Alexandria Archaeology Museum

Alexandria Archaeology Museum. City of Alexandria Est. 1749. , The launch of urban renewal in 1965 led to a boom of archaeological discoveries in Alexandria's Old and Historic District. As buildings were razed exposing artifact-laden layers of history, community outcry demanded that the City address and halt the archaeological losses. The significance of the finds led the Smithsonian Institution to finance the archaeological investigations. When this support eventually ceased, a group of residents created the "Committee of 100," with each member contributing $10 per month to enable excavation to continue. The constant sight of this salvage work and the array of artifact from early taverns, a comb maker, a doctor's office, and a shoemaker bolstered the public's appreciation of archaeology. Residents successfully lobbied the Alexandria City Council, which in 1975, created the Alexandria Archaeological Commission, the first of its kind in the United States, and hired a professional City archaeologist in 1977., The archaeology program continues today with collections of more than two million artifacts spanning 13,000 years of the City's history. City Council furthered support for history and archeology by passing the Archaeology Protection Code in 1989, ensuring that information about the past is not lost as a result of new development. Research and code projects have led to insights into Native American life, African American neighborhoods, the Civil War, cemeteries, taverns, potteries, plantations, and many other facets of Alexandria's history. To learn more, visit the Alexandria Archaeology Museum on the third floor of the Torpedo Factory Art Center, 105 North Union Street, Studio #327.