The Lee–Fendall House is a historic house museum and garden located in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. Since its construction in 1785 the house has served as home to thirty-seven members of the Lee family (1785–1903), hundreds of convalescing Union soldiers (1863–1865), the prominent Downham family (1903–1937), and powerful labor leader John L. Lewis (1937–1969). Photo courtesy of Wikipedia[/caption]
New Mission Statement for New Times
Old Town Alexandria’s Lee-Fendall House Museum has a brand-new mission statement in place of the one that has guided it for more than twenty years:
The Lee-Fendall House Museum & Garden interprets American history through the experiences of those who lived and worked on the property from 1785 to 1969. As an educational resource, the museum preserves its historic fabric to promote community engagement about the relevance of the past to our present.
The new mission statement doesn’t change anything about the museum’s core functions – instead, it reflects an exciting time of growth and change at Lee-Fendall. At a time when many are worried about a decline in historical and civic understanding and education, this museum has seen its visitor numbers and program attendance boom.
The museum team has been working hard to tell the stories of dozens of individuals who have lived and worked at Lee-Fendall House over the decades – and it’s clear that people are responding. To keep the momentum going, in 2019 they’ll be rolling out a sequence of three education programs to get the next generation excited about history:
Summer Stories, introducing preschoolers to the idea of the past.
Hands on History, for school-age kids to roll up their sleeves and learn how people used to live.
The War at Home, a new field trip program to help older children understand the Civil War through Alexandria’s experiences
Lee-Fendall House Museum and Garden:
614 Oronoco Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
www.leefendallhouse.org
Telephone: 703-548-1789
Fax: 703-229-6350
Email: [email protected]
