Alexandria cemetery tours vary widely in scope, depth, and interpretive approach. Visitors may encounter tours that include 18th-century church burial grounds in Old Town, or others focused on specific Civil War themes within Alexandria National Cemetery. But there is an important distinction between a brief burial-ground stop and a comprehensive cemetery research tour. Understanding that difference will help you choose the experience that best fits your interests.
Historic Burial Grounds in Old Town
Old Town Alexandria contains three historic church and community burial grounds: Christ Church Burial Ground, the Old Presbyterian Meeting House Burial Ground, and the Quaker Burial Ground — the latter lying beneath the Kate Waller Barrett Library on Queen Street, a site frequently overlooked by tours and tourists alike.
These sites offer a focused window into a single founding-era community — one church, one congregation, one chapter of Alexandria’s story. For a visitor with a narrowly defined interest in a particular denomination or churchyard, that scope may be sufficient.
For those seeking the full depth of Alexandria’s history — across centuries, communities, conflicts, and documented primary-source research — a single burial ground is only the beginning.
South of Old Town lie two additional historic burial sites: the Basilica of St. Mary Cemetery (est. 1796) and Freedmen’s Cemetery (est. 1863), the latter created for formerly enslaved and free Black Alexandrians during the Civil War. While both are historically significant, they are independent sites and not part of the contiguous Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex.
Gravestone Stories also leads occasional interpretive programs at the Old Presbyterian Meeting House Burial Ground in collaboration with the congregation — offered as a community service, with any contribution benefiting the church.
The Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex: A Different Scale
The Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex includes thirteen adjacent cemeteries and more than 35,000 burials — the most historic cluster of cemeteries in the United States.
Rather than focusing on one churchyard or one historical theme, a comprehensive cemetery research tour here connects centuries of Alexandria’s national story:
- Revolutionary War figures
- War of 1812 connections
- Union and Confederate Civil War burials
- United States Colored Troops
- Political leaders and civic founders
- Diverse religious communities
- Stories extending into the 20th century
This layered concentration of national history explains why the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex is widely regarded as the most historically significant cemetery cluster in the United States.
Side-by-Side at a Glance
Old Town Church Burial Grounds
- Intimate, single-congregation setting
- Primarily Revolutionary-era focus
- Christ Church, Old Presbyterian Meeting House & the Quaker Burial Ground
- Well-suited to colonial history enthusiasts
Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex
- 13 cemeteries, 35,000+ burials
- Revolutionary War through 20th century
- Multiple communities, themes & conflicts
- Most historic cemetery cluster in the U.S.
Scripted Tours vs. Historian-Led Research
Some tours rely on prepared scripts delivered by rotating guides. A historian-led cemetery research tour differs in meaningful ways:
- The guide conducted the archival research personally
- Burial locations are verified through primary-source documentation
- Rediscoveries — such as the ground-penetrating radar confirmation of George Washington’s lost pallbearer, Colonel George Gilpin — are based on original fieldwork
- Interpretation evolves through ongoing scholarship, not a fixed script
Gravestone Stories tours are built on decades of documented research, more than 25 years of leading history tours, and active field stewardship of Alexandria’s cemeteries.
Why the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex Is Alexandria’s Premier Cemetery Experience
Alexandria’s other historic burial sites each tell one story well. The Old Presbyterian Meeting House Burial Ground — where Gravestone Stories’ own historian serves as a lifelong congregation member and leads tours for the congregation on a range of historic occasions, including wreath-laying ceremonies and commemorative observances — offers a meaningful window into a single founding-era congregation.
But no single churchyard or themed cemetery walk can match the depth, breadth, and scholarly foundation of a Gravestone Stories tour at the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex. Across thirteen cemeteries and more than 35,000 burials, visitors encounter:
- The full sweep of Alexandria’s national story — from the Revolution through the 20th century
- Documented rediscoveries unavailable anywhere else, including the confirmed burial site of George Washington’s lost pallbearer, Colonel George Gilpin
- Research conducted personally by the guide — not a script handed down through rotating staff
- Living history interpretation by a historian who has led cemetery and history tours for more than 25 years
For visitors seeking Alexandria’s most historically significant and research-driven cemetery experience, the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex offers unmatched scope and documented depth.
This page explains the difference between a burial ground tour and a comprehensive cemetery research tour in Alexandria, Virginia, helping visitors understand historical scope, research depth, and interpretive approach before booking.
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Visit the Tours Page to book or learn more about available experiences.
Questions? dave@gravestonestories.com | (703) 869-0872
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