Alexandria, VA is a city steeped in African-American history since its founding in 1749, but much of this history has become hidden over the years. Forgotten burial grounds, a former slave jail, and the Alexandria Black History Museum will help start your journey to discover Alexandria’s hidden history.
In 1790, when the first federal census was taken, 52 free blacks lived in Alexandria. This population increased dramatically to 836 by 1820 and continued to expand until 1846 when Alexandria retroceded to the Commonwealth of Virginia from the District of Columbia. Alexandria’s black population began increasing again after 1860 and reached 5,300 by 1870. Prior to the Civil War, Alexandria was also home to one of the largest slave-trading operations in the country. In the 20th century, American’s first Sit-Down Strike took place at the Alexandria Library, ushering in the very early days of the Civil Rights movement. But this incredible history has quietly disappeared over the years, forgotten as progress and new buildings — or new uses for very old buildings with some incredibly dark history in them — have glossed over the landmarks of Alexandria’s hidden, African-American history.
Below are my recommendations to start discovering Alexandria’s rich African-American history:
Alexandria African-American Heritage Park
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“Truths that Rise from the Roots Remembered,” a bronze sculpture,
honors the contributions of African-Americans to the growth of Alexandria. |
The park includes a one-acre 19th century African American cemetery. Of the more than 20 burials on this site, six identified headstones remain and are in their original location. The park was designed to co-exist with the original landscape of the cemetery and preserves the interesting and varied plant life on this site.
In 1885, the Silver Leaf (Colored) Society of Alexandria established the Black Baptist Cemetery just west of the Alexandria National Cemetery. (The Silver Leaf Society was one of several burial associations organized by African Americans in the late 19th century. Burial society members paid regular premiums to ensure that upon their deaths they would have a casket, funeral and final resting place.) At some point the Black Baptist Cemetery was abandoned and in the mid-20th century, the area was used as a landfill.
Development plans in the 1980s and 1990s prompted Alexandria city officials to have archaeologists study the site. The subsequent discoveries of headstones, footstones, and coffin fragments and hardware revealed the site’s history as a burial ground and ultimately led to its protection.
Getting there: 500 Holland Ln, Alexandria, VA 22314
Hours: dawn – dusk
Website: https://www.alexandriava.gov/historic/blackhistory/default.aspx?id=37348
Freedom House Museum
The building, which looks like an unassuming townhouse, served a more nefarious purpose. This building served as the headquarters for one of the largest slave-trading companies in the country, Franklin and Armfield; enslaved individuals were held in squalid conditions in the basement and surrounding property. It is estimated that as many as a million enslaved individuals passed through Franklin and Armfield between 1828 and 1861, on their way to Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana. Brick from the holding cells were re-used after the Civil War to build adjacent townhouses. (Don’t even try to tell me those homes are not haunted.)
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| Courtesy Freedom House Museum |
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| Courtesy Freedom House Museum |
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| A photo of the Franklin and Armfield building in 1861, then being used as a jail for Confederates while the city was occupied by Union soldiers. |
Contraband and Freedman Cemetery
In 1864, after hundreds had perished, a property on the southern edge of town, across from the Catholic cemetery, was confiscated for use as a cemetery. About 1800 freed blacks were buried at the site, as well as some black Union soldiers, who were eventually moved to nearby Arlington National Cemetery in 1864.
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| Dedicated in 2014, the Memorial features artist Mario Chiodo’s sculpture The Path of Thorns and Roses, an allegorical depiction of the struggle for freedom. |
In 1955, a gas station was built on the property, followed by an office building. In 1987, an effort began to save the site when historical research revealed the site’s history. In 2014, the cemetery opened to honor the memory of the Freedmen, the hardships they faced, and their contributions to Alexandria.
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| Bas-reliefs depicting the flight to freedom and contraband education were done by local sculptor Joanna Blake and tell vivid stories of what life was like for the newly freed. |
Getting there: 1001 S Washington Street, Alexandria, VA
Hours: dawn through dusk
Website: https://www.visitalexandriava.com/listings/contrabands-and-freedmen-cemetery-memorial/1636/
Alexandria Black History Museum
No trip exploring Alexandria’s African American history would be complete without a visit to the Black History Museum. While I was there, an interesting and imaginative — and kid-friendly — exhibit of dollhouses was being featured.
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| Dollhouse creator/artist Linwood Smith poses with his creations. He noted that he made these dollhouses for his wife as gifts each year, truly a labor of love. |
Note: Parking is not easy; you’ll have to look for a space in the nearby neighborhoods.
Getting there: 902 Wythe St, Alexandria, VA 22314
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; closed Sundays, Mondays, and New Year’s Day, 4th of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Website: https://www.alexandriava.gov/BlackHistory