# Event Details - **Event Name**: “How Do We Know That?”: Documenting the Slave J*il at 1315 Duke Street - **Event Start and End Date**: Sat, 21 Feb, 2026 at 02:00 pm – Sat, 21 Feb, 2026 at 03:00 pm - **Event Description**: Join city archaeologist Benjamin Skolnik as he discusses the history of the domestic slave trade in Alexandria by digging for the answers.About this EventIn March 2020, the City of Alexandria purchased an office building at 1315 Duke Street. Built in 1812 by an Alexandria merchant, the building became one of the most notorious epicenters of the domestic slave trade starting in 1828. For the next 33 years, a series of slave traders used this site as their northern headquarters as they trafficked thousands and thousands of enslaved people over land and by water to the cotton and sugar plantations of the Deep South. Join City of Alexandria archaeologist Benjamin Skolnik as he discusses the history of the domestic slave trade in Alexandria and shows how we know what we know about the former slave J*il at 1315 Duke Street.Dr. Benjamin Skolnik is an archaeologist for Alexandria Archaeology, a division within the Office of Historic Alexandria (OHA) and the City of Alexandria, Virginia, which he joined in 2015. His PhD in Anthropology was awarded by the University of Maryland, College Park, with an emphasis on historical archaeology, plantation and urban slavery, and geographic information systems [GIS]). Since 2020, Dr. Skolnik has been at the forefront of documenting the history of the former slave J*il at 1315 Duke Street (Freedom House) and is the author of several publications and presentations on the subject, including:Building and Property History: 1315 Duke Street, Alexandria, Virginia, available on the Office of Historic Alexandria’s website;“The Brig Named Uncas: The story of an all-American slave ship” in ;the two part “Photographic Presentments of Them Will Be Accepted By Posterity with an Undoubting Faith”: Correcting Two Civil War-Era Photographs of Alexandria, Virginia Attributed to William R. Pywell and Published in Gardner’s Photographic Sketch Book of the War (1866)” in the Alexandria Chronicle (part 1; part 2);and Exposing the Alexandria Slave Pen: Historical Photographs, Engravings, and Illustrations of 1315 Duke Street at the Alexandria Lyceum.He contributed to the building’s Historic Structures Report and the Freedom House museum’s Comprehensive Plan and is currently working to revise and expand OHA’s exhibit on the domestic slave trade at the newly renovated and reopened museum at 1315 Duke Street. - **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/alexandria/how-do-we-know-that-documenting-the-slave-jil-at-1315-duke-street/100001825872486759 - **Event Categories**: art, literary-art - **Interested Audience**: - total_interested_count: 0 ## Ticket Details - **Ticket Price Range**: min: 0, max: 17.85, currency: USD ## Event venue details - **city**: Alexandria - **state**: VA - **country**: United States - **location**: Lee-Fendall House Museum & Garden - **lat**: 38.8094295 - **long**: -77.0457872 - **full address**: Lee-Fendall House Museum & Garden, 614 Oronoco Street, Alexandria, United States ## Event gallery - **Alt text**: “How Do We Know That?”: Documenting the Slave J*il at 1315 Duke Street - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events7/banners/55ccf0a26cb62a8e43938459ce4832c21fe580d9a899c76e6b28f57406cbcc47-rimg-w1090-h786-dc90908f-gmir.jpg?v=1760649575 ## FAQs - **Q**: When and where is “How Do We Know That?”: Documenting the Slave J*il at 1315 Duke Street being held? - **A:** “How Do We Know That?”: Documenting the Slave J*il at 1315 Duke Street takes place on Sat, 21 Feb, 2026 at 02:00 pm to Sat, 21 Feb, 2026 at 03:00 pm at Lee-Fendall House Museum & Garden, 614 Oronoco Street, Alexandria, United States. - **Q**: How much do tickets cost for “How Do We Know That?”: Documenting the Slave J*il at 1315 Duke Street? - **A:** Tickets for “How Do We Know That?”: Documenting the Slave J*il at 1315 Duke Street are priced at USD 18 per person. Here's a full breakdown of available ticket types:Ticket TypePriceAvailabilityGeneral AdmissionUSD 18 + USD 3 feeAvailableOptional Donation - Support Lee-Fendall!FreeAvailable - **Q**: Who is organizing “How Do We Know That?”: Documenting the Slave J*il at 1315 Duke Street? - **A:** “How Do We Know That?”: Documenting the Slave J*il at 1315 Duke Street is organized by Lee-Fendall House Museum & Garden. - **Q**: Who is this event for? Is it right for me? - **A:** “How Do We Know That?”: Documenting the Slave J*il at 1315 Duke Street is ideal for art lovers, collectors, creatives, and anyone inspired by visual arts, installations, and exhibitions. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a longtime enthusiast in Alexandria, this event is thoughtfully curated to deliver a standout experience worth every moment. If “How Do We Know That?”: Documenting the Slave J*il at 1315 Duke Street sounds like your kind of event, don't wait - spots fill up fast. ## Structured Data (JSON-LD) ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Event", "name": "“How Do We Know That?”: Documenting the Slave J*il at 1315 Duke Street", "image": "https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events7/banners/55ccf0a26cb62a8e43938459ce4832c21fe580d9a899c76e6b28f57406cbcc47-rimg-w1090-h786-dc90908f-gmir.jpg?v=1760649575", "startDate": "2026-02-21", "endDate": "2026-02-21", "url": "https://allevents.in/alexandria/how-do-we-know-that-documenting-the-slave-jil-at-1315-duke-street/100001825872486759", "location": { "@type": "Place", "name": "Lee-Fendall House Museum & Garden", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "614 Oronoco Street", "postalCode": "22314", "addressLocality": "Alexandria", "addressRegion": "VA", "addressCountry": "US" }, "geo": { "@type": "GeoCoordinates", "latitude": "38.8094295", "longitude": "-77.0457872" } }, "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode", "description": "Join city archaeologist Benjamin Skolnik as he discusses the history of the domestic slave trade in Alexandria by digging for the answers.", "offers": [ { "@type": "AggregateOffer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-04-07", "availabilityEnds": "2026-02-21", "validFrom": "2026-04-07", "lowPrice": "0.00", "highPrice": "17.85", "price": "0.00", "url": "https://allevents.in/alexandria/how-do-we-know-that-documenting-the-slave-jil-at-1315-duke-street/100001825872486759" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-04-07", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-04-07", "url": "https://allevents.in/alexandria/how-do-we-know-that-documenting-the-slave-jil-at-1315-duke-street/100001825872486759", "price": "17.85", "name": "General Admission" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-04-07", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-04-07", "url": "https://allevents.in/alexandria/how-do-we-know-that-documenting-the-slave-jil-at-1315-duke-street/100001825872486759", "price": 0, "name": "Optional Donation - Support Lee-Fendall!" } ], "organizer": [ { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Lee-Fendall House Museum & Garden", "url": "https://allevents.in/org/lee-fendall-house-museum-and-garden/22509142", "description": "The Lee-Fendall House is a showcase ofAmerican history from three different centuries.Since its construction in 1785, the house has served as home to thirty-seven members of the Lee family, hundreds of convalescing Union soldiers during the American Civil War, and one of our nation’s most controversial and significant 20th century labor leaders, John L. 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