The Strand and Pioneer Mill Way (near BARCA)
Friday, October 4
4:30 – 7 p.m.
Free

Step inside the temporary Buried Ships of Robinson Landing window-front exhibit on Friday, October 4 between 4:30 and 7 p.m. for a special chance to see scale models of three 18th century vessel remnants excavated in 2018 on the same block. Talk with archaeologists and learn how these ships were used to create new land along the waterfront. For more information about the free exhibit located at the Strand and Pioneer Mill Way, visit www.alexandriava.gov/archaeology/archaeology-on-the-waterfront.

Walking Tour: The Marquis de Lafayette Returns

Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum, 201 S. Washington Street
Saturday, October 5 & Sunday, October 6
10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
$15/$30 includes book, $12 Historic Alexandria Members
Purchase tickets online.

Join public historian and author of Marquis de Lafayette Returns, A Tour of America’s National Capital Region Elizabeth Reese on a 90 minute walking tour retracing Lafayette's steps from his 1824 visit. Coordinated by the Alexandria-Caen Sister City Committee. The tour will begin at the Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum (201 South Washington Street) and will end at Gadsby’s Tavern Museum (134 North Royal Street).

Upcoming Events

View the Historic Alexandria Calendar

Community Cookout
Mt. Vernon Recreation Center, 2701 Commonwealth Ave.
Tuesday, September 17
6-7:30 p.m.
Free

Join us for 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, contact Michael Johnson at 703.898.5115, michael.johnson@alexandriava.gov or Officer Bennie Evans at 703.627.0728.

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.

Discovering Alexandria Architecture Walking Tour
Tour starts at the Carlyle House, 121 North Fairfax Street
Saturday, September 21
10 - 11:30 a.m.
$20 
Purchase tickets online. 

Alexandria has grown from a small town in the 18th century to a bustling small city in the 21st century. Join us for a tour of Alexandria as we explore looking at the various Architecture styles that adorn the city streets and make it one of the best places to live and work. 

Reservations are required as space is limited. Please wear comfortable shoes for this 1.5 hour guided tour. Tour is held rain or shine unless there is severe weather. Having trouble registering? Please call 703-549-2997 or email carlyle@nvrpa.org

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.

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.

Yoga on the Magnolia Terrace - Happy Hour
Carlyle House Historic Park, 121 North Fairfax Street
Friday, September 27
6 - 7:30 p.m.
$20
Purchase tickets online. 

Join our yoga instructor for a 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 social media! Yoga Happy Hours are a fundraiser for new exhibit cases in the museum and sponsored by the Friends of Carlyle House. 

Please bring water, a towel, and a yoga mat. Wear comfortable yoga wear. Please note that the terrace is bricked so please bring a thicker mat or double up with an extra mat or towel. Class may be canceled due to inclement weather, you will receive an email if class is canceled.

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.

Art During Wartime - Book Talk with Dr. Vanessa Schulman
Lee-Fendall House Museum & Garden, 614 Oronoco Street
Friday, October 4
7 - 8:15 p.m.
$10 to the general public and free for museum members
Purchase tickets online. 

While the Civil War raged on, many northern artists depicted everyday life rather than grand battles or landscapes of noble sacrifice. Amidst a conflict that was upending antebellum social norms, these painters created realistic scenes of mundane events, known as genre paintings. While many of the paintings seem to show ordinary incidents, artists worked to connect their visuals to larger concerns. With attention to how the war shaped new definitions of gender, race, and disability, Art during Wartime uncovers the complexity of these genre paintings, using seven case studies of artists who explored how the war instigated social change and influenced northern opinions about current events. In this book talk, the author will briefly outline the book's primary arguments and then discuss how three of the artists studied--Thomas Hicks, Vincent Colyer, and Eastman Johnson--used genre art to spark complex conversations about American life.

Dr. Vanessa Meikle Schulman is an Associate Professor of Art History at George Mason University. Dr. Schulman specializes in the nineteenth- and twentieth-century art and visual culture of the United States. She received her PhD in Visual Studies from the University of California, Irvine in 2010, and has published her research in the academic journals American Art, Invisible Culture, Nineteenth Century Studies, American Periodicals, and Early Popular Visual Culture. Her book, Work Sights: The Visual Culture of Industry in Nineteenth-Century America, was published by the University of Massachusetts Press in 2015. Art During Wartime: Painting Everyday Life in the Civil War North is her second book publication.

Members, please call the museum to reserve your ticket. Tickets must be purchased in advance as there is limited seating. Questions? Please e-mail contact@leefendallhouse.org or call the museum at 703-548-1789.

Fall Frolic
Lee-Fendall House Museum & Garden, 614 Oronoco Street
Saturday, October 5
11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
$15 per participating child and $5 for each accompanying adult.
Purchase tickets online. 

Lee-Fendall's annual Fall Frolic is the perfect family event to celebrate the Fall season! Enjoy autumn and Halloween-themed family fun in the garden of the Lee-Fendall House on Saturday, October 5th. Activities include crafts, games, a cake walk, and more! Costumes are encouraged but not required. A costume contest will be held each hour, and the winner will get a special prize! Activities are catered to children ages 3-12.

Tickets must be purchased in advance as sessions are limited to 20 children per hour. Tickets are sold on the hour at: 11:00 AM, 12:00 PM, 1:00 PM, 2:00 PM, and 3:00 PM. Questions? Call (703)-548-1789 or email contact@leefendallhouse.org.

“The President’s Own” United States Marine Band Concert
Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum, 201 S. Washington Street
Sunday, October 6
6 - 7:15 p.m.
Free
Register online.

Join musicians from “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band for a special concert tracing the musical history of America’s oldest continuously active professional musical organization. The band performed at Lyceum Hall, which is now the Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum, after an 1840 parade and during a concert hosted by Signor Francis Garcia in 1843. The Marine Band was a frequent visitor to the area, performing in local parades, on steamboat excursions from Alexandria, in at least one Tavern, and at various venues throughout the city. 

The musicians will present a program of works inspired by past performances in Alexandria during the 19th and 20th centuries. Historic selections include Francis Hopkinson’s Washington’s March, a celebration of the first President of the United States, and Medley of Patriotic Airs by Francis Scala, the first Marine Band member to hold the title of “Leader of the Band.” Marine Band Historian Staff Sgt. Philip Espe will narrate the program, providing historical context to the programmed pieces. The concert is free with a cash bar.

Story Time for Little Historians
Alexandria Black History Museum, 902 Wythe Street
Saturday, October 12
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. 

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

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, October 12, 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

More from This Day in History

On September 17, 1949, the George Washington High School in Del Ray was just beginning its football season. It was a magnificent fall day; the stadium was filled with excited fans, including the President of the United States, Harry S. Truman, who had come earlier to Alexandria to assist with the burial of a time capsule, honoring the City’s bicentennial at the flagpole near the north goal post. The capsule, a stainless steel cylinder, approximately 4 feet long and 8 inches in diameter, was filled with photographs, newspapers, documents, books and artifacts recording life in Alexandria dating back to 1749.  Warner Brothers Pathe News recorded the event and it was shown in over 176,000 theaters nationwide.

Upcoming Commission and Committee Events

Commissions Supporting Historic Alexandria

• 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.

• October 1 HARC Advocacy Subcommittee
  La Madeleine, 500 King Street 
  10 a.m.