Free Walking Tour Guides
& Brochures
Original research, distilled into free guides and walking tour brochures you can carry into Alexandria’s cemeteries. Every one costs nothing — the same documented history behind our expert-led tours.
The Gravestone Stories Tour Brochure: Four Walking Tours, One Free Guide
Every Gravestone Stories walking tour in a single tri-fold — the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex, the Rebellious Scoundrels of the Presbyterian Meeting House, From Enslavement to Justice, and the Lee-Fendall House — with what to expect on each walk and how to book. If you’re new here, start with this one.
Alexandria Family Trees: Who Lies Beside Whom, and Why
Free family trees for the people behind some of the best-known graves in the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex, Ivy Hill Cemetery, and the Old Town burial grounds of the Old Presbyterian Meeting House and Christ Church: who they were, how they were related, and where each one rests. View them online, or print the whole set.
The Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex: A Self-Guided Walking Map
Thirteen historic cemeteries, 52 acres, 35,000+ stories — with eleven notable graves keyed A–K, from Washington’s honorary pallbearer to the Female Stranger. Explore the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex at your own pace.
Among the Founders: Revolutionary War Patriots Buried in Alexandria
The 162-patriot registry in brochure form — more than a decade of original research documenting the Revolutionary War generation resting across thirteen of Alexandria’s historic burial grounds, with David’s lecture menu for chapters, schools, and civic groups.
War of 1812 Buried in the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex
All 59 documented Alexandria veterans and civic leaders of the War of 1812, grouped by burial ground with dates, units, and plot references — from the two men killed at the Battle of the White House to the last survivor, who died in 1875. With a timeline of August and September 1814, the Alexandrians behind the Star-Spangled Banner, and the names wrongly carved on the Revolutionary War plaques. A companion to the searchable online registry.
Where Alexandria’s Firefighters Rest
Twenty-nine firefighters and fire company leaders, grouped by burial ground with plot references — from Charles Glasscock, the city’s first line-of-duty death in 1852, to Joshua Weissman in 2012. With the story of the Dowell China Shop Fire of 1855, which killed seven volunteers in a single night, where each of the seven rests, and the Firefighters’ Memorial at Ivy Hill Cemetery. Researched with fire service historian Catherine Weinraub. A companion to the interactive map.
Rebellious Scoundrels: The Patriots of Alexandria’s Presbyterian Meeting House
In 1774, a Loyalist diarist dismissed Alexandria’s Presbyterians as “a set of rebellious scoundrels.” Meet them — the patriots of the Old Presbyterian Meeting House congregation and its 18th-century burial ground.
From Enslavement to Justice: How African Americans Forced Change in Alexandria
Across eight historic cemeteries, the people who fought their way from bondage to freedom — and reshaped Alexandria doing it. The companion guide to our most powerful walking tour.
Walking Tour of Alexandria National Cemetery
Eight stops among the Union dead of Alexandria’s wartime hospitals — the first burial of 1862, the Fort Lyon explosion row, the four civilians lost in the hunt for Lincoln’s assassin, and the soldiers whose 1864 petition made this the first integrated national cemetery. Researched and written by Gravestone Stories, with a route map and grave rows for every stop. The cemetery is open to all at no charge.
The Cemetery Stories of the Lee-Fendall House
From the historic Lee-Fendall House to the graves of the families who lived there — Lees, Fendalls, and the people connected to one of Alexandria’s most storied homes.
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New guides and brochures, new tour dates, and fresh discoveries from Alexandria’s historic burial grounds, once a month — plus a free copy of the illustrated e-book A Guide to Alexandria’s Historic Cemeteries & Burial Grounds.
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More Guides & Maps from the Archive
- The Presbyterian Cemetery & ColumbariumCemetery brochure
- The Meeting House 18th-Century Burial GroundChurchyard guide
- Plot Map of the Presbyterian CemeteryDownloadable plot map
- Section Map of the Presbyterian CemeteryDownloadable section map
- Alexandria History E-BooksCurated PDF editions of the research
The Guides Show You Where.
The Tours Tell You Why.
Every guide on this page grew out of the research behind our expert-led walking tours. For the full stories — and the discoveries that never fit on a trifold — join us in the cemeteries.