As our nation approaches its 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain, we reflect upon the stories and places that have shaped its history. Arlington, a community with deep roots in the American narrative, has witnessed some significant moments that contributed to the story of our nation.

When the Virginia Convention met in July 1775, just months after the Revolutionary War started at Lexington and Concord, its first action was to pass a law to raise a defensive force. The new law called for creating a militia, made up of ordinary citizen-soldiers along with regular Continental troops.

This map was created in 1670; while not as detailed as John Smith’s map, it includes the English settlements that had started to emerge since the beginning of the English colonization.