He was the grandson of Caroline Branham, an enslaved women held by George and Martha Washington.
Its construction was completed in 1940 and functioned as the first "separate but equal" library for African Americans in the segregated city.
The city's project followed a 1939 sit-in by African Americans and arrests at the whites-only Alexandria Library.
The 1939 event is commonly cited as the first non-violent protest by African Americans against racial segregation.
The museum has changing exhibitions on local and national topics related to African Americans.