Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum
- sarahwilk24
- Mar 8, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 19, 2025
1,470 pieces | Funwhole: F9024
Assembled by Hunter Williams, December 2024
Interaction Rating: 3 / 5 (interaction with this set is okay, but only with help from an adult)
To view this set, be sure to visit "The Medieval Village of Elderfern" exhibit in the basement!
March 8, 2025
During a trip to Alexandria to visit their sister, Rachel, and nephew, Andrew, the couple stopped by the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum in Old Town Alexandria. The museum used to be a functioning apothecary owned by a Quaker family from 1805 until 1933 (the Great Depression era) before becoming a museum in 1939 that maintains much of the original look and instruments of the shop. When they arrived, it was too late to join the tour that was about to begin, as it was already full. They only had a few minutes to wander around, so they could only see the retail space on the first floor. Next time, they'll take an actual tour, so they'll be able to go upstairs to see a former warehouse room and a manufacturing room where medicines were once made. They weren't able to read every interpretive sign, but then again, with a six-year-old in tow, they wouldn't have been able to do that anyway. Andrew quickly found a scavenger hunt for kids and was busy trying to figure out how many mortar and pestle sets were in the museum. The museum's collection includes herbal botanicals, hand-blown glass, medical equipment, and extensive archival materials, such as journals, prescription and formula books, ledgers, orders, and more, from the shop's operational period.
Back at the house, Rachel and Hunter indulged their childhood nostalgia by making moo shu chicken for dinner, complete with moo shu pancakes and a sweet and sour soup. Sarah was surprised to learn that this was a meal their parents made often when they were growing up in Vicksburg, Mississippi (not anywhere close to being the Chinese food capital of the country or even the state). Sarah's mom specialized in breakfast foods and chicken and rice, so she couldn't relate to the nostalgia of the meal, but it was joyous to watch Hunter and Rachel cook together. Andrew wasn't a huge fan of the soup, but he liked the moo shu and the pancakes!
The gang in the apothecary museum, and Hunter with the moo shu pancakes he successfully made (looking cocky as hell).