Post Content

Alexandria’s Freedom House Museum Opening Planned for Spring 2021

The Freedom House Museum is planning for a spring opening, according to the Office of Historic Alexandria.

City Council will receive the news in its legislative meeting on Tuesday. The Office of Historic Alexandria will be unveiling its 2020-2025 strategic plan to Council, and the museum is being planned to open this spring.

According to a staff presentation, there will be temporary exhibits and the museum will begin a public engagement process over restoration plans and the interpretation of the site.

Alexandria completed the purchase of the former slave trading headquarters at 1315 Duke Street in March, but the pandemic forced museums across the city to close.

The building was the headquarters for five successive slave dealing firms between 1828 and 1861, including Franklin and Armfield, which was one of the largest domestic slave trading firms in the country.

“Freedom House is vital to telling Alexandria’s story,” Mayor Justin Wilson said in March. “What happened at 1315 Duke St. had a terrible and lasting impact on America. Freedom House encourages us to speak truth to power and delve deeper to confront the hard, honest truths about race, class and equity in this country.”

The only museums currently open are the Alexandria Archaeology MuseumAlexandria’s History Museum at The Lyceum and Gadsby’s Tavern Museum.

These museums are still closed:

Recent Stories

A look at the most and least expensive single-family homes sold in Alexandria last month, April 2024.

The Traffic and Parking Board endorsed one intersection change that could make Lynhaven/Del Ray a little safer but did not approve the proposed reversal of a one-way street. The proposed…

No charges were filed against a man arrested for a suspected misdemeanor assault and battery on Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray on Sunday. A passerby called 911 at around…

Here’s a roundup of all the events, live music, and entertainment happening around Alexandria this weekend; enjoy!  Are you organizing an event? Submit events to ALXnow. Friday, May 3 Things…

Potomac Harmony is Back! Following a gap year of competing, then virtual rehearsals during the pandemic, followed by the well-earned retirement of our long-term director, a year of a director search, Potomac Harmony hit the regional contest stage in Concord, North Carolina in March for the first time since 2018! It was exhilarating, reaffirming, and rewarding!

The chorus hit all of its goals, the biggest of which was to have fun and sing our best on contest stage — we did both! Because we earned a score over 400 points, our new Director, Allison Lynskey, was awarded the Novice Director award, photo above. Additionally, one of our charter members, Jackie Bottash, was nominated for and honored with the Leadership Excellence award. It was a celebratory weekend!

What’s next? So much! We now look forward to upcoming performances, growing our membership, and expanding our musical product with new arrangements and an education component each week. It’s an exciting time to be part of this ever-growing ensemble!

Read More

Submit your own Announcement here.

×

Subscribe to our mailing list