Download the Gravestone Stories Tour Brochure

The Gravestone Stories Tour Brochure provides a clear overview of what you’ll experience on Alexandria’s most acclaimed historic cemetery tours. Inside this tri-fold guide, you’ll find highlights from the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex, key stories featured on our tours, and essential information to help you plan your visit.

Download the Gravestone Stories Tour Brochure (PDF)

Preview the Brochure
Use the viewer below to flip through the brochure online. For the highest-quality version, download the PDF using the link above.

Gravestone-Stories-Tri-fold

Ready to Experience the Stories Behind the Stones?

Book a guided tour or explore the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex at your own pace.

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Explore Alexandria’s Buried History

David Heiby

Public Historian & Cemetery Steward

The historian who rediscovered Washington's lost pallbearer — a 200-year mystery solved in 2024.

As steward of Alexandria's Presbyterian Cemetery and seasoned public historian, David brings over 25 years of expertise to his renowned Gravestone Stories tours. With access to 300+ exclusive stories found nowhere else, he transforms historic burial grounds into compelling narratives of Alexandria's past.

Where history lives and discoveries still happen.

Raised Among the Stones
My parents rest in the Presbyterian Cemetery, alongside many others who helped raise me. Caring for this ground grew into Gravestone Stories—a mission to preserve and share Alexandria’s buried history.

Leadership & Expertise

Superintendent, Presbyterian Cemetery & Columbarium
Treasurer, Virginia Trust for Historic Preservation
Member, Alexandria Archaeology Commission Subcommittee for the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex National Register Nomination
America250 Alexandria Committee Member
Treasurer, Alexandria Historical Society
Community Partner, Lee-Fendall House Museum

Leading preservation efforts and sharing Alexandria’s hidden history, grounded in my lifelong connection to the Old Presbyterian Meeting House and Presbyterian Cemetery.

New to the site? Start here:
👉 Book a Tour
👉 Explore the Interactive Maps
👉 Browse Notable Burials by Cemetery
👉 Read Historical Blog Stories

America 250 Recognition

Gravestone Stories is featured in Visit Alexandria’s America 250 campaign, recognized as one of the city’s premier historical tour experiences for the nation’s 250th anniversary.

Visit Alexandria’s official tourism site →

Join a Cemetery Tour

Step into history with our expert-led walking tours of Alexandria's most storied cemeteries—led by the historians who uncovered these stories through years of research and fieldwork.

What You'll Experience

Walk through 13 historic cemeteries in just one square mile
Hear stories of Washington's pallbearers, Civil War surgeons, and Cold War spies
Discover recently rediscovered graves and long-forgotten figures
Experience American history where it actually happened—with the people who lived it

Current Tour Schedule

Public tours run year-round with times adjusted seasonally for optimal weather and lighting conditions.

Check our live calendar for current availability and times, or book directly through Viator.

Each tour is different—crafted in real time based on the group and season. With over 300 documented stories, there's always something new to uncover.

Book Now

Tour Information

Get a preview of what awaits you on our historian-led cemetery tours and access essential tour details.

Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex Tours

Download Tour Preview Brochure (PDF)

Book on Viator | View on TripAdvisor

Ivy Hill Cemetery Tours

Download Tour Preview Brochure (PDF)

Book on Viator | View on TripAdvisor

View Tour FAQ →

Currently ranked the #1 Cultural Tour in Alexandria on TripAdvisor

Upcoming Appearance

Public historian David Heiby portraying Mayor E. E. Downham outside the Lee-Fendall House Museum in Alexandria, Virginia, dressed in 19th-century formal attire with top hat and walking cane.

Public historian David Heiby portraying 19th-century Alexandria merchant and mayor E. E. Downham outside the Lee-Fendall House Museum during a living-history event.

December 6, 2025 – Dockside Festivities
Alexandria Waterfront • 1 A Prince Street

Visit the Lee-Fendall House Museum booth during Alexandria’s annual Christmas Walk & Boat Parade of Lights (2–8 p.m.). The parade begins at 5:30 p.m., lighting up the Potomac with over 50 decorated boats.

View Tour & Event Calendar →

Explore at Your Own Pace

Download our printable brochure and enjoy a self-guided walk through Alexandria's most historic cemeteries—featuring 35,000+ stories in one extraordinary complex.

Get the Brochure →

Interactive History Maps

Explore Alexandria's buried history through our award-winning interactive maps featuring 35,000+ stories.

50 Notable Figures

From Washington's pallbearer to Cold War spies

Launch Map →

More Maps:

View All 5 Maps →

Decode Cemetery Symbols

Learn to read gravestones like a historian

Discover the hidden meanings behind anchors, lambs, broken columns, and ivy. From Victorian mourning symbols to military honors, every carving tells a story.

Skull & Crossbones → Mortality reminder
Anchor → Hope and naval service
Broken Column → Life cut short
Ivy → Fidelity and eternal life

Unlock the Secret Language →

Cemetery Folklore & Traditions

Discover the meaning behind mysterious cemetery customs

Why are coins left on military graves? What do oyster shells mean? Learn about the superstitions and folklore that shaped burial traditions for centuries.

Coins on Graves → Military honor messages
Oyster Shells → African American traditions
Black Clothing → Spiritual protection
Iron Fences → Warding off spirits

Explore Cemetery Folklore →

Other Historic Sites

Discover Alexandria's other significant burial grounds beyond Wilkes Street.

Presbyterian Meeting House

Washington's inner circle & Revolutionary heroes

Explore Stories →

Exclusive Historical Discoveries

Stories no one else knows—decades of original fieldwork and primary source research recently revealed through our work.

✓ 300+ biographical profiles unavailable elsewhere
✓ Recently rediscovered burial sites lost for centuries
✓ Interactive mapping system of exclusive discoveries
✓ 400+ year timeline of hidden Alexandria history

Perfect for: Genealogy research • Academic study • Family history

Explore Rare Stories → Discover by Cemetery → View History Timeline →

This Week in Alexandria History

Week of December 4 • 9 stories available

December 27, 1864 (161 years ago)

A Civil Rights Protest Before Its Time: The USCT Petition of 1864

On December 27, 1864, 443 African American soldiers recovering at Alexandria’s L’Ouverture Hospital signed a powerful petition protesting segregated burial practices. The catalyst was the burial of Private Shadrach Murphy in the Freedmen’s Cemetery instead of the nearby Alexandria National Cemetery. The soldiers wrote, “We are not contrabands, but soldiers of the U.S. Army… and ...

Refresh page for another story from this week

View Full Timeline →

Share Your Experience

Help others discover Alexandria's hidden history by sharing your tour experience.

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Visit Alexandria Official Listing

"Gravestone Stories brings forgotten voices back into view."
— Emerging Civil War

Gravestone Stories has been recognized in both national and local outlets for its dedication to preserving Alexandria's cemetery history:

Emerging Civil War – National feature highlighting our work in the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex
The Zebra Press – Coverage of our storytelling mission and Ivy Hill's recognition on the National Register
Frederick Douglass Memorial Cemetery Newsletter – Juneteenth Special Edition acknowledgement in “Special Thanks” (June 2025)
City of Alexandria – Research cited in the City Manager’s letter supporting National Register nomination for the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex (July 2025)
Alexandria Historical Society – Featured speaker and research contributions
Lee-Fendall House Museum – Featured lecturer and Vice President of Virginia Trust for Historic Preservation

Looking for more coverage? Visit our Press Page → for recent features and media highlights.

Invite Gravestone Stories to Speak

Engaging historical talks tailored to museums, genealogical societies, preservation groups, and organizations interested in Alexandria's rich past.

Historian David Heiby delivers a dynamic presentation at Alexandria's Lee-Fendall House Museum

David Heiby presenting at Lee-Fendall House Museum

Available for Speaking Engagements

Book David for your organization's next meeting or event. Customized presentations available on Alexandria's history, genealogy, and preservation.

Recent Presentations (September 2025):

• September 17 – Lee-Fendall House presentation to McLean Newcomers & Neighbors Club
• September 10 – Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex talk for Northern Virginia Antique Arts Association
• September 2 – Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex presentation to Richard Bland Lee Chapter, D.A.R.

Book Spotlight: Shipwreck on the Potomac: Disaster in Pursuit of Lincoln's Killer

Historian Karen Stone sheds new light on the Black Diamond tragedy of April 24, 1865—one of the Civil War’s final and most overlooked maritime disasters. The collision occurred off St. Clements Island in St. Mary’s County, Maryland, and claimed 87 lives, including four civilian Quartermaster Department employees now buried in the Alexandria National Cemetery

The book explores the wider aftermath of Lincoln’s assassination and the lives lost in pursuit of his killer.

Karen Stone will speak about the book at the Alexandria Historical Society on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, at the Lyceum in Alexandria, VA.

David Heiby, public historian and creator of Gravestone Stories, and Catherine Weinraub, fellow historian and site guide, are both acknowledged for their research contributions to this important historical recovery.

This new release was recently featured in Emerging Civil War →

Buy the Book on Amazon

Featured Blog Story

The Soldier Who Proposed a Crown: The Life and Legacy of Lewis Nicola

Early Life and Military Career Lewis Nicola was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1717 into a Huguenot family with a strong military tradition; both his father and grandfather served as…

Read the Full Story →
Explore More Stories →

Community Partnerships

Trusted partners helping us preserve and share Alexandria's remarkable stories.

Lee-Fendall House Museum

Preserving over 200 years of Alexandria history

Visit Museum →

Alexandria Historical Society

Promoting research and understanding of Alexandria's past

Learn More →

Alexandria Civil War Research

Gravestone Stories highlights the ongoing scholarship that deepens understanding of Alexandria’s wartime history — including new insights into the city’s hospitals, prisons, law enforcement, and cemeteries.

Latest: "Combatting Crime in Union-Occupied Alexandria"

Discover Alexandria's Historic Burials

From Revolutionary War heroes to civil rights pioneers, explore the extraordinary lives of those who shaped Alexandria's history.

Browse All Cemetery Burials →

Civil War Tour of Alexandria National Cemetery - View of Wilkes Street Complex circa 1865 — Entrance to the Alexandria National Cemetery on Wilkes Street, approximately 1865. Retrieved from the Library of Congress.

Discover Alexandria's Civil War Legacy

Alexandria was the first Southern city seized by Union forces—just one day after Virginians voted to secede. Explore the lives of soldiers, civilians, contrabands, and spies who shaped Alexandria's wartime legacy.

Explore Civil War Stories →

Stay Connected

Get updates on new stories, upcoming tours, and discoveries from Alexandria’s historic cemeteries. Want to hear more? Use our contact form to sign up for occasional alerts or send us a message directly.

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