Alexandria Black History Museum

What an incredible hidden gem in Alexandria. I've lived here for 13 years and I just now learned about the museum thanks to my friend who grew up in the area. There is so much history surrounding us and I'm glad I got to learn more about the black history that makes Alexandria what it is today. History is often ugly and painful but it is part of who we are as a society and nobody has the right to erase it. So please go support this museum now more than ever considering the efforts of current leaders in DC to erase history.

What a hidden gem! Well worth the cost of admission. A small museum, but we spent over an hour learning about Alexandria s black history. We then walked through the neighborhood, seeing some of the sites that were mentioned in the museum. If you have a little extra time, it's worth it!

Small, more localized history museum. $5 if a tourist to enter. Not as exciting and historical as the National African American History Museuem, but more local. Wish I could've seen more.

Small museum but a lot of information, changing exhibits and displays, even a little video. Friendly staff also. It focuses on Alexandria history and, having visited many of the other museums and historial sites, most of it was already known to me. But there was still alot of new stuff to learn.

It was a great experience, and the staff are great here. They have a thing when you walk in and you sit down to hear some information about black history or if you have any questions then they answer them. And they walk around with you to tell you about specific things that are in the museum. Learned a lot here!

Unfortunately, my visit to the Alexandria Black History Museum was not the greatest. -March 18, 2023 Based on visits to other local Black American Museums, the expectations were not met. The location was very small with limited items on display. There was no timeline of events reflective of those experiencing the hardships of being a Black American in Alexandria, Virginia. The use of terms like slavery or slaves was clearly absent from a majority of the displays and exhibit descriptions. Having to pay for a self-guided tour of a single room of displays and a short video presentation was quite disheartening. *The Howard County African American Culture Center in Columbia Maryland is similar in size, but was free of charge and was organized in a fashion to provide a clearer depiction of Black Americans during those time periods.

We learned a lot visiting this old library turned into a museum. I believe it is free for Alexandria residents and $3 for non residents.

After three long years the Alexandria Black History Museum will reopen on March 2nd. The closure allowed for the museum to make some much needed repairs and provided the opportunity to prepare for a new exhibit Preserving Their Names: The Black Lives Matter Collection which brings to the forefront the tragic loss of Benjamin Thomas and Joseph McCoy who were both the victims of lynchings. The two jars on display are filled with the soil from the locations in the city were the young men were lynched. The new hours of the museum are Thursday-Friday from 11AM to 4PM, Saturday from 11AM-5PM and Sunday from 1PM-5PM. There also is $3 admission fee

Recently reopened after a three-year closure for renovations (and the pandemic), the Alexandria Black History Museum is a small, yet powerful museum that's open Thursdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. After visiting on a Friday afternoon, here's my experience. 1) Admission: It's free for Alexandria residents, Blue Star families and Key to the City holders and $3 for everyone else. No need to reserve tickets ahead of time. Just walk in. I had the museum to myself. 2) Exhibits: The museum has two small rooms with exhibits. The first one is mainly reading with some artifacts about the history of Black Alexandria. There's a small area for kids with a scavenger hunt and a craft. The second room talks about Alexandria's response to the murder of George Floyd. The museum has a small bookstore worth exploring, especially if you like reading books. 3) Space: It's housed in a library for Black residents during segregation that was built after a sit-in at another library. 4) Neighborhood: There are many other historical sites nearby as well as cafes and restaurants. 5) Parking: There's no parking lot, but free street parking is usually easy to find nearby.

After three long years the Alexandria Black History Museum will reopen on March 2nd. The closure allowed for the museum to make some much needed repairs and provided the opportunity to prepare for a new exhibit Preserving Their Names: The Black Lives Matter Collection which brings to the forefront the tragic loss of Benjamin Thomas and Joseph McCoy who were both the victims of lynchings. The two jars on display are filled with the soil from the locations in the city were the young men were lynched. The new hours of the museum are Thursday-Friday from 11AM to 4PM, Saturday from 11AM-5PM and Sunday from 1PM-5PM. There also is $3 admission fee.

Unfortunately, my visit to the Alexandria Black History Museum was not the greatest. -March 18, 2023 Based on visits to other local Black American Museums, the expectations were not met. The location was very small with limited items on display. There was no timeline of events reflective of those experiencing the hardships of being a Black American in Alexandria, Virginia. The use of terms like slavery or slaves was clearly absent from a majority of the displays and exhibit descriptions. Having to pay for a self-guided tour of a single room of displays and a short video presentation was quite disheartening. The Howard County African American Culture Center in Columbia Maryland is similar in size, but was free of charge and was organized in a fashion to provide a clearer depiction of Black Americans during those time periods.

I cannot give a true rating, as of current day 2/25/2022 this museum is closed for RENOVATIONS. They have placed a list on the door of other suggested places that one might want to go to while the Alexandria Black History Museum is undergoing renovations. I was so looking forward to visiting this museum. I am not going to throw my super tourist list away, when I come back to visit this museum should definitely be open. I will update this review once I visit the museum

It appears that this museum has been closed for some time. But I remember having a very positive experience there and learned a lot through the self-led tour. They also held a nice event unrelated to Black History. Looking forward to the re-opening. :)

Definitely deserving of a visit. Walking distance from the Braddock Road Metro, in the historically African American, Parker-Gray neighborhood of Alexandria. Down the street from the Helen Lumpkins Day Post Office, the only Post Office I know of named after an African American woman. African American's, free and enslaved, have had a presence in Alexandria dating back to the 18th century. this museum is a perfect way to learn that rich history and not feel overwhelmed by too much information. The entrance fees are collected in a box in the front, by donation. After that you may watch a documentary called Out of Obscurity, Samuel Tucker and the fight to desegregate Alexandria's public library in 1939. 1939. The library currently has an exhibition of the late Sherry Zvares Sanabria. Her work, fits nicely within the museum and compliments the permanent collection. The gift store of the museum has a few books for further reading and a really nice postcards and the like. Better than the NPS sites of Frederick Douglass and Mary McCleod Bethune. Yes the museum is on the smaller side but once you get that out of the way, hopefully the reviews help with that, you will be able to enjoy a nice museum without running into a ton of people.

Another museum I didn't even know was here, never mind existed. The building this place is housed in is, appropriately enough, the Robert H. Robinson Library (a formerly a library for "blacks only during segregation). The Robinson Library was the first African American library in this area. It was built after a sit in was staged at Alexandria Library. Inside this museum we saw exhibits involving local and regional history. Of course, the items on display tell the story of African Americans in and around Alexandria from the mid 1700's through today. There is also a room of the museum called the Watson Reading Room at which you can utilize their extensive resources. There is also a spacious park (about nine acres) which is a great spot to take a walk or take a break from an exhibit or events that are held here from time to time.

The Alexandria black history museum does an excellent job of incorporating black history and local history and all for a suggested donation of $2. The original (segregated) library houses the permanent section while the expansion has rotating exhibits. The museum begins with origins in Africa before delving into slavery in the colonies and Alexandria. Given the importance of tobacco to Alexandria and Virginia, so called black history, is integral to the overall local history. The exhibits then showcase blacks and Alexandria in the larger context of the Civil War, where the city saw an influx of refugees to Union held Virginia. The museum finishes up with segregation specifically in Alexandria and recent archeological work on Freedman's Cemetery as a result of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. What is difficult to find on black history and the Civil War are just the facts making them meaningful. Too often on both subjects, emotions color and inflate the narrative and the history is no longer objective. Slavery doesn't need to be dressed up to impress the severity of the situation and nor do people need to conflate individual stories and heroes to mythical status. Conversely as a museum in a former Confederate state, it would be easy to white wash the Civil War, especially given Alexandria spent much of the war occupied by the Union. In addition to being disingenuous, both blur how and why black history and the Civil War matters today. Balanced and meaningful; no legends and no false characterizations. The disappointment however is perhaps the gift shop. I didn't get a chance to peruse the books available, and while it is just a gift shop there is a plethora of chintzy items, like President Obama memorabilia, that has zero to do with blacks in Alexandria. It is just the gift shop and easy to ignore but it contributes to the shallowing of black history and runs counter to the rest of the museum, that black history is a part of local history and it is not just for blacks. While the staffer that day was friendly and knowledgeable, not being black I did receive some stares from some of the patrons, like why I would be interested in black history and that it wasn't for me, which only furthered my disappointment.

Very informative on local black history. Places I have previously driven by without a thought, now have more meaning. On the day we visited there was a middle school project was also going on. Which was a pleasant addition to our day. Though small, everyone was polite and quiet allowing for personal enjoyment by all.

For a small museum it is chock full of local history. I spent 2 hours here, watched a short film and spoke with a knowledgable docent who answered my queries. It is $2 to visit.

Very nice small museum. Well labeled interesting displays. A lot of the displays were from traveling exhibits, so there would be a regular turn over of things to see and learn. There's good reason to keep coming back, occasionally. I was here about a year and a half ago, and a lot of things had changed. We attended a lecture on leisure destinations of African Americans, particularly during the Jim Crow era. Very interesting.

I was visiting Alexandria with my best friend who had a conference, so I had the day to explore on my own. I found this hidden gem by looking up "Interesting things to do in Alexandria." There is a suggested admission donation of $3 which is well worth it. The original room of the building (to the left of the entrance) was the segregated library in town that was only built after five young men planned a peaceful sit-in at the Alexandria Library. There is a short film they show that tells you all about it. The women who work there are just the sweetest and very informative. And, as a bonus, the museum is owned by a woman. I always try my best to support female-owned business so that was really the cherry on top. While I was there, they had an exhibit of handmade dollhouses called "Our Alexandria". One of the artists, Linwood M. Smith, was there and actually took me around to each dollhouse to give me some history of the depiction. It was absolutely wonderful. I would highly recommended this as a must-see while in Alexandria.

With Government shutdown and searching for history we were surprised by this museum's careful explanations of African American history In Alexandria. The extraordinary "doll houses", all hand made, not only reflect period pieces in exquisite detail but chronicle Alexandria's African American growth in business, services and education. The dynamic duo who created these exquisite works of folk art will willing share with you the history of medical services,the hat shop, and the auto mechanics repair shop complete with a copy of the creators motorcycle. There are a multitude of vignettes to occupy your time. A very special exhibit not to be missed.

Great place, I learned so much, and felt so welcomed. The volunteer staff was wonderfully informative and friendly, and the exhibits are excellent quality. The small size makes it intimate and not overwhelming. A perfect example of global history reflected in a local manner.

Awesome museum, small but full of history. A great read and the staff is friendly as well. The museum is spilt into two sides... artifacts and literature is on one side regarding the history of slaves and then a video blast from the past on the other side regarding the history of the library.