Historic Tours & Programs

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Historic Tours

Ratcliffe-Allison-Pozer House guided tours for all ages are provided on a walk-in basis by a knowledgeable docent at the oldest residence in Fairfax City (10386 Main St.). The house is open from noon to 3 p.m. Saturdays from April through September, as well as during many city-sponsored events, such as the Fall Festival.

Old Town Fairfax Guided Walking Tours .  2025 Schedule to be announced in the Spring!

Self-guided tours of Old Town Fairfax are available with A Walk Through History, a free brochure available on the city website (click here) and from the Museum and Visitor Center, 10209 Main St.

Group Tours

Guided adult tours for groups of eight people or more at any city historic sites may be reserved for a $25 fee per group.

Guided youth tours for students and scouts are available; please make reservations at least one month in advance. Cost is $3 per child, chaperones free, no charge for schools located within the City of Fairfax. Programs are tailored for different age groups and educational needs, and incorporate hands-on activities. Space and staff scheduling limits apply.

  • Fairfax Museum and Visitor Center tour information: email, 703-385-8414
  • Historic Blenheim and the Civil War Interpretive Center tour information: email, 703-591-6728
  • Ratcliffe-Allison-Pozer House tour information: email, 703-385-8414

 

HFCI Meeting and History Talk: Virginia's Role in World War I

Historic Fairfax City, Inc. Annual Meeting

  • Date: 05/10/2023 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM  
  • Location: Civil War Interpretive Center at Historic Blenheim
    3610 Blenheim Blvd.
    Fairfax, Virginia 22030
  • Introduction: Dr. Lynn Rainville, Ex. Dir. of Institutional History & Museums at Washington & Lee Univ., in Lexington, Va, will discuss the Red Cross, Nurses, Sailors, Army Combat Troops, Steelworkers, Shipbuilders, Food Suppliers, Pilots, Stenographers, Doctors and other civilian roles in WWI Virginia.

Historic Fairfax City, Inc., will hold its annual meeting at 7 p.m. on May 10 at Historic Blenheim. The meeting is open to the public. 

The featured speaker will be Dr. Lynn Rainville, executive director of Institutional History & Museums at Washington & Lee University, in Lexington, Va.  Dr. Rainville is an archaeologist, anthropologist, author, speaker, and public lecturer, whose decades-long studies include both the Southern and New England regions, with a particular focus on Virginians doing extraordinary things in the past.  

She will speak on "Virginia's Role in World War I," to include the Red Cross, nurses, sailors, army combat troops, steelworkers, shipbuilders, food suppliers, pilots, stenographers, doctors, and other civilian roles, as well as noting the 100,000 draftees, and 3,600 lives lost.  

Her writings and speaking engagements have been covered in dozens of national newspapers and on public television, and the subject matter runs the gamut from historic cemeteries, enslaved cemeteries, segregated schools, poor farms, asylums, women and children to ordinary Virginians doing great things. 

Dr. Rainville is the former Dean of Sweet Briar College, and has taught at UVA, Dartmouth College, University of Michigan, Mary Baldwin College, GMU (as well as for OLLI), and lectured at numerous private organizations. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.

More information can be obtained by contacting Historic Blenheim, and membership chair Linda Baringhaus at lindamb3510@yahoo.com. After April 22, you also may obtain reservations by calling Historic Blenheim at 703-591-0560. Reservations are free and advised.

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Educational Programs

 The Office of Historic Resources offers a wide variety of history-related programs.  Programs are free and in person unless otherwise noted.

'I have no doubt...He will Prove Himself an Able Commander,' George Armstrong Custer’s Path from Lieutenant to Brigadier General

Historic Blenheim
Nov. 23, 2 p.m.

Join author Robert O'Neill as he discusses his book George Armstrong Custer’s Path from Lieutenant to Brigadier General.  Through in-depth research, the author will focus on Custer’s soliciting support to become a general in the Fairfax Court House area. O'Neill most recently published Small but Important Riots: The Calvary Battles of Aldie, Middleburg, and Upperville. He also runs the Civil War Cavalry blog, Small But Important Things. Free; books will be available for purchase.

HFCI Meeting and History Talk: Virginia's Role in World War I

Historic Fairfax City, Inc. Annual Meeting

  • Date: 05/10/2023 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM  
  • Location: Civil War Interpretive Center at Historic Blenheim
    3610 Blenheim Blvd.
    Fairfax, Virginia 22030
  • Introduction: Dr. Lynn Rainville, Ex. Dir. of Institutional History & Museums at Washington & Lee Univ., in Lexington, Va, will discuss the Red Cross, Nurses, Sailors, Army Combat Troops, Steelworkers, Shipbuilders, Food Suppliers, Pilots, Stenographers, Doctors and other civilian roles in WWI Virginia.

Historic Fairfax City, Inc., will hold its annual meeting at 7 p.m. on May 10 at Historic Blenheim. The meeting is open to the public. 

The featured speaker will be Dr. Lynn Rainville, executive director of Institutional History & Museums at Washington & Lee University, in Lexington, Va.  Dr. Rainville is an archaeologist, anthropologist, author, speaker, and public lecturer, whose decades-long studies include both the Southern and New England regions, with a particular focus on Virginians doing extraordinary things in the past.  

She will speak on "Virginia's Role in World War I," to include the Red Cross, nurses, sailors, army combat troops, steelworkers, shipbuilders, food suppliers, pilots, stenographers, doctors, and other civilian roles, as well as noting the 100,000 draftees, and 3,600 lives lost.  

Her writings and speaking engagements have been covered in dozens of national newspapers and on public television, and the subject matter runs the gamut from historic cemeteries, enslaved cemeteries, segregated schools, poor farms, asylums, women and children to ordinary Virginians doing great things. 

Dr. Rainville is the former Dean of Sweet Briar College, and has taught at UVA, Dartmouth College, University of Michigan, Mary Baldwin College, GMU (as well as for OLLI), and lectured at numerous private organizations. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.

More information can be obtained by contacting Historic Blenheim, and membership chair Linda Baringhaus at lindamb3510@yahoo.com. After April 22, you also may obtain reservations by calling Historic Blenheim at 703-591-0560. Reservations are free and advised.

Return to full list >>