Saturday, July 5, 2008

History of the Alexandria Black History Museum and Related Sites


From the establishment of Alexandria in 1749 to the present, African Americans have been a vibrant part of the City's history. The City of Alexandria would not exist in its present form were it not for the economic, social, and cultural contributions of African Americans both enslaved and free.

As Alexandria developed in the 19th century, African Americans began to form small neighborhoods with distinctive names and characteristics. Many of these areas such as the Berg, The Bottoms, Cross Canal, Hayti, The Hump, Sunnyside, and Uptown survive today.

An important event in 20th-century Alexandria's African-American history occurred in 1939. This event raised the consciousness of the minority community and became one of the watershed moments in Alexandria's civil rights history.

Parker-Gray District

The Museum is located in the Parker-Gray Historic District of the City. This district is named in honor of the Parker-Gray High School, the only high school African Americans could attend in Alexandria until 1965.

In 1983, through the advocacy of the Parker-Gray Alumni and the Alexandria Society for the Preservation of Black Heritage, the Robert Robinson Library re-opened as the Alexandria Black History Museum.  At first, staffing was provided on a volunteer basis by the members of these organizations. In 1987, the Alexandria City Council placed the operation of the Museum under the Office of Historic Alexandria and provided funding for an addition to the building that was completed in 1989.

The museum has grown dramatically since 1989. In 1995, two additional sites were added to the Museum. The Alexandria African American Heritage Park, a nine-acre park that preserves the site of a 19th-century African-American cemetery, opened in June 1995.

The Park is located several blocks away from the Museum. In October of 1995, the Watson Reading Room opened next door to the Museum. This non-circulating reading room houses the museum's collection of books, videos, documents, and periodicals on African-American life and culture.

The museum follows its mission of preserving the history of Alexandria's African-American citizens, as well as providing a forum for issues of concern to all African Americans.  The Museum has become a source of pride to Alexandria's African-American citizens.  With two exhibition galleries on the first floor of the museum, and artifact storage and offices below, the Alexandria Black History Museum continues to expand educational opportunities for residents, scholars and tourists.

Themes from the Past

These special thematic studies provide fascinating glimpses into Alexandria's African-American history and other topics.

Freedmen's Cemetery
 
The Friends of Freedmen's Cemetery was founded in 1997 for the purpose of preserving, commemorating and researching alittle known Civil War-era African American burying ground in Old Town Alexandria.  Their web site offers a history of the Freedmen's Cemetery and extensive genealogical and historical resources.

Alexandria Black History Museum    |   Watson Reading Room    |    Robert H. Robinson Library
African American Heritage Park    |   Museum Exhibits    |    Museum Collections    |    Education Programs
Self-Guided Walking Tour    |   African American History Guide    |    Freedmen's Cemetery
Alexandria's Black Public Education 1800-1965    |    Alexandria's Early Free Black Neighborhoods    |    Oral History
Slave Market and Slave Jail    |     Alexandria's Black Churches    |    To Witness the Past
Civil War: Fighting for Freedom    |    Civil War: Black Soldiers of the Civil War    |    Volunteers for Freedom, Part 1
Volunteers for Freedom, Part 2    |    Directions and Fees    |    Participate and/or Volunteer
Alexandria Black History main page