Alexandria HistoryAlexandria News

Nov. 14 Alexandria Tour Tells the Stories of Enslaved and Free Black People at Lee-Fendall House

Saturday’s small-group tour explores the lives of the Black men and women who lived and worked in the Old Town home.

Exterior of Lee-Fendall House on Oronoco Street in Old Town Alexandria
Lee-Fendall House on Oronoco Street in Old Town Alexandria. (Photo: Shawn Eyer)
ALEXANDRIA, VA – At the corner of Oronoco and North Washington streets, a house built in 1785 holds stories of generations of Black Alexandrians. On Saturday, Nov. 14, a small-group tour at Lee-Fendall House will explore the lives and work of the enslaved and free Black people who helped shape the history of the Old Town property.
The tour, They Lived Here Too: Work & Slavery at Lee-Fendall, looks at the house’s years as a private residence, from 1785 to 1969. During that period, its occupants included several generations of the Lee family and, later, labor leader John L. Lewis. Saturday’s tour centers the experiences and contributions of the Black people who lived and worked there. The museum offers more context in its history of the property.

If you go

The tour runs from 11 a.m. to noon Saturday, Nov. 14, at Lee-Fendall House Museum & Garden, 614 Oronoco St. The museum limits the group to 12 people. General admission is $17.85 including the $2.85 Eventbrite fee, and tickets must be purchased in advance. Museum members attend free with a reservation by phone at 703-548-1789 or by email at [email protected].

Also in The Zebra: Black History Month at 100 and Alexandria’s place in the story.

Mary Wadland

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 advocate and storyteller, Mary was selected for the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce inaugural 40 Under 40 class, served on numerous boards, been awarded the 2024 Business Philanthropist of the Year Award by Volunteer Alexandria, and has served as president of Living Legends of Alexandria Board since the fall of 2021. Known for her deep local roots, sharp editorial instincts, and passion for connecting people through journalism, she has spent decades chronicling the personalities, businesses, events, and civic life that make Alexandria unique. Originally from Delray Beach, Florida, Mary is a Phi Beta Kappa history-major graduate of Hollins College in Roanoke, Virginia, and has been part of Alexandria’s publishing and media community since 1987.

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