Second Part Of African American Trail To Be Launched In Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA, VA — The African American Waterfront Heritage Trail in Alexandria will be complete with the launch of the southern route.

The trail, spearheaded by the African American Heritage Trail Committee and Office of Historic Alexandria, documents the contributions of African Americans, both free and enslaved, to Alexandria's waterfront history. The southern trail is the second of two trails along the waterfront, following the introduction of the northern trail in 2021.

The southern trail spans approximately two miles from the foot of King Street to Jones Point. Trail information is available through StoryMap online, which can be accessed from a smartphone while walking along the route.

The 19 stops on the southern route include Enslaved on the Waterfront; the Domestic Slave Trade in Alexandria; George Henry, Enslaved Ship Captain; The River Queen; Ship-building in Early Alexandria; Quakerism and Anti-Slavery; Evidence of Banking Out; Everyday Life of Free African Americans; African American Workers on the Railroad; Hayti, an African American Neighborhood; Neighborhoods in the Civil War; Zion Baptist Church; Mr. Philip Alexander's Quarters; USCT at Battery Rodgers; CCC Camp at Battery Cove; Virginia Shipbuilding Company; Freedmen's Cemetery and the Woodrow Wilson Bridge; Jones Point Ropewalk; and Benjamin Banneker.

Collectively, the northern and southern trails have 30 stops over more than three miles from Montgomery Street to Jones Point Park.

A celebration event for the launch of the southern trail will be held Saturday, Feb. 4 at 10 a.m. at the Alexandria History Museum at the Lyceum, 201 S. Washington St., Alexandria, VA. A sample of the stops along the trail will be recreated for the launch event. Remarks will begin at 11 a.m., and light refreshments will be offered. Free registration is requested for the event.