Showing Up
SHOWING UP
John Taylor Chapman ’99 is Alexandria’s storyteller, public servant, and community builder
BY MELISSA ULSAKER MAAS ’76
Walking the brick-lined streets of Old Town Alexandria with John Taylor Chapman ’99 feels like stepping into a living history lesson—one filled not only with dates and landmarks, but with humanity. As the founder of Manumission Tour Company, John leads visitors through the city’s past, telling the often-overlooked stories of Africans and African Americans who shaped early Alexandria. His tours—part history, part reflection—invite people to consider how the struggles and triumphs of the past still echo in the present. “When people hear these stories, they start to see Alexandria differently—and see each other differently, too,” John says.
A fourth-generation Alexandrian, John’s dedication to community began long before his first tour group. As a student at St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes, he learned the power of dialogue through the National Coalition Building Institute and the Black Student Union, experiences that sparked his lifelong belief in storytelling as a bridge across differences. That same belief carried into his two-decade career in public education and his four terms on the Alexandria City Council, where he has championed affordable housing, equitable education, and small business growth. Whether in a council chamber, discussing community use, or leading a tour, his goal remains the same: to create spaces where every voice is heard.
John believes history is not something to be observed—it’s something to be lived forward. “The stories of Alexandria’s Black history aren’t just about the past,” he says. “They’re about the kind of community we want to be.” As he raises his young son in the city his family has called home for generations, John continues to weave the stories of struggle and resilience into Alexandria’s evolving narrative—one conversation, one tour, and one act of connection at a time.
John’s approach to history is rooted in people, not places. “People love to say, ‘We’re going to this site or that site,’” he explains. “I say we’re going to a place to talk about somebody’s story.” That distinction—between location and lived experience—shapes every Manumission Tour Company walk. Rather than presenting Alexandria as a static collection of historic buildings, John invites participants into the choices, risks, and relationships that shaped the city.
“In the first U.S. census in 1790, Alexandria had about 2,500 people. And of that 2,500, 531 were Africans or African Americans who were enslaved. But another 59 were Africans and African Americans who were free. So there is genuinely a story to tell but not a lot of information at hand.”
The idea for Manumission Tours emerged from a moment of reckoning. During a conversation with Alexandria’s tourism leadership, John was asked what a Black traveler might come to the city to experience. “As we got more into those questions,” he recalls, “I really saw that we, as a city, had not thought about that.” At the time, Alexandria had a Black history museum but offered no regularly scheduled tours focused on African American history. “We had the knowledge, we had the sites,” John says. “But we just didn’t have the people that wanted to carry this on.”
“Far too many of us grew up with fantasies of history. We didn’t talk about the 99%, we talked about the 1%. ”
Initially, John hoped someone else might take on that work. Between his job with Fairfax County Public Schools and serving as an Alexandria City Councilman, he didn’t have much free time. But when no one stepped up, he jumped in—spending weeks reading firsthand narratives, piecing together fragments of history, and following connections that had never been formally drawn together. “I spent several weeks at the library…seeing what was there, what the history bore out,” he says. The first tours were informal, tested with friends. “They liked it,” he adds. “And we just kind of went from there.”
What followed was not simply a new tour offering, but a shift in how Alexandria tells its own story. John began expanding existing narratives, adding depth where the city’s official walking guides offered only brief mentions. “We took some of what already existed,” he explains, “but there was more to that story.” Over time, Manumission Tours became a place where community members shared oral histories, asked questions they had never had a place to ask, and pointed John toward stories that had yet to be explored. “It ended up being a lightning rod for people searching for a fuller understanding of where they live,”
he says.
Freedom House, Alexandria (c. Civil War era). The former slave pen at 1315 Duke Street, shown here bearing the name Price, Birch & Co., was one of several firms that operated from this building before it later served as a Union military prison. The facade of Freedom House was recently restored to its 19th century appearance by preservation experts. John was in attendance for the ribbon-cutting ceremony on November 8, 2025.
Did you know?
The Franklin & Armfield operation was once the largest slave-trading firm in the country. Enslaved people were imprisoned there before being shipped south. The building is now part of the Freedom House site, a rare surviving structure directly tied to the slave trade.
The Underground Railroad came through Alexandria.
Much of Old Town’s historic architecture—brick row houses, wharves, warehouses, and public buildings—was constructed by enslaved African Americans. Their skilled labor as masons, carpenters, and blacksmiths shaped the city’s physical character, even though their contributions went largely uncredited for generations.
Alfred Street Baptist Church (founded in 1803) and Beulah Baptist Church (1863) were more than places of worship. They served as organizing centers, schools, and safe havens—especially during Reconstruction—supporting education, political engagement, and mutual aid in a hostile post-war environment.
Free and enslaved African Americans were kidnapped off the streets onto ships and were resold or sold into slavery elsewhere. Slaves were restricted from walking on the main streets, making them easy targets for kidnappers in alleys.
The apothecary in Old Town was established by devout Quaker Edward Stabler in 1792, who focused his life on freeing slaves—a rare stance in Alexandria at the time.
Moses Hepburn (1809–1882) was the son of William Hepburn, a white Alexandria city councilman, and an enslaved mother, Esther. His father supported his education in Pennsylvania and left him a large portion of his estate. Moses became a prominent Black developer, landlord, and businessman, building the North Pitt Street townhouses that still stand in Old Town.
John is careful not to romanticize the past. “We could easily put on the pretty face and say, ‘John Carlisle and George Washington did everything,’” he says. “But we know that’s not true.” Instead, his tours explore the uncomfortable realities of slavery, kidnapping, and resistance in a city once central to the domestic slave trade. At the same time, he highlights resilience and generosity—stories like those of brothers Oscar and George Ball, separated by slavery and later reunited, and Moses Hepburn, a free Black man who used his wealth to support education and the broader Black community. Hepburn’s legacy, John notes, reflects something deeply Alexandrian. “He wanted to see his kids educated,” John says. “That’s what most Alexandrians want—to give back to the community and see the next generation prosper.”
The emotional impact of those stories is often visible. John describes watching participants’ reactions as they learn that Alexandria’s original shoreline lies hundreds of feet inland from where they stand today. “That’s always a priceless moment,” he says, especially for longtime residents. Just as powerful are moments when painful histories reach some form of resolution. “Some of this history is tough,” John says. “But being able to find some relief and joy within some of those stories is important.”
“If we don’t look to save places like these and elevate them to what they need to be in terms of places of conversation, places of learning, and places for telling tough truths, we do ourselves a disservice.
John sees storytelling as inseparable from empathy. Again and again, he frames history around choice. “There are different sets of choices that people get to make,” he explains—whether it is an enslaved person choosing to run toward freedom, an abolitionist deciding to defy the law, or a business owner choosing profit over humanity. “And similar to us today,” he adds, “how are the choices we make going to support somebody or challenge systems we think might be wrong?”
That same lens shapes John’s impact on Alexandria as a public servant. He has served on the City Council for more than a decade. During that time, he has learned that much of the work happens outside formal meetings. “It takes more energy to seek out those voices that are not heard,” he says, “but the value of doing that is so much more meaningful.” Those voices—residents working multiple jobs, families navigating language barriers, neighbors disconnected from traditional civic processes—often bring nuance that strengthens policy and builds trust.
Bird’s eye view of Alexandria published in 1863 [Courtesy of the Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division]
John with his wife, Monica, and son, John Chapman II ’38. [Photo: Stephen Reasonover Photography]
One of the moments that most clearly defined John’s role came during a contentious council debate over whether a small nonprofit, Mother of Light, should be allowed to operate a resource center serving unhoused residents. Opposition was fueled by fear and stereotypes. In response, John shared his own experience. “When I was in ninth or tenth grade, we were homeless for maybe six to eight months,” he said. “By discounting people who are homeless—particularly families—you are not giving young people the opportunity to change the trajectory of their lives.” The center was approved. Years later, John still sees that moment as a reminder of why presence and perspective matter. “I’m glad I’m here,” he says, “to be able to tell that story.”
As Alexandria continues to evolve, John often finds himself navigating the tension between preservation and progress. He resists the idea that honoring history means freezing the city in place. “You don’t shackle people from progressing forward at the cost of history,” he explains. Instead, he advocates for telling stories fully—preserving memory even as neighborhoods change, housing expands, and infrastructure modernizes. History, for John, is not an obstacle to growth but a guide for it.
That responsibility feels especially personal as a fourth-generation Alexandrian raising a fifth. “It’s not my job to make people feel comfortable with what they’re hearing,” he says of his work as a historian. “It’s my job to be blunt and truthful.” He does not claim to tell the whole story of Alexandria’s Black history—only to uncover pieces of it and encourage others to keep looking. “There’s more out there,” he says. “And we’re challenging ourselves now to preserve it.”
Through Manumission Tour Company, public service, and countless conversations on Alexandria’s streets, John continues to show up and shape how the city understands itself. The impact is not just in what people learn, but in how they listen—to history, to one another, and to the voices that have too often gone unheard.
Learn more about Manumission Tour Company at manumissiontours.com.