Out of the Attic Archive “Out of the Attic” is published each week in the Alexandria Times newspaper. The column began in 2007 as “Marking Time” and explored Alexandria’s history through collection items, historical images and architectural representations. Within the first year, it evolved into “Out of the Attic” and featured historical photographs of Alexandria. The column now focuses on a variety of historic topics. These articles appear with the permission of the Alexandria Times and were authored on behalf of the Office of Historic Alexandria by Amy Bertsch, Public Information Officer (2007-2012), Lance Mallamo, Director (2012 - 2017), and by Daniel Lee, Historian, and other staff (2017 - present). Click on the column headers to sort the list, or enter any term in the search box.
| Publication Date | Title | Street Address | Property Name | Topics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026/08/06 | A dangerous age | Lynching, Benjamin Thomas, ACRP | ||
| 2026/07/30 | Friendship and Alexandria’s community of firefighters | Alfred St, S, 107 | Friendship Firehouse Museum | Firefighting, volunteers |
| 2026/07/23 | A summer of history for Alexandria’s Junior Docents | Royal St, N, 134 | Gadsby's Tavern Museum | Education |
| 2026/07/16 | The Gibson family in slavery and freedom | King St, 301 | Market Square | Slavery and freedom, Market Square |
| 2026/07/09 | July 13: Alexandria’s birthday | Celebration | ||
| 2026/07/02 | One of the nation’s first post offices | |||
| 2026/06/25 | Mapping gay space in Northern Virginia | LGBTQIA+, Pride Month | ||
| 2026/06/18 | Juneteenth in Alexandria | Celebration, Commemoration, African American History | ||
| 2026/06/11 | Sails on the Potomac: an America250 event | Celebration, Commemoration, America 250 | ||
| 2026/06/04 | The landmark case of a transgender Alexandrian | LGBTQIA+, Pride Month | ||
| 2026/05/28 | America’s 200th birthday stirred city’s historic preservation | Royal St, N, 134 | Gadsby's Tavern Museum | Historic Preservation |
| 2026/05/21 | Alexandria’s first historic preservation, part 2 | King St, 221 | Ramsay House | Historic Preservation |
| 2026/05/14 | Alexandria’s first historic preservation | King St, 221 | Ramsay House | Historic Preservation |
| 2026/05/07 | More than historic buildings | Historic Preservation | ||
| 2026/04/30 | The Alexandria Almshouse | Monroe Ave | Almshouse | |
| 2026/04/23 | America 250: Another French connection to Alexandria during the American Revolution | America 250, Lafayette, Rochambeau | ||
| 2026/04/16 | One person can make a difference | Civil Rights | ||
| 2026/04/09 | A brief history of fires on Union Street | Alfred St, S, 107 | Friendship Firehouse | Firefighting |
| 2024/04/02 | Easter in Alexandria’s history | Holidays | ||
| 2026/03/26 | Join us for historic happy hours | Education, Historic Alexandria, taverns | ||
| 2026/03/19 | Alexandria's Hibernian Society | Irish | ||
| 2026/03/12 | Survey shows OHA museums are essential | Museums | ||
| 2026/03/05 | Women-owned businesses in Alexandria | Women's History Month | ||
| 2026/02/26 | An American lens in America250 | America250, Alexandria Forum | ||
| 2026/02/19 | A President's Day collapse | President's Day | ||
| 2026/02/12 | Looking back at the 1976 birthday parade | America250, Bicentennial | ||
| 2026/02/05 | 100 years of celebrating Black History Month | Robinson Library | Black History Month | |
| 2026/01/22 | Introducing Alexandria’s America250 | America250 | ||
| 2026/01/15 | Celebrating Dr. King’s legacy in Alexandria | Martin Luther King, Jr., African American History | ||
| 2026/01/08 | A decade of discovery at Hotel Indigo | Union St., S, 220 | Hotel Indigo | Ships, Archaeology |
| 2026/01/01 | A history of New Year’s Eve and Day in Alexandria | New Year's Eve, Holidays, African American History | ||
| 2025/12/18 | A goodbye to McArthur Myers | African American History, signage | ||
| 2025/12/11 | A Kwanzaa celebration: rooted in unity | Wythe Street, 902 | Alexandria Black His-tory Museum, | Kwanzaa, African American history, Holidays |
| 2025/12/04 | The Alexandria-Scotland connection | Scotland, Parade | ||
| 2025/11/27 | Alexandria’s history and philanthropy | Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum, Philanthropy | ||
| 2025/11/20 | A history of Thanksgiving in Alexandria | Holidays, Thanksgiving | ||
| 2025/11/06 | The Marine band at the Lyceum | Washington St, S, 201 | Lyceum | Entertainment, musicians |
| 2025/10/30 | Virginia Archaeology Month in Alexandria | Eisenhower Ave | Bush Hill Plantation | Archaeology, Historic preservation |
| 2025/10/23 | Edgar Allan Poe’s friend in Alexandria | Washington St, S, 201 | Lyceum | Edgar Allen Poe |
| 2025/10/16 | Fort Ward Museum launches Navy exhibit | Braddock Road, W, 4301 | Fort Ward | Exhibit, Civil War, 250th Anniversary |
| 2025/10/09 | Alexandria's Native American Past | Union St, N, 105 | Alexandria Archaeology Museum | Prehistory |
| 2025/10/02 | From Arlandria to Chirilagua: A neighborhood story | Arlandria-Chirilagua | Hispanic community | |
| 2025/09/25 | New exhibit at Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum | Fairfax St, S, 105-7 | Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum | Exhibition, disease, Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum |
| 2025/09/18 | History of Arlandria eviction protests | Arlandria-Chirilagua | Protests, Hispanic community | |
| 2025/09/11 | The Colored Rosemont State Highway Marker: A dedication decades in the making | Wythe and West Sts. | African American community, urban renewal | |
| 2025/09/04 | Lewis Cass White and the history of Fort Stevens | Braddock Road, W, 4301 | Fort Ward | Civil War |
| 2025/08/28 | The Old Dominion Glass Factory and the labor movement | Montgomery St, 200 block | Old Dominion Glass Company | Manufacturing, child labor |
| 2025/08/21 | The 1939 Alexandria library sit-in: 86 years later | Wythe St., 902 | Alexandria Black History Museum | Robinson Library, Samuel Tucker, 1939, Sit-in, Civil Rights, African American history |
| 2025/08/14 | The former Alexandria Academy | Washington St, S | Alexandria Academy | education, school |
| 2025/08/07 | ‘Illiberal America: A History’ | Duke St, 1401 | Shiloh Baptist Church | Benjamin Thomas, lynching |
| 2025/07/31 | Friendship Fire Company and the Fire of 1855 | Alfred St, S, 107 | Friendship Firehouse Museum | Friendship Firehouse, firefighting |
| 2025/07/24 | Conserving Friendship’s suction engine | Alfred St, S, 107 | Friendship Firehouse Museum | Friendship Firehouse, conservation |
| 2025/07/17 | New digital offerings from Historic Alexandria | Alexandria Black History Museum, online collections, IMLS | ||
| 2025/07/03 | Alexandria’s State Legislator Frank Hume | Warwick Village | Fourth of July, Virginia state legislator, politics | |
| 2025/06/19 | Reopening African American Heritage Park | Holland Lane, 500 | African American Heritage Park | Black Baptist Cemetery, archaeology, historic preservation |
| 2025/06/12 | A history of LGBTQ+ legislators in Virginia | LQBTQIA+, Pride Month, Adam Ebbin, politics | ||
| 2025/06/05 | This year's Alexandria Pride Fair | LGBTQIA+, Pride Month | ||
| 2025/05/15 | A look at preservation easements | Historic Preservation, Easements, Preservation Month, Historic Alexandria Foundation, Alexandria Historical Restoration and Preservation Commission (AHRPC), Old and Historic District | ||
| 2025/05/08 | Rehabilitating the Freedom House Museum | Duke St, 1315 | Freedom House Museum | Historic Preservation. Preservation Month, Freedom House Museum |
| 2025/05/01 | Celebrating National Preservation Month | Historic Preservation, Preservation Month | ||
| 2025/04/24 | ‘The Lynching At Alexandria’ | Lynching, Joseph McCoy, Lynching | ||
| 2025/04/17 | Commemorating Two Lights for Tomorrow | 250th Anniversary, Independence | ||
| 2025/04/10 | Jane A. Crouch: Teaching for the elevation of her race | S. Asaph St, S, 530 | Lyles-Crouch School | Women's history, African American history, Education |
| 2025/04/03 | Alexandria's electric railway | Public transportation | ||
| 2025/03/27 | Alexandria women and D.C.’s Central High School | Women's History Month, education | ||
| 2025/03/20 | Mid-19th century women’s fashion in Alexandria | Women's History Month, fashion, shoes | ||
| 2025/03/13 | Women’s Civil War history in Alexandria | Braddock Road, W, 4301 | Fort Ward Museum and Historic Park | Women's History Month, Civil War |
| 2025/03/06 | Sarah A. Gray: a legacy of equity in education | Education, African American History, Women's History | ||
| 2025/02/27 | The Alexandria Archaeological Commission at 50 | Union St, N, 105 | Alexandria Archaeology Museum | Archaeological Commission, anniversary |
| 2025/02/20 | Fishtown: an Alexandria institution | Oronoco St | African American History | |
| 2025/02/13 | Why did Washington have two birthdays? | George Washington, holidays | ||
| 2025/02/06 | Resisting Jim Crow segregation on buses | Segregation, African American History, transportation | ||
| 2025/01/30 | Alexandria's Armory Hall | Royal St, S, 208 | Armory Tot Lot | Alexandria Light Infantry, USO |
| 2025/01/23 | Fun ideas for a frozen Potomac | Potomac, ice, sports | ||
| 2025/01/16 | Alexandria’s Martin Luther King Day tradition | Martin Luther King, African American History | ||
| 2025/01/09 | The President’s Day storm of 1979 | Snow, storm, fire | ||
| 2024/12/19 | Celebrating the Marquis | St. Asaph St, S, 301 | Lawrason House | Lafayette |
| 2024/12/12 | Holiday celebrations with Historic Alexandria | Holidays, Christmas, Kwanzaa | ||
| 2024/12/05 | Alexandria’s Scottish heritage | Scottish merchants, Christmas Walk, Dundee, Sister Cities | ||
| 2024/11/28 | Virginia's first Thanksgiving | Holidays, Thanksgiving | ||
| 2024/11/21 | Alexandria and Thanksgiving | Holidays, Thanksgiving | ||
| 2024/11/14 | Virginia Cider Week: a modern, historic tradition | Virginia Cider Week, festival | ||
| 2024/11/07 | The Pendleton Street USO | Pendleton St | USO | |
| 2024/10/31 | Halloween in Alexandria | Holidays, Halloween, ghost stories | ||
| 2024/10/23 | Edgar Allan Poe’s Alexandria connections | Edgar Allen Poe, Alexandria Theatre | ||
| 2024/10/17 | Alexandria and Indigenous Peoples' Day | Prehistory, Native American, Archaeology | ||
| 2024/10/10 | Marquis de Lafayette: A hero’s return | St. Asaph St, S, 301 | Lawrason House | Lafayette |
| 2024/10/03 | Celebrating Virginia Archaeology month | Union St, N, 105 | Alexandria Archaeology Museum | Archaeology Month |
| 2024/09/26 | Tenants and Workers United: An Alexandria fixture | Hispanic Heritage Month, Mural by Mas Paz | ||
| 2024/09/19 | Alexandria’s own: Magnus Robinson | African American History | ||
| 2024/09/12 | Friendship Fire Company celebrates 250 years | Alfred St, S, 107 | Friendship Firehouse Museum | Firefighting, 250th Anniversary, Friendship Fire Company, volunteers |
| 2024/09/05 | Contrabands and Freedmen Memorial marks 10th anniversary | Washington St, S, 1001 | Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial | African American History, Civil War, Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery |
| 2024/08/29 | Alexandria’s British occupation, 1814 | War of 1812 | ||
| 2024/08/22 | Reminder of the Orange & Alexandria Railroad | Hooff's Run Bridge | Railroad, U.S. Military Railroad, Orange & Alexandria Railroad | |
| 2024/08/08 | Benjamin Thomas’ Homegoing: Grieving and protest | Shiloh Baptist Church | Benjamin Thomas, lynching, Alexandria Community Remembrance Project (ACRP) | |
| 2024/08/01 | Fighting fire with friendship for 250 Years | Alfred St, S, 107 | Friendship Firehouse Museum | Firefighting, festival, Friendship Fire Company, 250th anniversary |
| 2024/07/25 | Alexandria and the Veterans Reserve Corps | Civil War, disability, prosthesis | ||
| 2024/07/18 | The Fairfax Resolves | Alex275, celebration, George Mason | ||
| 2024/07/11 | Happy 275th Birthday, Alexandria | Alex275, celebration, Exhibition, Map, oral history | ||
| 2024/07/04 | The first Independence Day | Fourth of July, Celebration, Independence Day | ||
| 2024/06/27 | Mapping Alexandria: Stories of a Changing City | Washington St, S, 201 | The Lyceum | Exhibition, Alex275, map, oral history |
| 2024/06/20 | Legacy of the French Quarter Café | King, 808 | French Quarter Café | Pride Month, gay bar, LBGTQ+ |
| 2024/06/13 | Alexandria reflects, rejoices on Juneteenth | Juneteenth, Emancipation Day, African American History, Frederick Douglass | ||
| 2024/06/06 | Alexandria's National Cemetery | Wilkes, S,1450 | Alexandria National Cemetery | Memorial Day, U.S. Colored Troops (USCT), Civil War, veterans |
| 2024/05/30 | D-Day, 80 years later | World War II, veterans, Alexandria-Caen, Sister Cities, commemoration | ||
| 2024/05/23 | A message from the past | King, 1304 | Childhood, historic preservation | |
| 2024/05/16 | Joseph Pierce: a Chinese-American soldier in Civil War Alexandria | ANHPI Heritage Month, Chinese, immigration, immigrant, Civil War | ||
| 2024/05/09 | Preserving the 600 block of North Pitt Street | Pitt, N, 601 | Historic Preservation, The Berg, African American history, Neighborhood | |
| 2024/05/02 | People saving Alexandria’s places | Historic Preservation | ||
| 2024/04/25 | A national pastime and Alexandria | Baseball, sports, recreation | ||
| 2024/04/18 | Stepping up by stepping into the past | Joseph McCoy, Alexandria Community Remembrance Project (ACRP), lynching | ||
| 2024/04/04 | Alexandria's 275th Anniversary | Alex275, Anniversary, Commemoration, Celebration | ||
| 2024/03/28 | The case of Abbie Williams | Women's History Month, African American history, midwifery, public health | ||
| 2024/03/21 | Jane Martin, freedom seeker | African American history, Women's History Month | ||
| 2024/03/14 | The Hibernian Society in Alexandria | Hibernian Society, Irish, St. Patrick's Day holiday | ||
| 2024/03/07 | Julia Johns and the Alexandria Infirmary | Infirmary, hospital, Board of Lady Managers, Lyceum, exhibition, Women's History Month | ||
| 2024/02/29 | Celebrating Women’s History Month in ALX | Women's History Month | ||
| 2024/02/22 | The Seminary School: Alexandria’s Rosenwald School | The Seminary School | Rosenwald School, African American History, Segregation, Education | |
| 2024/02/15 | The President who opposed celebrating Washingtons Birthday | Royal Street, N, 134 | Gadsby's Tavern | John Adams, Birthnight Ball, Gadsby's Tavern |
| 2024/02/08 | Alexandria and the Poor People's Campaign | Poor People's Campaign, African American History, Martin Luther King, Jr.. Mule Train | ||
| 2024/02/01 | Book launch kicks off Black History Month | Emancipation, African American history, Black History Month | ||
| 2024/01/25 | A look at Cloud's Mill in Alexandria | Cloud's Mill | Abijah Janney, David Lupton, Peter Saunders, Mordecai Miller, John McPherson, Phineas Janney, James Cloud, Edward Delahay. Cornelius Jacobs, Holmes Run, Quakers, Tridelphia Mill, Cloud's Mill | |
| 2024/01/11 | Martin Luther King Day, past and present | Martin Luther King, Jr. | ||
| 2024/01/04 | Enforcing prohibition in ALX | Prohibition | ||
| 2023/12/21 | 19th-century New Year’s Eve and Day in Alexandria | New Year's Eve, Holidays, Watch Night, slavery, African American history | ||
| 2023/12/14 | Hanukkah in Alexandria | Hanukkah, Chanukah, Holidays | ||
| 2023/12/07 | Kwanzaa celebrates cultural identity | Alexandria Black History Museum | Kwanzaa, Holidays | |
| 2023/11/30 | Christmas and the Civil War | Braddock Rd, W, 4301 | Fort Ward Museum and Historic Park | Christmas, Holidays, Civil War, Fort Ward |
| 2023/11/16 | The return of cider | Alexandria Cider Festival | ||
| 2023/11/09 | From Alexandria to the Meuse-Argonne | World War I, African American History, Plaques | ||
| 2023/11/02 | U.S. Colored Troops: a history and legacy in Alexandria | U.S. Colored Troops (USCT), African American History, Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery, Civil War | ||
| 2023/10/26 | Ghosts of Alexandria's Past | St. Paul's Churchyard, Gadsby's Tavern Museum, Halloween, ghost stories, Female Stranger | ||
| 2023/10/19 | James Pollard Espy: the Storm King | Washington St, S, 201 | The Lyceum | Science, lecture, weather |
| 2023/10/12 | How fires were fought in the 1850s | Alfred St, S, 107 | Friendship Firehouse | Firefighting |
| 2023/10/05 | Exploring our city's archaeology | Virginia Archaeology Month | ||
| 2023/09/28 | The Return of the Alexandria Forum | The Alexandria Forum | ||
| 2023/09/21 | Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month | Hispanic Heritage Month, Oral History | ||
| 2023/09/14 | Alexandria's response on 9/11 | Alexandria Fire Department, Emergency, 9/11, Pentagon | ||
| 2023/09/07 | Parker-Gray anniversary celebrates Brig. Gen. Leo A. Brooks, Sr. | Parker-Gray High School, Brig. Gen. Leo A. Brooks, Sr., Alexandria African American Hall of Fame | ||
| 2023/08/31 | From Alexandria into space | Astronauts | ||
| 2023/08/24 | After almost 50 years,it was time for an upgrade | Fairfax St, N, 121 | Carlyle House | historic preservation, conservation, facilities management |
| 2023/08/17 | The Olde Colony Motor Lodge and Conference Center | Washington St, N, and First St | Olde Colony Motor Lodge | Hotel, tourism |
| 2023/08/10 | An intersection with the past | Washington St, N, and Cameron | George Washington Memorial Parkway, historic preservation | |
| 2023/08/03 | A tradition and a new reminder | St. Asaph St, N, 401 | Old Alexandria Jail | Benjamin Thomas, lynching, Alexandria Community Remembrance Project (ACRP) |
| 2023/07/27 | Friendship Fire Company | Alfred St, S, 107 | Friendship Firehouse Museum | Firefighting, public safety |
| 2023/07/20 | 730 KPIK AM Alexandria | Radio | ||
| 2023/07/13 | Alexandria's birthday (sort of) | History, 1749, map | ||
| 2023/07/06 | Before Marriott: Hot Shoppes | Washington St., N, 905 | Hot Shoppes | Restaurant, food |
| 2023/06/29 | The Dry July 4 | Independence Day, Fourth of July, Temperance, Prohibition | ||
| 2023/06/22 | The man behind James Bland Housing | James Bland Homes | Public housing, African American history, Parker-Gray Historic District, musicians | |
| 2023/06/15 | Juneteenth in Alexandria | Douglass Cemetery | Juneteenth, African American history | |
| 2023/06/08 | Pride Month profile: Adam Ebbin | Pride Month, LGBTQIA+, State Senator Adam Ebbin | ||
| 2023/06/01 | The Return of D-Day to Alexandria | World War II, women spies | ||
| 2023/05/25 | Alexandria Archaeology Museum’s new look | Union St., N., 105 | Alexandria Archaeology Museum | Preservation Month, archaeology, museum, exhibition |
| 2023/05/18 | Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery | Washington St, S, 1001 | Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial | Preservation, Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery, African American history |
| 2023/05/11 | Alexandria's historic districts | Old and Historic District, Parker-Gray | Preservation Month, Board of Architectural Review (BAR) | |
| 2023/05/04 | Celebrating Preservation Month in Alexandria | Gadsby's Tavern Museum, Murray-Dick-Fawcett House | Preservation Month, Murray-Dick-Fawcett House, Gadsby's Tavern Museum | |
| 2023/04/27 | Silas Green from New Orleans came to town | African American history, entertainment | ||
| 2023/04/20 | The lynching of Joseph McCoy | Joseph McCoy, Alexandria Community Remembrance Project (ACRP), lynching | ||
| 2023/04/13 | Play a role in preserving Alexandria’s history | Easements, Historic Preservation | ||
| 2023/04/06 | The Northern Lights and Alexandria: a very brief history | Northern Lights, science | ||
| 2023/03/30 | Vola Lawson: Alexandria's modern City manager | Women's history, city government, Parkfairfax | ||
| 2023/03/23 | "A League of Their Own’ in Alexandria | Monroe Ave | Simpson Field | Women's history, baseball, sports |
| 2023/03/16 | Alexandria and the Silent Sentinels | Women's History, Suffragists, National Women's Party, Occoquan Workhouse | ||
| 2023/03/09 | Lillie Finklea: modern Alexandri |