Freedom House Museum

The Freedom House Museum was once part of the headquarters for the largest domestic slave trading firm in the United States, Franklin and Armfield. Through first-person accounts of enslaved men and women and details from the business, encounter the harsh reality of the domestic slave trade and Alexandria's role.

Page updated on Sep 17, 2019 at 7:58 AM

Freedom House Museum

1315 Duke Street

Freedom House exterior (credit, R Kennedy for Visit Alexandria)The Freedom House Museum was once part of the headquarters for the largest domestic slave trading firm in the United States, Franklin and Armfield. Enslaved people were brought from the Chesapeake Bay area and forced to the slave markets in Natchez, Mississippi and New Orleans either by foot or ship. 

The building is currently owned by the Northern Virginia Urban League and together with the Office of Historic Alexandria, we invite you to visit the museum in this historic reminder of slavery.

Museum Hours

  • Friday and Saturday, 1-5 p.m.
  • Check this page for any changes in the weekly schedule.
  • See the Calendar for special programs and tours.

Visit

Admission is $5 per person. Tickets can be purchased at the door.

Admission includes a powerful exhibit in the basement of the building, which was once part of a larger complex used by the slave trading firm Franklin and Armfield. Through first-person accounts of enslaved men and women and details from the business, encounter the harsh reality of the domestic slave trade and Alexandria's role.

  • Plan at least 45 minutes for your visit.
  • The museum is recommended for ages 8+.
  • Please note that the majority of the exhibit is down a flight of stairs in the basement of this historic building. 

Group Tours

Tours for seven or more should contact 703.746.4736 at least one week in advance to arrange a time to visit. Groups are typically scheduled to visit before or after public hours.
  

Virtual Tour

Visit the Freedom House Museum on a Google 360  Virtual Tour, courtesy of Virginia Humanities.

Volunteer

Volunteer at Freedom House. Help is currently needed with visitor services. Fill out the volunteer application, selecting the second activity, "Give tours of the Black History Museum, Freedom House Museum and African American Heritage Park." 

History

The Franklin and Armfield Slave Pen at 1315 Duke Street was one of the largest slave trading companies in the country and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Freedom House exhibit (credit, VisitAlexandria)The three-story brick building with mansard roof was built as the residence of Robert Young, Brigadier General of the second Militia of the District of Columbia. By 1828, it was leased by Isaac Franklin and John Armfield and used as a "Negro Jail" or slave pen for slaves being shipped from Northern Virginia to Louisiana. Franklin and Armfield were active until 1836, exporting over 3,750 slaves to cotton and sugar plantations in the Deep South. Later, other firms continued trading in slaves here. A sign seen in Civil War period photographs has the name of Price, Birch & Co. During the Civil War the building and its surrounding site were used as a military prison for deserters, the L'Ouverture Hospital for black soldiers and the barrack for contraband-slaves who fled the confederate states and sought refuge with Union troops.

News and Information

Event Tickets

To purchase tickets to events at the Freedom House Museum, and to shop online, visit  The Alexandria Shop. 

Contact the Museum

Telephone 703.746.4702


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