This week in Historic Alexandria, enjoy the many exhibits, public programs and special events offered by our city’s great museums and historic sites! Information on daily calendar listings, museum hours, local history and much more is included in this e-newsletter, updated each week on this webpage or delivered to your in-box. To subscribe to this and other information from the City of Alexandria, create an e-news account and select your notifications of interest here.

May is Preservation Month, a time when communities across the country celebrate historic preservation locally.  The City is hosting a series of events to highlight Alexandria’s historic preservation initiatives whether you want to hear experts on a panel, learn about hands-on preservation practices, tour a site or have a drink with other preservationists.

Almost 74 years ago, the largest air, land, and sea invasion in history took place on the beaches of Normandy. To honor the veterans, the City of Alexandria has proclaimed the month of June as “D-Day Commemoration Month.” Events will be held on June 7th and June 9th, with programs organized by the Alexandria-Caen Sister City Committee. 

Sign up now for Historic Alexandria camps for all ages and interests.

• Clio's Kids: A History Mini Camp, ages 5-7, at The Lyceum (July 17-19).
• Civil War Kids Camp, ages 8-12, at Fort Ward Museum (June 25-29).
• Alexandria Archaeology Summer Camp, ages 12-15, at the Alexandria Archaeology Museum and on a real archaeology site (July 16-20).

Many of the City's premier historic sites are owned and operated by the City of Alexandria and fall under the administration of the Office of Historic Alexandria, the department of City government charged with the conservation, interpretation and promotion of these links to the past. Find out more about each of our museums and historic sites.

Explore centuries of human history. See a 13,000-year-old Clovis point, an 18th-century apothecary, a restored Civil War fort, a 1940s segregated library, and more. See all the information you need to plan a visit to the Historic Alexandria museums. Before your visit, be sure to print an eSavings Coupon.

“Hamilton” is coming to DC! Are you a fan? Learn more about special Historic Alexandria's Hamilton-themed events at VisitAlexandria.com. Attend a lecture on Hamilton's relationship with Washington, join a Hamilton-themed tour, try on uniforms of the Revolutionary War, or play 18th-century style games.

The City of Alexandria is joining countless others around the world in commemorating the 100^th anniversary of World War I. Learn more about Alexandria’s involvement in WWI and current and upcoming events marking the centennial.

Archaeologists under contract with developer EYA LLC and working under a City-approved Resource Management Plan found the remains of three historic ships at the Robinson Landing construction site. The ships, and another discovered at the Hotel Indigo site in 2015, are believed to have been built in the mid-to-late 1700s and buried before 1798. 

As redevelopment takes place along Alexandria's waterfront, archaeologists working at the Robinson Landing site are discovering ships, wharves, warehouses and more. Learn about the latest finds, and about nautical discoveries from the nearby Indigo Hotel site.

The hull of the 18th-century ship found in 2015 at the Hotel Indigo construction site is undergoing conservation at Texas A&M University's Conservation Research Laboratory. Please make a generous donation to the Save Our Ship Conservation Fund to ensure the preservation of the fragile wood timbers. Thanks to all who helped us raise more than $10,000 for the ship on April 25, through Spring2ACTion.

Help us preserve two important fire-fighting vehicles on display at Friendship Firehouse Museum: The Rodgers Suction Engine, built in 1851, and the Prettyman Hose Carriage, built in Alexandria in 1858.

The Museum at 1315 Duke Street is open Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 1-5 p.m. Admission is $5 per person. Tickets can be purchased at the door. 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.

The City of Alexandria is working on an Interpretive Plan for Fort Ward Park to expand interpretation to include the full range of its history, especially including the African American experience and the post-Civil War Fort community. Fort Ward's Civil War history will remain a core theme, but new elements will explore the legacy of that pivotal era.

Reinforce your teaching with hands-on experiences, field trips, lectures, educational kits and other resources. Programs are designed to foster interest in the history and culture of Alexandria from colonial times to the present. Schedule tours and programs for school groups, scout groups, home-school families, and camps, as well as for adults.

Looking for something fun for your family to do in Historic Alexandria? With  living history programs, festivals, teas, and more, there is something for every age! Make your child's birthday party a historic occasion, send your kid to Summer Camp, or check the Calendar of Events to plan your family fun.

What happened in Alexandria on today's date, or tomorrow, or on your birthday? See today's historical events, or search for another date. These daily events in Alexandria's history were first printed in "This Week in Historic Alexandria." 

Out of the Attic, featuring historical photographs of Alexandria, is a column produced by the Office of Historic Alexandria and published weekly in the Alexandria Times. An archive of articles dating back to the column's beginning in 2007 appears here with permission of the newspaper. Sort or search the index to learn about places or topics of interest.

The City of Alexandria’s wayfinding signage system helps people find their way around the city. Take a look at the new map and history panel “mini-kiosks” in Old Town, from the Masonic Temple on Shuter's Hill to the waterfront. Read the full text of the history panels here.

Enjoy a variety of walking and bike tours, listen to podcasts, explore Alexandria's Civil War heritage with a free iPhone app, go on a scavenger hunt, or learn about Trail Signs and the Alexandria Heritage Trail. For a short preview, check out Visit Alexandria 360, a virtual tour.

Visit the Museum Store at The Lyceum (201 S. Washington Street) and online at The Alexandria Shop. The shop offers great gift ideas, a wide variety of Alexandria-related merchandise and the very best selections from all the Historic Alexandria museum stores. Your purchases support programming at Historic Alexandria's museums.