Historic Sites and History

5+ day, 13+ hour ago   (499+ words) RICHMOND -- You couldn’t live without one. In 2026, cell phones were a necessary evil that no one left home without. They were used for talking, texting, taking pictures, even travel directions in place of good, old paper maps. John Jones, president…...

1+ week, 10+ hour ago   (379+ words) The Douglass Cemetery Association established Douglass Memorial Cemetery in 1895 as a segregated, nondenominational African American cemetery named in memory of Frederick Douglass. Douglass Memorial Cemetery was one of the last of 13 cemeteries established in the Wilkes Street Cemetery complex. Careful…...

1+ week, 2+ day ago   (327+ words) Mary Wadland is the Publisher and Editor in Chief of The Zebra Press, the award-winning Alexandria news publication she founded in 2010 with a mission of celebrating community, culture, and all the good news happening across the city. A longtime community…...

2+ week, 9+ hour ago   (697+ words) I thought I knew a lot about George Washington: the enigmatic-looking dude on the one-dollar bill, the great general, the false teeth, the innovative planter and, of course, the father of our country. He was said to be a very…...

2+ week, 2+ day ago   (382+ words) The Portsmouth Athenaeum recently acquired a 1712 Glebe Land indenture — a document that was intended to create lots to populate what was then the town of Portsmouth and raise money for a meetinghouse, courthouse, almshouse and cemetery. Rather than straight sales,…...

2+ week, 5+ day ago   (553+ words) RICHMOND -- This marks a special year for the Richmond Historical Society’s Quaker Day festivities on Sept. 26, with a time capsule dedication marking the 200th anniversary of the Crew House, home to the organization’s museum. The time capsule will be dedicated at…...

2+ week, 5+ day ago   (270+ words) On Sept. 17, 1889, Alexandrians gathered in the streets to see something astonishing: 40 electric streetlights coming to life for the first time. ALEXANDRIA, VA — Any evening now looks perfectly ordinary in Alexandria: lamps glowing over sidewalks, headlights moving along city streets and…...

2+ week, 6+ day ago   (67+ words) Research has found that Norfolk has the most specific style of needlework in the country. From wool to shoes, Norfolk has a long a rich history in the world of textiles. But did you know, Norfolk has its own unique…...

2+ week, 6+ day ago   (23+ words) Congress passed legislation that would designate Gen. George C. Marshall’s home in Leesburg, Virginia, as an affiliated area under the National Park Service....

3+ week, 9+ hour ago   (325+ words) For the first time since 2023, the Alexandria Forum will return to the Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum Friday. In keeping with the theme of America’s 250th birthday, this forum focuses on Alexandria’s role in the American Revolution. Arguing that the…...