For Meeting Planners & Group Leaders
Private Group Tours in Alexandria for Conferences & Heritage Organizations
Curated Historical Programming in Alexandria’s Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex & Landmark Historic Sites
Gravestone Stories offers Private Group Tours in Alexandria’s Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex and at two of Old Town’s landmark historic sites—expert-led programs for conferences, heritage groups, and educational institutions seeking something beyond Old Town’s traditional walking tours.
Led by independent historian and cemetery superintendent David Heiby, each program blends primary-source scholarship, documented discoveries, and compelling storytelling—creating a meaningful cultural experience tailored for groups.
Why Choose Gravestone Stories for Your Group?
Most Alexandria tours remain within the King Street corridor. Our programs take your guests into a 52-acre historic landscape containing 13 cemeteries and more than 35,000 documented burials—a setting unlike any other in the nation.
These are not scripted guidebook anecdotes. They are stories uncovered since 2012 through on-site stewardship, archival research, and field investigation.
Recent groups have included the Anna Maria Fitzhugh Chapter, NSDAR; 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.
Ideal For
Group Logistics Snapshot
Hear Them, Remember Them
“From Enslavement to Justice: How African Americans Forced Change in Alexandria”
Offered on a limited number of dates each year. A $300 invoice holds your date; the $450 balance is billed before the tour.
Request This TourThis is not a traditional cemetery tour. It is one of the most powerful interpretive experiences currently offered in Alexandria.
Commissioned by the Dismantling Racism Team of Old Presbyterian Meeting House and debuted on April 26, 2026, this two-hour program examines how African Americans—both enslaved and free—forced legal, social, and moral change in Alexandria across two and a half centuries. Using burial grounds as primary historical sources, the tour moves through resistance, defiance, sacrifice, and survival from the Revolutionary War era through the Civil Rights movement.
A Format Unlike Any Other
Each participant receives a name tag bearing the name of one of the historical figures encountered on the tour. At the appropriate stop, that participant reads that person’s story aloud—in first person, standing at or near their grave. The voices were written by David Heiby based on primary source documentation, and each one ends with a line designed to earn the silence that follows.
Twenty-one voices. One continuous arc of history.
Among the Voices You Will Carry
What Attendees Say
“So interesting that I almost forgot I was hot. That’s a real testament to your presentation.”— Kathy V., tour attendee
“Having your patrons participate is brilliant. It was moving to read and listen to the accounts of those buried in the cemetery.”— Tour attendee
“The tour is two hours and you certainly get your steps in—but it is worth it to learn the history.”— Linda, AHS member
“Attendees stayed beyond the scheduled end time. No one wanted to leave.”
— April 26, 2026 debut tour
Available for private group bookings of 21–25 participants—the tour’s twenty-one voices are read aloud by the participants themselves. Submit a group inquiry to discuss scheduling.
The Signature Experience
The Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex: An Outdoor Archive of American History
Every private group tour explores 250 years of national history concentrated in one extraordinary landscape—from the founding generation through the Civil War to the modern era. This is the walk your group books—and the emphasis is yours to choose.
Tailor the Emphasis to Your Group
Among the Founders: Revolutionary War Patriots
Washington’s pallbearers and the patriots of the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex, drawn from David’s registry of 162 Revolutionary War patriots buried in Alexandria—a natural fit for DAR, SAR, and America250 groups. Pair it with the “Rebellious Scoundrels” Meeting House tour to complete Alexandria’s Revolutionary story. See the registry → · See the Among the Founders guide →
Alexandria’s War of 1812
The War of 1812 veterans of the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex, from Alexandria’s 1814 surrender to the fight at the White House batteries on the Potomac—a natural fit for Daughters of 1812 chapters and lineage societies. See the War of 1812 registry & guide →
Civil War Memory, USCT Protest & National Cemetery History
From hospital records to the first integrated military burial ground, discover stories reshaping how we understand wartime Alexandria.
Genealogy, America250, and custom programming aligned with your conference theme are available upon request.
Partnership Tours: The Meeting House & the Lee-Fendall House
David also leads private group tours at two of Alexandria’s landmark historic sites. These programs run on a limited schedule set with each institution, so treat your preferred date as a starting point—we’ll reply with the dates that are available.
“Rebellious Scoundrels”: The Meeting House Tour
The patriots of Alexandria’s Old Presbyterian Meeting House—sanctuary, churchyard, and founders’ ground, in an approximately 90-minute walking tour that meets at the sanctuary, 321 South Fairfax Street. The churchyard holds the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of the American Revolution, making this hallowed ground for DAR, SAR, and Revolutionary War lineage societies. The Meeting House is an active church, and tours are scheduled around congregational life—dates are limited. Tour details & brochure →
Lee-Fendall House Cemetery Tour
Offered in partnership with the Lee-Fendall House Museum & Garden: two centuries of lives, from 614 Oronoco Street to the graves just blocks away. This approximately 90-minute walk connects the families of one of Old Town’s storied historic houses to the burial grounds where their stories end—and continue. Tour details & brochure →
Ticket prices for these tours are set by each institution, and every dollar goes to support those historic sites—we donate the guiding.
“Our DAR chapter learned more in 90 minutes than from years of books and lectures. His research is impeccable.”
— Amy D., DAR Chapter MemberWhat Visitors Are Saying on TripAdvisor
Recognized & Trusted
About Your Guide
David Heiby
Independent Historian & Cemetery Steward
Since 2012, David has researched and documented more than 400 historically significant individuals buried in Alexandria’s cemeteries. His research is cited in the Library of Virginia’s Dictionary of Virginia Biography and supported the City of Alexandria’s nomination of the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex to the National Register of Historic Places.
He speaks regularly to Daughters of the American Revolution chapters, genealogical societies, and heritage and civic groups, and writes a twice-monthly history column for the Alexandria Gazette Packet.
Request a Private Group Experience
To discuss scheduling, custom themes, or conference programming:
Or text (703) 869-0872
Download Our One-Page Group Overview for PlannersPage last updated: October 4, 2026