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In December 1785, within the recently built Alexandria Academy, George Washington financed a school “for the purpose of educating orphan children.” In 1812, a “free colored school” was founded by a group of free African Americans in the space vacated by white students. Young Robert E. Lee attended another school in the Academy from 1818 to 1823. During the Civil War, the academy served as a freedman’s hospital. The academy is located on 600 Wolfe St.

Stories this photo appears in:

Alexandria: Historic Sites

Some Historic Sites in Alexandria

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