Courtesy of the City of Alexandria
Freedom House Museum, 1315 Duke St.
The long-closed Freedom House Museum will reopen by the end of this month, Alexandria officials have announced.
The Freedom House Museum, 1315 Duke Street, closed in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Just a week after closing, the City of Alexandria finalized the purchase of the building from the Urban League of Northern Virginia. The museum had been operating in a portion of the building while the Urban League of Northern Virginia kept offices in another part of the historic townhouse.
The building was once the headquarters of the country's largest slave-trading company, Franklin & Armfield.
During the pandemic, the city completed a historic structures report and researched and created three new exhibitions for the expanded museum.
The museum will open on Friday, May 27, with those three new exhibitions showcasing Alexandria’s Black history and the Black experience in America. A grand opening event is scheduled for Monday, June 20, when the Juneteenth holiday will be observed.
The museum will be open to the public Fridays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays and Mondays from 1 to 5 p.m. Admission is $5 per adult, $3 per child ages 5–12, and free for City of Alexandria residents. Due to high demand and limited capacity, it is highly recommended that guests reserve tickets in advance online.
"The National Historic Landmark is what remains of a large complex dedicated to trafficking thousands of Black men, women and children between 1828 and 1861," according to city officials. "The museum honors the lives and experiences of the enslaved and free Black people who lived in–and were trafficked through–Alexandria. This museum seeks to reframe white supremacist history and provide visitors opportunities to learn, reflect and advocate for change."
“When you enter the hallowed doors of the Freedom House Museum, you come face-to-face with the named and unnamed enslaved and free Black men, women and children who were trafficked through this site,” said Mayor Justin Wilson. “Freedom House will inform visitors while challenging them to critically examine our history. I am proud that we are telling this story and honoring the lives and experiences of those who passed through this building.”
Visit alexandriava.gov/FreedomHouse for more information.
