Arlington, Virginia, is commemorating the 250th Anniversary of our country. The Arlington County Board designated the Arlington Historical Society (AHS) as the lead organizer of the county-wide effort. AHS is partnering with over 60 civic, service, arts, school, government, and religious organizations.
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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.
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Its slightly dated finishes, winding halls, and mix of small, local shops and chain restaurants transported us backward every time we stepped in.
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Now on view at the Arlington Historical Museum, From Barriers to Ballots explores the long and ongoing struggle for voting rights in Virginia.
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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.
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In 1606, explorer John Smith created one of the first maps made of what would become Virginia. Smith was famous for his interactions with the Powhatan Indians, helping to foster trade relations with them,
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This map was created in 1791-1793 by Andrew Elliot, a surveyor, a mentor of Lewis, who, alongside Clark, was tasked by President Jefferson to travel to the West Coast.
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This map, created by Beth Mitchell in 1987 for Fairfax County, shows property lines, owners, and the number of slaves for each farm/property in 1760 northern Virginia.
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For thousands of years, artists have used ceramics to document history. At the Arlington Historical Society bookstore, you can see a modern example of this tradition in the artwork created by AHS board member Jessica Kaplan.
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By late 1861, US troops had completed the construction of numerous fortifications in Arlington to defend Washington DC. While the forts had a military purpose, they also became beacons of freedom to thousands of refugees fleeing slavery.
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