october 21–27, 2024
 

What's New

Death at the City Hotel

Gadsby’s Tavern Museum, 134 N. Royal Street
Saturday, October 26
7 p.m.
$35, $30 Historic Alexandria Member/Volunteer
Purchase tickets. 

While the City Hotel (now Gadsby’s Tavern Museum) was a hotel during the Civil War, it still saw its share of deaths. Through activities and storytelling, learn about Civil War-era deaths at the hotel and what they reveal about changing medical and grieving practices of the time. Cost includes one drink ticket. 

Alexandria Cider Festival

Lloyd House, 220 N. Washington Street
Saturday, November 23
1 - 5 p.m.
Tickets $50 in advance August 1 - October 31, $55 November 1-22, and $25 for designated drivers.
Purchase tickets.

Tour Celebrate Virginia Cider Week with a special tasting event on the grounds of historic Lloyd House in Old Town Alexandria. Event ticket includes cider tastings, a souvenir glass, live music, tavern games, access to a food truck, and a little history too! Online sales end at 5 p.m. on Saturday, November 22. After that, tickets can be purchased at the door for $65. Dress for the weather - the event is outdoors! Festival will be open from 1 to 5 p.m. Proceeds from the Cider Festival will benefit the Historic Alexandria Museums.  

Museum Social Impact in Practice Launches with Forty Museum Participants, Including Historic Alexandria

The American Alliance of Museums recently announced that 40 museums, including Historic Alexandria, have been selected for the upcoming Museum Social Impact in Practice (MSIIP) cohort, launching in Fall 2024. This diverse group, representing 25 states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico, will participate in a multi-year study to measure and analyze their social impact. 

Through professional development and training, participating museums will learn how to leverage social impact data for advocacy and build stronger relationships with their communities and funders. MSIIP is a three-year initiative funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and builds on the work of the Measurement of Museum Social Impact project. For more information, visit the AAM Website. 

Upcoming Events

View the Historic Alexandria Calendar

Halloween Hunt
Carlyle House Historic Park, 121 North Fairfax Street
October 24-31
Sundays 12p.m.-4p.m., Monday-Saturday (closed Wednesday) 10a.m.-4p.m.
$2 per child
Purchase tickets. 

Stop by the Museum Store during open hours (closed Wednesday) from October 24th through 31st to participate in our Halloween Hunt! In this $2 drop-in activity, guests can pick up a worksheet and explore the garden of Carlyle House while learning about Halloween in Alexandria at the turn of the twentieth-century! Find all the newspaper clippings in order to answer the questions on your worksheet and uncover the secret message. Tell a staff member the secret message and receive a special prize*! 

 This fun fall activity is best for young guests and their grownups. No tickets required, just stop in and visit the museum during open hours. Questions? email us at Carlyle@NVRPA.org 

 *so all our friends can play, prizes will not be edible

Something’s Brewing at Port City Brewing Company!
Port City Brewing Company, 3950 Wheeler Ave., Alexandria
Friday, October 25
5-10 p.m., Tasting Room opens at noon

Something’s Brewing on October 25th at Port City Brewing Company! We're throwing a killer Halloween party to celebrate the return of everyone’s favorite spooky beers, Long Black Veil and Optimal Witch. With live music from the Mildewdz, delicious food from Borinquen Lunch Box and Scuttlbutt Bakeshop, and our friends from Historic Alexandria, this party is sure to be a hauntingly good time. Join us for a night of great music, tasty beers, and amazing food. Don your spookiest costume if you dare!

Witchcraft in the Walls
Carlyle House Historic Park, 121 North Fairfax Street
October 25 and October 26
6 - 8 p.m.
$15
Purchase tickets. 

Rumor has it that there has been a re-emergence of witchcraft in Alexandria and the accused witch was last seen at the Carlyle House! Gather evidence so Alexandrians can bring her to trial by speaking with witnesses to her alleged sorcery. Along the way you will learn how to concoct your own witch bottle by gathering a list of items that were thought to offer protection against witches. The only way to complete your witch bottle recipe is by solving a series of puzzles throughout the Carlyle House and gardens. Will you be safe from the witch’s wicked spells?

*Disclaimer: there is no documentation that there was ever thought to be a witch at Carlyle House or in Alexandria. The witch in this program is purely fictional and based off of women who were accused of witchcraft in Virginia between 1626 and 1730, which was well before John Carlyle lived in Alexandria.*

Small groups will be let in the house at a time every 15 minutes. Last entry into the house is 7:45 each evening. There are no jump scares or actors who will touch you, but due to some subject matter this program is not appropriate for children under the age of 12. 

Having trouble registering? Please call 703-549-2997 or email carlyle@nvrpa.org

Tables of Conscience Dinner
Saturday, October 26
6 p.m.
$125 donation per person
Purchase tickets. 

Back by Popular Demand! A new round of Tables of Conscience book-themed dinners is scheduled to raise money for the 2025 scholarships in the names of Joseph McCoy and Benjamin Thomas. About a week before the dinner, those who reserved spots will receive an email with the name and address of the hosts. Please indicate at registration if you have any food allergies or strong preferences. Hosts will do their best to accommodate guest requests. Each reservation requires a $125 donation per person. The dinner’s discussion book must be purchased separately from a local bookstore. 

Discussion book: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. This award-winning book is about an African American teen, Starr Carter, who sees a white police officer kill her best friend from childhood. Although this book is classified as a Young Adult Novel, it has been recommended for adults and has been described as a compelling, thought-provoking read. 

Evening for Educators - Moss Kendrix Exhibit 
Alexandria Black History Museum, 902 Wythe Street
Tuesday, October 29
4:30 - 6 p.m. 
Free

Join Historic Alexandria staff to explore this new Moss Kendrix: Reframing the Black Image exhibit and learn about education resources available for Alexandria Black History Museum. Raffle drawing for all attendees at 5:30 p.m. Refreshments will be provided. Please RSVP to Elizabeth Keaney. Elizabeth.Keaney@AlexandriaVA.gov or  703-746-4735

Poe in Alexandria
Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum, 201 S. Washington Street
Wednesday, October 30 and Thursday, October 31
8 p.m. 
$25
Purchase tickets.

Don’t miss an unforgettable evening with America’s earliest master of the macabre - Edgar Allan Poe! Actor David Keltz returns to The Lyceum’s lecture hall to recreate Poe’s visit to Virginia in 1849, shortly before his death. This year’s performance will include short stories, poems, musings, and literary criticism. 

Hamilton’s BFFs & Frenemies
Gadsby’s Tavern Museum, 134 North Royal Street
Friday, November 1 and Saturday, November 2
6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
$15/$12 for Historic Alexandria Members 
Purchase tickets.

During the election season, see how the Founding Fathers and beyond shaped Alexandria and the nation on this tour inspired by the musical. 

Scottish, Irish, and American music with Rakish 
Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum, 201 S. Washington Street
Friday, November 1
7:30 p.m. (doors open at 7 p.m.)
$25, $10 Ages 12-17
Purchase tickets. 

Violinist Maura Shawn Scanlin and guitarist Conor Hearn unite to form “Rakish.” The pair gets their namesake from the traditional Irish tune Rakish Paddy, an origin that aptly suits the duo and their shared background in traditional Irish and Scottish music. Learn more about the concert series. 

Tables of Conscience Dinner
Saturday, November 2
6 p.m.
$125 donation per person
Purchase tickets. 

Back by Popular Demand! A new round of Tables of Conscience book-themed dinners is scheduled to raise money for the 2025 scholarships in the names of Joseph McCoy and Benjamin Thomas. About a week before the dinner, those who reserved spots will receive an email with the name and address of the hosts. Please indicate at registration if you have any food allergies or strong preferences. Hosts will do their best to accommodate guest requests. Each reservation requires a $125 donation per person. The dinner’s discussion book must be purchased separately from a local bookstore. 

Discussion book: In the Pines: A Lynching, A Lie, A Reckoning, by Grace Elizabeth Hale. When she first heard her mother’s story about a thwarted lynching in a small Mississippi town where Hale’s grandfather was the sheriff and seeming hero, the author of In the Pines: A Lynching, A Lie, A Reckoning, was a college student. The family lore inspired Hale, who is white, to focus her graduate studies on “whiteness,” which led to the publication of her earlier book (and a ToC dinner book in 2023), Making Whiteness: The Culture of Segregation in the South 1890-1940. During a visit to her grandmother’s house, Hale discovered a 1947 front page article detailing the lynching of Versie Johnson. The graduate student immediately realized the news account - and family lore - wasn’t true, but she wasn’t sure what to do with the new insight. But after watching her students protest the white supremacists march through Charlottesville in 2017, Hale knew she had to research this piece of racial terror history and tell the truth. 

ACRP Documentary Film Screening 
Charles E. Beatley, Jr. Central Library, 5005 Duke Street
Friday, November 8
12 p.m.
$15
https://alexfilmfest.com  

Join us at the Alexandria Film Festival for “Resolved: Never Again.” The film documents Alexandria’s dedication to telling the whole truth of this city’s history. 

Story Time for Little Historians
Alexandria Black History Museum, 902 Wythe Street
Saturday, November 9
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.

Veterans Day Tours
Fort Ward Museum and Historic Site, 4301 W. Braddock Road
Saturday, November 9
10 - 11 a.m. 
$15/$12 for Historic Alexandria Members
Purchase tickets.

Tour Fort Ward this Veterans Day weekend and learn about the Defenses of Washington and one veteran’s efforts to preserve its story. This specialty tour includes a walking tour of Fort Ward and its new exhibit, “Lewis Cass White: Preserving the Legacy of Fort Stevens.”

Lecture: Scots in Servitude
Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum, 201 S. Washington Street
Thursday, November 14
7 p.m. 
Free, but a $10 donation is requested at the door. 
Pre-register.

The Alexandria Sister Cities Committee presents Dr. Jimmie McClellan, Professor of History and Dean Emeritus, Northern Virginia Community College at The Lyceum. Please join us as Dr. McClellan gives a historical lecture titled “Scots in Servitude.” This lecture is part of the City’s ALX275 campaign commemorating the City of Alexandria’s 275th anniversary (1479 - 2024). Scots played a significant role in the city’s founding. More than three hundred thousand Scottish emigrants arrived in the English colonies of North America before the American Revolution. Few of them could afford to pay the costs of transportation across the sea. The question is ‘How did they pay for the passage?’ and the answer is that most sold themselves into, or were forced into, a state of temporary servitude. This lecture explains the types and nature of the various forms of servitude inflicted upon Scottish and Scots-Irish immigrants to Virginia and Alexandria. Space is limited, so please register in advance.

Bienvenue Beaujolais
Lloyd House, 220 N. Washington Street
Thursday, November 21
7 p.m.
$70 
Purchase tickets.

Join us for an evening of indulgence as we tour the diverse and delicious regions of France. The Alexandria-Caen Sister City Committee has curated a special food and wine tasting experience that will delight your taste buds and transport you to the heart of France. We will enjoy the anticipated 2024 Beaujolais Nouveau and then explore beyond the Beaujolais region to showcase some of the finest French wines. To complement the wines, we will feature French cuisine, taking a tour through the flavors of France, featuring charcuterie, cheeses, and other delicacies. You will also receive a signature wine-tasting glass. For guests 21 and over. 

Meaningful Conversations: African-American History
Alexandria Black History Museum, 902 Wythe Street
Thursday, November 21
7 - 8 p.m. 
Free

Join us as we resume our meaningful conversations that explore and celebrate the diversity of cultures and peoples in our area, address the attitudes and behaviors that still divide us, and seek remedies grounded in the recognition that we are one interconnected, interdependent human family. The November 21, 2024 discussion will focus on Protecting African American History.  

A Musical Celebration of Lafayette
Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum, 201 S. Washington Street
Sunday, November 24
3 p.m. 
$20
Purchase tickets.

In 1824, American Revolutionary War hero Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette visited the United States of America for a Grand Tour of all 24 states. For 13 months, Americans across the country celebrated Lafayette with ceremonies, balls, dignitary visits, parades, and concerts. The sounds of military wind bands greeted the Hero of Two Worlds nearly everywhere he went. On November 24, 2024, the period-instrument wind band Music of the Regiment will commemorate the 200th anniversary of Lafayette’s visit to Alexandria with a concert. The program, featuring works by Francis Johnson, anonymous women composing under the alias “A Lady…”, and others, will transport audiences to the sound world of Lafayette’s Grand Tour with grand marches, dance tunes, and America’s earliest patriotic airs performed on the instruments of Lafayette’s time. www.musicoftheregiment.com 

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
  Saturdays, 11 a.m. –  5 p.m., Sundays, 1 – 5 p.m.

  Freedom House is open on weekends only through early January. Group visits available by special appointment.

• Friendship Firehouse Museum
  Saturday, November 9, 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 October 21, 1907, the Alexandria Institute opened for admission at Shiloh Baptist Church. Designed to educate adults, the night school was organized and taught by educators, like Samuel W. Madden and John F. Parker, who donated their time to provide instruction in English and other branches of study.  

Upcoming Commission and Committee Events

Commissions Supporting Historic Alexandria

• October 21 George Washington Birthday Celebration Committee
  Lloyd House, 220 N. Washington Street
  7-9 p.m.

• October 21 Alexandria Sister Cities Committee (SCC) Dundee and Helsingborg 
  Sister Cities Conference Room 1101, City Hall
  7p.m.  

• October 21 Public Records Advisory Commission (PRAC)
  Archives and Records Center, 801 S. Payne Street
  7:30 p.m.

• November 4 Alexandria-Caen Sister City Committee
  Sister Cities Conference Room 1101, City Hall 
  7-9 p.m.