Community Corner
Speakeasy Night To Support Lee-Fendall House's Preservation
As Lee-Fendall House celebrates its 50th year as a museum, its speakeasy night recalls the house's Prohibition era history.
ALEXANDRIA, VA — As the Lee-Fendall House Museum's name suggests, it was home to the Lee family and was built by businessman Philip Fendall in 1785. But the historic property also has ties to the Prohibition Era that banned alcohol production and sales.
That's why "Sips & Secrets: A Speakeasy Night" is a popular fundraiser each year to support the home's preservation and education programs. This year's event will happen Saturday, Sept. 23 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the Lee-Fendall House Museum's garden.
The annual event started in 2016 and has collectively raised nearly $50,000 for the property, which is privately run unlike many other museums in the city. Sips & Secrets: A Speakeasy Night honors the Downham family, who owned Lee-Fendall House from 1903 to 1930 and worked in liquor production.
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According to the museum, E.E. Downham made a fortune selling alcohol to soldiers during the Civil War. His son Robert inherited the business and bought the house for his wife, who turned it into a social setting that even President Woodrow Wilson attended in 1914.
Virginia's prohibition on alcohol sales in 1916 caused the Downhams to trade in liquor sales for a new department store on King Street. But Lee-Fendall House Museum staff believe bootlegging may have still happened in the house during Prohibition, even if proof has not been found. The family did covert the home's 18th century root cellar into a full basement.
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After the Downhams, prominent labor leader John L. Lewis lived in the home. In 1974, the Virginia Trust for Historic Preservation bought the home to run it as a museum. The speakeasy-themed fundraiser comes as Lee-Fendall prepares for its 50th anniversary as a museum.
Just as the Downhams made the home a popular setting for parties, Sips & Secrets: A Speakeasy Night is one of Alexandria's top seasonal social events. Herndon-based jazz and ragtime band Accidental Red will perform live, and award-winning dance troupe Fidgety Feet will teach Charleston dancing and judge the dance contest. There will be 1920s-style cocktails served. Attendees are encouraged to wear flapper or mobster style attire for the costume contest.
Tickets start at $75 plus fees. Host committee spots and sponsorships are also available.
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