America’s Most Historic
Cemetery Complex
Alexandria cemetery tours led by an independent historian — David Heiby, superintendent of the historic Presbyterian Cemetery — leading tours in the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex since 2012.
$30 per person · 90 minutes · Thursday–Saturday, mid-March to mid-December
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Alexandria’s Historic Cemeteries — Thirteen Burial Grounds, 35,000 Lives
Alexandria cemetery tours take you to the graves of the people who made the history. Within these burial grounds lie Revolutionary War patriots, Civil War soldiers, Cold War figures, and generations of Alexandrians whose lives shaped the nation. The historic cemeteries of Alexandria, Virginia include the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex — 13 cemeteries holding 35,000+ extraordinary lives across 52 acres of consecrated ground. Alexandria’s burial grounds hold 162 documented Revolutionary War patriots, each one listed in a registry you can check. Our historic cemetery tours in Alexandria, Virginia — led by an independent historian and cemetery superintendent — bring this landscape to life through original research.
Explore the Complete Directory of Alexandria’s Historic Cemeteries →
Where George Washington’s pallbearers, a Soviet spy, the highest-ranking Confederate general, and 35,000 stories await beneath your feet.
While other Alexandria tours stay on King Street, our tours take you into a site-specific landscape of discoveries, drawn from cemetery records, archives, and years of fieldwork.
Just west of Old Town is the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex, which contains 13 historic cemeteries (1796–1933) that serve as final resting places for revolutionaries, enslaved Alexandrians, wartime heroes, and everyday townspeople who shaped the nation.
Discover Extraordinary Lives Buried Beneath Your Feet
From Revolutionary War heroes to Cold War espionage — meet the people behind the names on the stones.
Why History Enthusiasts Travel Here From Across America
This isn’t just Alexandria history — it’s the full American story in one extraordinary place.
✓ 162 documented Revolutionary War patriots buried across Alexandria — among the largest documented concentrations in Virginia — 46 within this complex alone. See the complete registry →
✓ Second-oldest National Cemetery in the United States (predates Arlington)
✓ Direct descendants of Declaration signers and founding families
✓ Over 3,900 Civil War soldiers including 249 U.S.C.T. soldiers and Buffalo Soldiers
✓ A U.S. Army surgeon who identified Custer’s body at Little Bighorn
✓ War of 1812 hero who died defending his country in the battle that led to the National Anthem
No other location in America brings together such a concentration of figures who shaped our nation’s destiny — 13 cemeteries in one extraordinary complex.
The Search for Washington’s Lost Pallbearer
In 1799, Col. George Gilpin served as an honorary pallbearer at George Washington’s funeral. Then his own grave slipped from memory for more than two centuries. In 2024, a descendant’s question, a 1935 map, and ground-penetrating radar pointed to his presumptive resting place.
The War Began in His Front Yard and Ended in His Parlor
In July 1861, Union cannons shelled Wilmer McLean’s Yorkshire farm, then General Beauregard’s headquarters, and scored a direct hit on the cookhouse during the opening fighting at Bull Run. He moved his family about 120 miles south — only to have Lee surrender to Grant in his Appomattox parlor nearly four years later.
The Confederate General Who Outranked Robert E. Lee
His father was a 16-year-old rebel at the Boston Tea Party. Samuel Cooper rose to become the highest-ranking general in the Confederate army, senior even to Lee — and died in poverty, stripped of his citizenship, living in the former slave quarters of his own estate.
Fatal Intelligence: The Scout Whose Report Shaped Lee’s Attack
Awakened at 4 a.m. on July 2, 1863, Capt. Samuel Richard Johnston rode out to scout the Union left for Lee. Three hours later, he reported Little Round Top undefended. Lee built the day’s attack on that report — and Longstreet’s men found more than 10,000 Union troops waiting.
George Mason’s Grandson Wrote the Fugitive Slave Act
George Mason refused to sign the Constitution without a bill of rights. His grandson, Senator James Murray Mason, wrote the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. As a Confederate envoy, he was seized from a British ship in the Trent Affair — and nearly dragged Britain into the Civil War.
Where Fiction Met Horrific Reality in Alexandria
Joseph Bruin ran one of Alexandria’s largest slave pens at 1707 Duke Street. In 1848 he led the armed men who recaptured the schooner Pearl, then bought six Edmonson children, including sisters Mary and Emily. Harriet Beecher Stowe told their story in A Key to Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the book she wrote to prove her novel was drawn from real life.
Codename ‘Zhora’: The Spy Who Blinded America
William Weisband sold jewelry to women at Arlington Hall to get into America’s most classified codebreaking rooms. When he warned the Soviets their codes had been broken, they changed them — leaving U.S. intelligence blind in the years before North Korea’s invasion.
The Quartermaster Who Gave Fort Myers Its Name
In 1850, Gen. David Twiggs named a new Florida fort for his staff officer and future son-in-law, Col. Abraham C. Myers. Myers became the Confederacy’s first Quartermaster General — until his removal in 1864 sent him and his family to Germany for more than a decade.
Chicago’s Notorious Everleigh Sisters
Born Minna and Aida Simms to a Virginia family ruined by the Civil War, they reinvented themselves as the Everleigh sisters and ran the Everleigh Club, Chicago’s most notorious brothel, until the mayor shut it down in 1911.
The Teenage Sailor on Cook’s Final Voyage
As a teenager, Thomas Tretcher sailed as an able seaman on Captain Cook’s third voyage — the expedition that reached Hawaii and ended with Cook’s death there. Along the way, he got lost on a waterless coral atoll so flat that the ships’ masts were visible from almost anywhere. He later captained merchant ships and settled in Alexandria.
And 35,000+ More Extraordinary Stories
Revolutionary War heroes, Civil War leaders, Cold War spies, NASA pioneers, forgotten heroes, and everyday Alexandrians who shaped American history — all waiting to be discovered.
What Visitors Say
Dave is both a great storyteller and well-researched student of history. Dave’s tour of the Alexandria cemetery complex is both an entertaining and enlightening experience in which you learn a lot about Alexandria and multiple eras of American history. It is well worth getting off King Street to spend a couple hours with Dave.
David Heiby is a noted historian and an authority on American history from the colonial era through the 19th century. He is truly a force of nature! As lovers of history, we hit the jackpot when we booked this tour. An exceptional experience in every way.
This was a fascinating walk through history. The guide, David Heiby, was extremely knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and entertaining. The tour includes the first Veterans Memorial cemetery, which predates Arlington cemetery. I never knew it existed in Old Town. Its a tour worth taking!
An amazing trip through Alexandria’s history and America’s history, even quite a few side journeys to world history! Dave’s knowledge of history is surpassed only by his enthusiasm. As we walked through the cemetery, Dave told stories and made connections between people and events that you simply don’t find anywhere else.
Really interesting anecdotes about Revolutionary and Civil War little-known stories. Definitely something you won’t get at a big museum. Picked up on our interests and tailored his tour to them.
Grave Dave was an amazing host and guide. He has clearly done extensive research on this historic cemetery complex, and he has made interesting connections among the people buried in this area.
David can customize the tour based on your interests. He is very knowledgeable and makes history fun! I especially enjoyed the history of civil rights — this was the first desegregated cemetery in the entire US!
Fantastic stories about key people in American history! The guide is incredibly knowledgeable and full of fun facts. I will go again to hear more stories!
David Heiby effectively revives the spirits interred within this cemetery.
Read more traveler reviews →·Took a tour with us? Leave a review on Google →
Four Walking Tours. One Free Brochure.
Every walk we offer — the Wilkes Street Complex, Rebellious Scoundrels, From Enslavement to Justice, and the Lee-Fendall House — in one printable guide you can take with you. And it’s just the start, because every guide and map we publish is free. Browse them all →
Get the Tour Brochure or download the PDF directly →Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex
The flagship 90-minute walk and the one to start with. Washington’s pallbearers, James Murray Mason, Gen. Samuel Cooper, Sydney Smith Lee, and Wilmer McLean all rest along the route. Thursday–Saturday, mid-March to mid-December · $30 per person · Tour details · Book on ViatorRebellious Scoundrels
The Revolutionary patriots of the Old Presbyterian Meeting House, in Old Town — sanctuary, churchyard, and founders’ ground. Private groups by inquiry · Details & free guideLee-Fendall House Cemetery Tour
Two centuries of the families of 614 Oronoco Street, from the house to their graves a few blocks away. Hosted by the Lee-Fendall House Museum & Garden. Tickets via the museum on Eventbrite · Tour detailsFrom Enslavement to Justice
How African Americans forced change in Alexandria — 21 first-person voices, read aloud at the graves by the participants themselves. Private groups of 21–25 · Tour details · InquireAlexandria National Cemetery: the 3,900 Civil War soldiers and 249 U.S.C.T. rest in a national cemetery that is open to everyone at no charge. Walk it on your own with our free self-guided guide.
Schools & educators: complimentary tours by advance arrangement, plus classroom resources built on documented local history. Request a school tour.
Private Alexandria Cemetery Tours for Your Group, on Your Date
Chapters, societies, reunions, conferences, faith communities, and families book private walks of the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex on the date that suits them, with the emphasis tailored to the group — Washington’s inner circle and the Revolution, Civil War memory, African American history, or genealogy.
Recent groups have included the Eliza Monroe Chapter of the United States Daughters of 1812, the Mount Vernon Genealogical Society, the Historic Alexandria Resources Commission, and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.
$30 per guest · $300 minimum covers up to ten guests · Up to 25 guests; larger groups by arrangement · Every guest receives the Walking Companion e-book
Why Leave King Street?
Alexandria’s tourist corridor offers familiar stories told a hundred times over. But just minutes west lies a 52-acre landscape of American history — thirteen historic cemeteries and thousands of lives whose stories we’ve been uncovering since 2012. These are the stories at the heart of our Alexandria cemetery tours. While others walk you past historic buildings, we walk you to the graves of the people who made history happen.
The Cemetery Steward Who Led the Hunt for Washington’s Lost Pallbearer
Since 2012, David has walked every corner of the 13 separate cemeteries in the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex. So when a descendant of Col. George Gilpin asked the Alexandria Historical Society where her ancestor was buried, he had a good idea where to look. 1935 library maps showed a “Gilpin plot,” but its location had long been forgotten. Working with fellow AHS board members, David traced it to an unmarked family burial area in Christ Church Cemetery, and in 2024 he led a ground-penetrating radar survey of the site. The results support it as the presumptive resting place of Gilpin, one of the six honorary pallbearers at George Washington’s funeral.
This is what happens when deep local knowledge meets scientific collaboration.
The Founding Father’s Secretary
Located Philip Richard Fendall Sr.’s family plot (2023) — the Lee family member who built Lee-Fendall House and served as Arthur Lee’s secretary during Treaty of Alliance negotiations with France.
The Forgotten Hero
Identified Alexandria’s first volunteer firefighter killed in the line of duty (1852) and the probable burial site of Robert Adam, signer of the Fairfax Resolves.
David Heiby at the grave of James Murray Mason in Christ Church Cemetery, putting a face to the name on the stone — the portraits he carries on every tour are how the people buried here become people again.
This Is How History Should Be Told
David doesn’t just recite dates and names. Instead, he brings you into the detective story — the months of research, the moment of discovery, the human drama that makes these figures real.
Nearly 400 documented biographies drawn from published histories, out-of-print books, unpublished manuscripts, historic structure reports, Alexandria Archaeology reports, family letters, and descendant accounts.
Speaks regularly to Daughters of the American Revolution chapters, genealogical societies, and heritage and civic groups, and has appeared on Alexandria Historical Society panels, lectured at the Lee-Fendall House Museum, and taught at the Lifetime Learning Institute of Northern Virginia. Writes a twice-monthly history column for the Alexandria Gazette Packet.
See recent talks and programs →Read his first Gazette Packet column →
Superintendent of Presbyterian Cemetery & Columbarium since 2015 — the sacred grounds where his own parents rest, and where he too will one day be buried. A lifelong member of the Old Presbyterian Meeting House.
Treasurer of the Virginia Trust for Historic Preservation · Treasurer of the Alexandria Historical Society · America250 Alexandria Committee Member · Alexandria Archaeology Commission subcommittee advancing the National Register nomination · Community Partner of the Lee-Fendall House Museum.
Every Gravestone Has a Story. Most Have Been Forgotten.
David’s mission is to bring those lost voices back to life through hands-on, source-driven public history. Here, forgotten American history comes alive through rigorous research, fieldwork, and compelling storytelling.
The Research Behind Our Alexandria Cemetery Tours
Our tours exist because the research exists — original fieldwork since 2012, archival discovery, and primary-source documentation.
Original Research
- A Registry of 162 Revolutionary War BurialsNearly three times the count in the 2001 JLARC state report, which omitted the Wilkes Street complex entirely. View the complete registry →
- 59 Documented War of 1812 VeteransAcross eight Alexandria cemeteries, each with a sourced profile. View the registry →
- Every Biography SourcedPublished, unpublished, and family-paper sources are posted for each burial page.
- Counts You Can CheckEvery number on this page — 162 patriots, 59 veterans — is a registry you can open row by row, each entry with its sources.
- Read at the Stone, Not Just the ArchiveInscriptions checked in the field against the written record — how carving errors and misdated burials get caught.
- Corrections Made in PublicDated on the page when the research changes, rather than quietly overwritten.
Sources: City of Alexandria (Alexandria Archaeology) · Greenly Survey PDF
Explore the stories already documented in our Alexandria Timeline →
- Built on original archival and on-site cemetery research since 2012
- Discoveries beyond King Street — newly identified graves and overlooked figures drawn from primary sources
- An independent historian, not a scripted guide — deep expertise in documented, evidence-based interpretation
- Recently rediscovered burial sites — stand where graves lost for over two centuries have been traced
- Group size capped at 25 — individuals, couples, and small parties always welcome
- Public tours mid-March to mid-December — Thursday through Saturday, ending on the second Saturday of December
From George Washington’s lost pallbearer to Cold War spies — experience 250 years of American history through the people who lived it.
Many of these stories — and exact burial sites — have only recently been revealed through our research. The best way to discover them, of course, is to join a guided tour.
Gravestone Stories isn’t only about Alexandria cemetery tours. Behind every story stands an extensive archive: 130+ historical timeline entries, nearly 400 documented biographies, 80+ in-depth research blogs, and five interactive maps. Our archive continues to grow each week as new discoveries emerge from Alexandria’s cemeteries. Together, they form the most comprehensive digital record of Alexandria’s historic cemeteries — a resource for genealogists, students, and serious researchers.
Looking for an ancestor? Start with the burials by cemetery, the interactive biography map, or the search icon in the menu above.
From Local Research to National Recognition
Scholarly & Digital Recognition
Original Gravestone Stories research is now cited by Wikipedia, the Library of Virginia’s Dictionary of Virginia Biography, and the Alexandria Historical Society’s Digital History Museum, making it a trusted source for Alexandria’s burial records and biographies, one that fellow historians and researchers draw on in their own work.
Historic Preservation Impact: Our documentation of nearly 400 historically significant individuals, for instance, helped secure official City of Alexandria endorsement for the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex’s nomination to the National Register of Historic Places — recognizing it as a “collection of sacred grounds that spans centuries of events, racial, social, and military change.”
“This is an opportunity for our City to add another site of historic significance to the National Register of Historic Places that is both locally and nationally relevant.”— James F. Parajon, City Manager of Alexandria, July 2025 Read the City Manager’s letter →
“Heiby gives those buried in his, as well as the surrounding sections, a ‘second life,’ not only by recounting their tales on tours, but also online for generations to come through high-quality digitization and plot profiles.”— Emerging Civil War, May 2025 Read the Emerging Civil War feature →
America 250 Official Partner
“Unlock Your Story” Featured Profile
February 7, 2026 · Visit Alexandria
Visit Alexandria selected Gravestone Stories as an official spotlight feature for its America 250 campaign, recognizing David Heiby’s documentation of more than 35,000 individuals buried in Alexandria’s historic cemeteries — connecting visitors to the city’s Revolutionary foundations and the individuals who shaped its history.
David Heiby serves on the Alexandria America 250 Committee.
Read the full feature →Plan Your Historical Pilgrimage
Location
1475–1501 Wilkes Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
Parking
Available along Wilkes Street & Hamilton Avenue
Metro Access
~1 mile from King Street Metro or free King Street Trolley
Questions about Alexandria cemetery tours, meeting locations, or what to expect?
A tranquil view of the Presbyterian Cemetery, where historic gravestones lie beneath a towering tree — framed by one of the cemetery’s most magnificent canopy specimens.
Photo credit: Michelle Bartels — @soussiaphotography
The Most Historic Cluster of Cemeteries
in America
52 acres unlike anywhere else on earth. When it comes to American history, all roads lead through Alexandria — and they all converge in the stone and soil beneath your feet.
On our Alexandria cemetery tours, you’ll hear stories researched first-hand, from the archives to the stones.
Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex walk: $30 per person · 90 minutes · Thursday–Saturday, mid-March to mid-December
Page last updated: September 28, 2026