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Formerly a "separate but equal" library for African Americans is now a museum to foster tolerance and understanding among all cultures and to stimulate appreciation of the diversity of the African American experience.
The Alexandria Black History Museum, located at 902 Wythe St., Alexandria, Virginia, is operated by the City of Alexandria. The building was formerly the Robert H. Robinson Library, originally constructed in 1940 as the first "separate but equal" library for African Americans in the segregated city.
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Three houses east of the Lee-Fendall House on Oronoco Street is a state historical marker in front of the boyhood home of American Civil War General Robert E. Lee.
Dating from around 1830, this private dwelling is only 7 feet wide and about 33 feet deep. It was built in an alley to prevent people using the alley without permission. Because of its diminutive size, this house has been featured on HGTV, and other similar shows and publications. Please respect the fact that the home is a private residence. There are several other spite houses in Old Town, but they're more difficult to spot than this bright blue house.
The first church in the city; George Washington, George Mason, and Robert E. Lee were members of this historic church. Although, some three to four hundred headstones disappeared during the Union occupation of the city, the churchyard has headstones dating from 1771. On 1 January 1942, President and Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt, along with Winston Churchill, attended a service at Christ Church for a National Day of Prayer in the wake of Pearl Harbor.
An 1855 firehouse, now a museum.
Renovations at this spot uncovered a previously unknown underground ice well. Until the invention of refrigeration, large blocks of ice were brought down the river and kept here for storage. Small blocks of ice were cut and presumably sold to citizens. There is no sign or other marker at the site - just a small staircase and guardrail that from the street, does not appear to go anywhere.