This Week in Historic Alexandria - September 14, 2026

september 14-20, 2026

What's New

FEATURED EVENT

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with the Office of Historic Alexandria

Join the Office of Historic Alexandria in celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 through October 15!

Celebrate with the Office of Historic Alexandria! On October 10, join us at the Hispanic Heritage Celebration at Patrick Henry Recreation Center from 3 to 7 p.m. Stop by and say hi to our outreach team and learn more about Historic Alexandria.

For a full list of City events during the celebration, visit the Hispanic Heritage webpage .

Why Hispanic Heritage Month Is Celebrated in September and October

Hispanic Heritage Month begins September 15. Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua all have their independence day on September 15. Other countries that celebrate their independence during Hispanic Heritage Month are Mexico on September 16, Chile on September 18, and Belize on September 21. What began as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson in 1968 was expanded to a full 31 days by President Ronald Reagan in 1988.

Upcoming Events

View the Historic Alexandria Calendar

Alexandria Forum: Nothing But Independence
Friday, September 18
Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum, 201 S. Washington Street
8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
$60 / person; $40 for OHA Members and Students
Purchase Tickets

Join Emerging Revolutionary War and Historic Alexandria on Friday, September 18 for The Alexandria Forum, a day of engaging talks that explore Alexandria's pivotal role in the Revolutionary War and the ideas that helped shape our nation. Hear from local historians, enjoy lunch in Old Town Alexandria, and continue the evening with Tavern Games Night at Gadsby's Tavern Museum.

The Forum will end with a reception at the museum.

For more information, visit the Alexandria Forum online.

Tavern Games Night
Gadsby's Tavern Museum, 134 N. Royal Street
Friday, September 18
7-9 p.m.
$10
Purchase Tickets

Game night includes historic tavern games, a brief presentation, and trivia. Cost is $10 - and Forum attendees will receive one free drink! Cash bar with soda and local beer and cider available. The evening's theme is Alexandria during the Revolutionary years.

Please note this event takes place up one flight of stairs in the historic Ballroom of Gadsby's Tavern Museum.

Yoga on the Magnolia Terrace
Carlyle House Historic Park, 121 N. Fairfax Street
Saturday, September 19
9 a.m. & 10:15 a.m.
$10 a class
Purchase Tickets

Join our friends at Carlyle House for an hour-long gentle flow Yoga Class on Carlyle House's Magnolia Terrace. Please bring water, a towel, and a yoga mat. Wear comfortable yoga wear. Registered participants will receive an email if class is canceled due to inclement weather.

Preservation Tours: Lost Buildings of Alexandria-Urban Renewal
Tours begin at Carlyle House, 121 N. Fairfax Street
Saturday, September 19
10 a.m.
$20 / person
Purchase Here

Join Carlyle House on a tour of "Lost Alexandria." Urban renewal projects across the country took place starting in the 1950s were government and private initiatives aimed at addressing urban decay, upgrading infrastructure and revitalizing city neighborhoods. In the 1960s, the Gadsby Commercial Urban Renewal Project changed and demolished portions of multiple blocks including the 300-500 block of King Street. September's tours focus on the north side of the 300-500 blocks of King Street and parts of the 100 blocks of N. Fairfax, N. Royal, & N. Pitt Streets.

This tour includes walking over many city blocks. Walking shoes required, bottled water suggested. Held rain or shine. Tickets are required for all tours.

Classic Car Show
Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum, 201 S. Washington Street
Saturday, September 19
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, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Co-sponsored by Packards Virginia and the Office of Historic Alexandria, the show will feature a variety of Packards ranging from the 1930s-1950s as well as other "orphan" vehicles that are invited to register as well. Orphan cars are any marque of vehicle built by an out-of-business manufacturer. Inside, visit the Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum's exhibits that tell the full scope of Alexandria's rich history and enjoy the museum shop. The car show is free. For more information, visit packardsva.org or call 703-424-5871.

Specialty Tour: Peeling Back the Layers
Gadsby's Tavern Museum, 134 N. Royal Street
Saturdays in September: 19 & 26
10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
$15 / person; $12 for Historic Alexandria Members
Purchase Tickets

Explore Gadsby's Tavern Museum top to bottom, including spaces rarely opened to the public, and understand how the buildings have changed over time. Wear comfortable shoes and bring your camera! Please note this tour involves ascending and descending multiple sets of stairs, including into the rarely on view fourth floor and its historic graffiti!

Dining Through the Decades: Feasting at Lee-Fendall
Lee-Fendall House Museum & Garden, 614 Oronoco Street
September 19
2 - 3 p.m.
$15 / person
Tickets Here

Embark on an exploration into the food ways, recipes, and cultural influences that satiated generations of Lee-Fendall residents.

During this lecture, food historian & Program Manager, Sophie McCarthy, will highlight the historic foodways of Virginia, many of which were plated and served right here in this house. Learn about the dishes, ingredients, and dining practices that shaped mealtimes at Lee-Fendall; as well as the way in which food production and consumption were altered throughout industrialization.

Through agricultural products and the Lewis family recipe book, Lee-Fendall has a very clear understanding of who ate what and when. This lecture is sure to educate you on regional cuisines, the development of American dining, and Lee-Fendall's very own edible history.

Grown-Up Field Trip: Black History in Archives
Archives & Records Center, 801 S Payne Street
Friday, September 25
6:30 - 8 p.m.
$15 / person; $12 for Historic Alexandria Members
Purchase Tickets

Engage with archival documents while learning about Black life in Alexandria during the early 20th century. Through letters and other primary sources, discover how archives are used to preserve community stories. This event takes place at the Alexandria Archives and Records Center, and includes a behind-the-scenes tour of the facility. The center is fully accessible and has parking nearby.

This is part of Historic Alexandria's popular grown-up field trip series, where adults come together to explore historic records, dive into conversations, and hear touching stories as you learn more about Alexandria's History.

Future Grown-Up Field Trips include:
-Oct. 9, 6:30-8 p.m.: Sugar Trade with Alexandria Archaeology
-Nov. 7, 6-7:30 p.m.: Who Gets Remembered with Gadsby's Tavern Museum
-Dec. 18, 6:30-8 p.m.: Citizen Firefighter with Friendship Firehouse Museum

Beyond the Battlefield: A Civil War Walking Tour of Alexandria
Lee-Fendall House Museum & Garden, 614 Oronoco Street
Saturday, September 26
10 a.m.
$ 15 / person
Tickets here

This walking tour tells 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.

Specialty Tour: Women in Medicine
Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum, 105-107 S Fairfax Street
Sunday, September 27 & November 27
11 a.m. - noon
$15 / person; $12 for Historic Alexandria Members
Purchase Tickets

While men often take the spotlight, women have always shaped the practice of medicine. This tour will explore many objects in the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum used by women from the late 18th through early 20th centuries, as well as the women's influence on medicine in Alexandria and the wider world during this period. Please arrive 10-15 minutes earlier to check-in as the doors will be locked and the museum will be closed to the public when the tour begins. Please note the tour involves ascending and descending stairs.

Lecture: Bridges of Washington D.C. by Bob Dover
Lloyd House, 220 N Washington Street
Sunday, September 27
3 - 4:30 p.m.
$15 / person; $12 for Historic Alexandria Members
Purchase Tickets

Join us at Lloyd House for a series of lectures featuring local authors, with the first featuring Bob Dover, author of "Bridges of Washington, D.C. A History and Guide." Explore the history of our nation's capital through this history of its bridges. In the late 1700s, the first bridges, now completely gone, connected the new Federal City to the outside world. Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, more and bigger crossings arose to support industry, allow the expansion of suburbs, commemorate cultural and civic leaders, and enhance the aesthetics of the District's waterfronts and parks. Although the city abandoned civic-minded, commemorative, and monumental construction for utilitarian highway monoliths in the mid-twentieth century, a recent renaissance has seen a welcome shift to walkability and beauty instead of brute utility. Using the city's bridges as an index of the times, author and D.C. native Bob Dover tracks the growth, decay, and rebirth of the District from the 1750s to today.

Support Historic Alexandria

Your gift fuels preservation, education, and programs that bring Alexandria's past to life. Donations, special revenue, and grants make it possible to expand educational programs, conserve treasured collections, and support our dedicated staff. Your gift today helps preserve Alexandria's history for generations to come.

Historic Alexandria Museum Hours

Plan your Visit

Alexandria Archaeology Museum
Tuesdays-Fridays, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., Saturdays, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sundays, 1 -5 p.m.

Alexandria Black History Museum
Thursdays & 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 & Fridays, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., Saturdays, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sundays, 1 - 5 p.m.

Fort Ward Museum
Thursdays & Fridays, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., Saturdays, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sundays, 1 - 5 p.m.

Freedom House
Thursdays & Fridays, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., Saturdays, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sundays, 1 - 5 p.m.

Friendship Firehouse Museum
Saturday, September 26, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Gadsby's Tavern Museum
Thursdays & 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.

Virginia 250 Passport

Historic Alexandria is proud to join 70 premier historic destinations across Virginia in the launch of the Virginia 250 Passport, a first-of-its-kind statewide tourism journey celebrating America's 250th. Featured Alexandria museums include Gadsby's Tavern Museum, the Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum, and the Alexandria Black History Museum. The passport offers prizes and discounts to encourage families to explore Virginia's rich history together. Beginning November 11, 2025, free passports will be available at major historic sites and Virginia Welcome Centers. Learn more at VirginiaHistory.org/250Passport.

New Exhibit: Stories of U.S.: Collections Capture Our History - Now open

A silver coffee pot, a family story, a business letter, or a photograph -- each provide a glimpse into the past. The Office of Historic Alexandria collects these items and memories to reflect our community and preserve the moments that define us. This exhibition, marking the 250th anniversary of the United States, showcases recently acquired objects, many on view for the first time at the Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum. These pieces provide a powerful, tangible connection to both our local history and national story..

New Exhibit: Buglers & Brass Bands: Soldier Musicians in the Civil War - Now open

Fort Ward opened a new exhibit on May 16, 2026 that explores the essential role that music played in the daily life of the Civil War soldier, both in camp and on the battlefield. The exhibit features a variety of musical instruments and sheet music of the period from the Museum's extensive Civil War collection. The exhibit will be on view through May 2027.

Exhibit: Women in Business: We Were Always Here

Gadsby's Tavern Museum's new exhibit featuring Hannah Griffith, a female coffeehouse operator at this location, is now open! The exhibit is included in regular admission. Visitors will be able to see primary sources up close to explore how women appear (and don't) in the historical record in the 18th century. In addition to Hannah's story, visitors will learn about the female business owners on the block around City Hall today, highlighting how women continue to be an important part of Alexandria's business community. All of the women-owned businesses facing City Hall are included in this exhibit-14 total owned by 17 women! The exhibit will be up through March 2027.

Exhibit: Disease and the Apothecary

Explore how epidemics like Smallpox, Yellow Fever, and Influenza shaped Alexandria's past and how science and public health saved lives. Included with admission. Free for Alexandria residents! The new exhibit is also available online.

Exhibit: Aboard Ship with the Jack-Tars of the Union Navy

A new exhibition at Fort Ward Museum opened October 2. The exhibit focuses on the U.S. Navy during the Civil War and is being held in recognition of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Navy on October 13, 1775. The exhibition will continue through 2026. The exhibit, with pictures of select objects, is also available online.

Explore with Ease - The New Museum Mobility Guide

Historic Alexandria and the Department of Transportation & Environmental Services (T&ES) have launched a colorful, easy-to-use map and guide connecting all of Alexandria's museums via walking, biking, and transit. The guide also acts as a passport-visit every site and earn a prize! Available at museums, rec centers, public libraries, and more.

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 [email protected] or call 703.746.4554, Virginia Relay 711.

This Week in Alexandria's History

More from This Day in History

On the evening of September 17, 1889, the Alexandria Gazette reported the illumination of the first 40 electric street lamps in Alexandria, the first time electricity was used for public street lighting in the city. Although there was no grand ceremony as the lights were turned on from a new electrical plant built at the site of the old gasworks, small crowds still gathered at various intersections where 1,500 candlepower light fixtures had been erected 20 feet overhead. At dusk, Mayor Downham and plant manager W.E. Guthrie activated the current, and across the city could be heard cheers of excitement as "steady, almost white lights" burned brilliantly for the first time.

Upcoming Commission and Committee Events

Commissions Supporting Historic Alexandria

• September 14 Alexandria-Caen Sister City Committee
  Lloyd House, 220 N. Washington Street
  7-9 p.m.
• September 15 Historic Alexandria Resources Commission (HARC)
  Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex, 1475-1501 Wilkes Street
  5:30 p.m.
• September 16 Sister Cities Events Subcommittee
  Lily's Chocolate and Coffee, 631 King Street
  7-8:30 p.m.
• September 16 Alexandria Archaeological Commission (AAC)
  Lloyd House, 220 N. Washington Street
  7-9 p.m.
• September 20 Sister Cities Helsingborg Subcommittee
  La Madeleine, 500 King Street
  1-2:30 p.m.
• September 21 George Washington Birthday Celebration Committee (GWBCC)
  Lloyd House, 220 N. Washington Street
  7-9 p.m.
• September 28 Sister City Committee (SCC)
  Lloyd House, 220 N. Washington Street
  7-8:30 p.m.
• October 6 Public Records Advisory Commission (PRAC)
  Archives and Records Center, 801 south Payne street
  7:30 p.m.
• October 14 Alexandria Historical Restoration and Preservation Commission (AHRPC)
  Lloyd House, 220 N. Washington Street
  8-9:15 a.m.

• October 14 ACRP Steering Committee
  Alexandria Black History Museum, 902 Wythe Street
  5:30 - 7:30 p.m.