Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum

01/27/2023

Why does history matter? Help Historic Alexandria answer this question! We want to know how we can support and engage you in 2023 and beyond. We are participating in a national survey of museum-goers, sponsored by the American Alliance of Museums. Please take a few minutes + take this survey! Your thoughts + feedback will help us guide our future work.

2023 Annual Survey of Museum-Goers.

09/01/2022

Due to a private event, the Museum will be closed today Thursday, September 1.

05/21/2022

An exciting day today celebrating the Apothecary’s National Historic Landmark status! Remarks were made by Gretchen Bulova, Mayor Justin Wilson, and Superintendent of the GW Memorial Parkway Charles Cuvelier. It joins two other OHA NHLs - Gadsby’s Tavern Museum + the Freedom House Museum.

03/16/2022

Why does history matter? The past couple of years have been tumultuous for many of us, and we at Historic Alexandria want to know how we can better support + engage you in 2022 and beyond. To learn more about how we can do this, we are participating in a national survey of museum-goers, sponsored by the American Alliance of Museums. Please take a few minutes + take our survey! Your thoughts + feedback will help us guide our future work.

2022 Annual Survey of Museum-Goers.

01/16/2022

Notice for today’s operations. ❄️

01/12/2022

Thanks for helping us celebrate the history of pharmacy and pharmacists on National Pharmacist Day. We look forward to displaying our National Historic Landmark plaque in the coming year.

01/03/2022

The museum will be closed today, January 3rd, due to inclement weather. We will re-open for tours on Friday, January 7th. Enjoy the snow!

12/02/2021

Tonight's the night to venture out for some shopping in Old Town plus visit your favorite Apothecary!

Enjoy a historic night out in Old Town on December 2 for “Moonlight Merriment,” a festive end to Shop Small Week. Local stores, including Gadsby’s Tavern Museum + the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum, will be open from 5 to 8 p.m. for a special night of shopping + merriment. Stop in for unique gifts + a free visit to the museums. Don’t forget your camera at Gadsby’s Tavern Museum—the halls are decked for some great photo backdrops.

09/28/2021

An Edward Stabler book sighting in the wild! Stabler owned a small personal library of medical, religious, and philosophy reference books that he kept in his shop and used in his apothecary practice. He also served as the first secretary and librarian of the Library Company of Alexandria, founded in 1794. While this Montesquieu book is no longer in the Apothecary Museum’s collection, we’re glad it has a safe home.

Who did this book belong to?
We have quite a few antiquarian law books in our collection. One of the many pleasures of examining these volumes is admiring the beautiful book plates and ornate signatures of prior owners, which often include multiple signatures and gift inscriptions. One book in our collection is Volume Two of the Third Edition of Baron De Montesquieu's, "The Spirit of Laws," which was published in London in 1758. On the first page of Chapter 1, we can make out the name of Edward Stabler, who, after apprenticing in the apothecary business with his brother in Leesburg, moved to Alexandria in 1792 to establish his own apothecary business, which can now be seen at the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum in Alexandria.

09/14/2021

Join us!

This could be you! The Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum is recruiting volunteers to lead guided tours. Training begins Sept. 25 with an in-person workshop, continues with virtual evening classes, + wraps-up with a second in-person workshop on Nov. 6. Participants will end the series ready to complete their tour certification. Volunteers with both weekend + weekday availability are needed, particularly Sun. + Mon. To learn more + apply, visit AlexandriaVa.gov/Apothecary.

07/08/2021

That's right! We are excited to announce we will be reopening on July 11! For additional information on museum hours and tour options, visit https://www.alexandriava.gov/36940

07/07/2021

Some *sweet* history today! 🍫

Cheers to ! Packaged products like this Blue Label Chocolate Food Beverage sold at the Apothecary were aimed at satisfying the public’s desire for the sweet treat at the end of the 19th century. Though not as popular as their Blue Label ketchup line, the Curtice Brothers Company in Rochester, N.Y. produced their beverage version to appeal to what newspapers referred to at the time as “chocolate fiends.”

04/29/2021

Thank you for your support of Freedom House Museum yesterday!

A big thank you to all who supported yesterday. Because of your generosity, we were able to raise 🚨$16,925🚨 for the new exhibitions at the Freedom House Museum! This work helps us understand & reckon with our past as we work towards social equity and building a better Alexandria for all. We look forward to sharing updates here over the upcoming months!

04/28/2021

Today is ! This year, Historic Alexandria, VA + its associated museums are raising funds for Freedom House Museum - to share the history of both the site and the broader Alexandria African American community. This building bore witness to a dark period in Alexandria’s history when our city was a major port in the domestic slave trade, trafficking thousands of people south. Your Spring2ACTion donation will directly support new exhibitions being developed, broadening the stories told. Join us today in this effort: https://www.spring2action.org/organizations/freedomhouse

04/27/2021

Have a historic time with the Apothecary at a virtual summer camp for rising 6th through 9th graders. "Media-Savvy Digital Movie Makers" (June 28 - July 2) will take campers through the process of creating a Public Service Announcement on a topic of their choosing after learning from the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum’s collections. From crafting a powerful message to storyboarding to digital movie tips, everyone will be prepared to create an amazing PSA of their own that will be featured during the final session. For more information: www.AlexandriaVa.Gov/Shop.

04/04/2021

Have you made holiday family memories with egg dye kits? These kits allowed American families to create fancy colored eggs in their own homes using dye tablets with bright colors and transfer patterns. The PAAS Easter Egg Decorating Kits, established in 1880 in Newark, NJ by pharmacist William Townsend, was one of the most well-known brands sold by the Leadbeaters at their drug store. This 1913 letter to the Leadbeaters discusses purchasing the for upcoming season, conversations about patterns and salesmen outfits! Check out the full text of the letter in the Apothecary Archives online (search for Paas)!

03/08/2021

We made the news! 🎉

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (WDVM) — Visitors can step back in time to the 1800s at the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum in Old Town Alexandria. “The floorboards, the furnishings, even the ingr…

02/19/2021

A bit of news...we have been selected as a new National Historic Landmark! Revealed on January 13, the Secretary of the Interior designated 21 new + 2 updated NHLs. We were nominated for our contributions to the fields of business and science. As noted in the application, “The Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Shop is nationally significant in the history of pharmacy in the 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly the evolution of drug stores and the changing role of pharmacists.”