The Arlington Historical Society (AHS) is celebrating the 50th Anniversary of receiving the John Ball House from its last owner, Marian Sellers. Mrs. Sellers donated it to AHS for $1 back in 1975. So we’re highlighting Women’s History Month by sharing stories of some of the women who lived there. We’ll shine a spotlight on women who have a special place in the history of the house, in the county, and in even our nation’s history. We’ll learn about Elizabeth Payne Ball, the wife of the builder who took a man to court to sue for her inheritance; Irene Young, a suffragist and divorcee’ when society viewed divorce was a “dirty word” and saw it as ALWAYS being the woman’s fault; and Julia Powell, one of the first enlisted US Navy Yeomen in the First World War. We can’t help but also talk about Marian Sellers, her life and her legacy at the house. Join us for a unique look at special women in Arlington’s history and images and family photos rarely shown in public.
Annette Benbow has served as the Chair of the Ball-Sellers House Committee and the director of this local historical treasure since 2012. She has written for the Arlington Historical Magazine and has presented Arlington historical topics to a wide variety of Arlington audiences. She retired in 2020 after 35 years of service in the Central Intelligence Agency where she was a political and security analyst and managed inspections in the Office of the Inspector General. She has a Bachelor’s degree in history from the University of New Hampshire and Masters Certificate in Public Policy from the University of Maryland.
PREREGISTER FOR ZOOM ACCESS. You can attend this event on Zoom or in-person on the Marymount University Main Campus. If you want to attend this event virtually, please click HERE to register. You can also cut and paste this link into your own browser https://forms.gle/mUaeBPHaSDw1PUXo8 and complete it there. Please register by Wednesday, March 12. Zoom access information will be sent to you on the morning of the event on Thursday, March 13.
DRIVING DIRECTIONS and FREE PARKING: Attendees planning to attend the event in-person should enter the Marymount University campus at the library gate on N. 26th Street. From Glebe Road going north, take a right onto 26th Street. Pass the intersection with Yorktown Road and then enter the campus through the next gate on your left. The library is to your left as you enter the campus. Free garage parking is just past the library at the bottom of the small incline. (Handicapped parking is immediately to your right as you enter through the gate onto campus.)
- If the university has lowered the garage gates, push the button and let them know you’re here for an Arlington Historical Society event in the library. To leave, push the button and they’ll raise the gate.
This event is one of the monthly series of free public programs sponsored by the Arlington Historical Society. This event is hosted courtesy of the Marymount University politics program’s American Heritage Initiative. For more information, please email: info@arlingtonhistoricalsociety.org.
