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X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Arlington Historical Society
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260411T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261114T160000
DTSTAMP:20260929T152209Z
CREATED:20260405T234514Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260929T152209Z
UID:20929-1775901600-1794672000@arlhist.org
SUMMARY:Museum Exhibit: Mapping the Federal City\, 1791: Arlington in the Original District
DESCRIPTION:Step into the moment Arlington helped shape the nation’s capital. In 1791\, surveyors under President George Washington mapped a 100-square-mile federal district along the Potomac River\, placing forty sandstone boundary stones; some of which still stand in Arlington today. Learn about the people who surveyed and mapped this land. \nThe Arlington Historical Museum is commemorating 250+ years of local history. This exhibit is upstairs on the 2nd floor of the museum. \nThe Museum is open Saturdays 10-4 PM and Sundays 1-4 PM. \nIt’s FREE!
URL:https://arlhist.org/event/new-exhibit-mapping-the-federal-city-1791-arlington-in-the-original-district/
LOCATION:Arlington Historical Museum\, 1805 South Arlington Ridge Road\, Arlington\, 22207\, United States
CATEGORIES:Exhibits,Geography,VA250
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260613T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261231T160000
DTSTAMP:20260801T134603Z
CREATED:20260611T174937Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260801T134603Z
UID:21316-1781344800-1798732800@arlhist.org
SUMMARY:Museum Exhibit: Changemakers 250
DESCRIPTION:New Changemakers Exhibit Installed \nThe latest edition of our rotating Changemakers poster exhibit is now up\, highlighting individuals whose contributions helped shape Arlington’s history and community. As part of Arlington 250\, the exhibit recognizes local leaders\, advocates\, educators\, innovators\, and community builders whose actions made a lasting impact on the county. By sharing these stories\, the exhibit encourages visitors to reflect on the many ways individuals can influence their communities and help define Arlington’s past\, present\, and future.
URL:https://arlhist.org/event/temporary-exhibit-changemakers-250/
LOCATION:Arlington Historical Museum\, 1805 South Arlington Ridge Road\, Arlington\, 22207\, United States
CATEGORIES:Exhibits,VA250
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ORGANIZER;CN="Arlington Historical Society":MAILTO:info@arlingtonhistoricalsociety.org
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260831T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261228T170000
DTSTAMP:20260831T153337Z
CREATED:20260831T153139Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260831T153337Z
UID:21833-1788163200-1798477200@arlhist.org
SUMMARY:Museum Exhibit: First on the Scene: Arlington Responds to September 11
DESCRIPTION:Marking the 25th anniversary of September 11\, 2001\, First on the Scene explores Arlington’s immediate response to the attack on the Pentagon. Through photographs\, artifacts\, and firsthand accounts\, the exhibit highlights the firefighters\, emergency personnel\, and community members who responded in the critical minutes and hours following the attack and honors the courage\, coordination\, and service that defined Arlington’s response.
URL:https://arlhist.org/event/first-on-the-scene-arlington-responds-to-september-11/
LOCATION:Arlington Historical Museum\, 1805 South Arlington Ridge Road\, Arlington\, 22207\, United States
CATEGORIES:Exhibits
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ORGANIZER;CN="Arlington Historical Society":MAILTO:info@arlingtonhistoricalsociety.org
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261024T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261024T170000
DTSTAMP:20261021T225547Z
CREATED:20261006T224631Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261021T225547Z
UID:22086-1792857600-1792861200@arlhist.org
SUMMARY:Memorializing the Enslaved in Arlington: Leeway-Overlee
DESCRIPTION:The Arlington Historical Society and the Black Heritage Museum of Arlington invite you to the unveiling of “Stumbling Stones.” These bronze markers commemorate the lives of the enslaved people who helped build our county and our country and are placed in the sidewalk at the last known site of their enslavement. Memorializing the Enslaved in Arlington’s research has revealed over 2000 enslaved people and identified 1050 by name. \nPlease join us for the Dedication Ceremony honoring nine once enslaved individuals. We will be honoring them at 4 PM at the Lee Center Baseball Field\, 24th Street\, North and North Kentucky Street. It is adjacent to the Lee Community & Senior Center and Park at 5722 Langston Boulevard. \nThe dedication is part of a larger celebration of the Lee Center\, which is turning 100. The entire event is open to the public\, but for those only interested in the dedication\, feel free to arrive at 3:30 pm. \nTheir Story\nThe Leeway-Overlee neighborhood was home to many enslavers and enslaved people throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Today’s dedication will honor individuals enslaved by two different families\, one in the 18th century and one in the 19th. \n18th Century\nFedro and Harry were enslaved by Simon Pearson\, a Fairfax County landowner\, in the 1750s and leased to his neighbor Charles Broadwater. In 1759\, Simon deeded his 500 acres of land in what is now Arlington County to his brother Thomas Pearson. The tract was large\, running from today’s I-66 north to the Fairfax County boundary. Part of that land covered the northern section of Leeway-Overlee. \nSimon deeded his human property to Thomas as well\, two enslaved men\, Fedro and Harry. The deed of ownership for the men did not describe the two beyond providing their names. After this deed\, the two men fade from the records. \n19th Century\nMoses Bennet (born ca. 1813) and Julia Ann Branson (born ca. 1810) were owned by Simon Summers\, an enslaver whose land covered much of today’s Leeway-Overlee neighborhood.  Summers gave three of his enslaved people to his daughter Polly Summers when she married Smith Minor in 1817. They included 4 year old Moses [Bennet]\, a woman Henny\, and 7 year old Julia Ann. Moses and Julia Ann would remain with the Minors until the Civil War. \nIn the mid-1850s\, Julia Ann married Lewis Branson\, also enslaved by the Minors. They had their first child\, William\, in 1837. Mary Ann was born in 1843\, followed by Horace in 1845\, James in 1849\, and Frank in 1851. The boys worked as field hands and Mary Ann as a housemaid and dining-room servant. \nThe family and Moses were uprooted in 1849 when the Minors moved to a farm outside of St. Louis\, MO. The move was short-lived. The Minor’s eighteen-year-old daughter\, Helen\, died unexpectedly soon after their arrival. Grieving\, the family returned to Arlington by 1853. They purchased the former farm of Polly’s father\, Simon Sommers\, along present-day Langston Boulevard\, near the site of what is now Rivendell School. \nIn 1855\, Lewis Branson committed suicide\, a brutal form of resistance to slavery. \nIn May of 1861\, Virginia seceded from the Union\, and the Civil War began in earnest. Federal troops overran Arlington building forts and encamping throughout the land. The Minors were expelled from their house and moved to DC with their enslaved hands. Horace Branson self-emancipated and remained with the troops. \nThe move to the District of Columbia proved significant for the Bransons and Moses Bennet. In 1862\, Congress passed the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act\, which abolished slavery in the District and provided compensation to enslavers who met the requirements of the law. In April 1862\, Smith Minor filed a petition seeking compensation for the emancipation of the Bransons and Bennet. Horace had returned to the family by then and was included in the petition. \nThe document provides a rare physical description of Julia and her children\, along with a record of their ages and the skills their enslaver considered valuable: \n\nJulia was 5 feet 5 inches tall\, “black in color\,” and 52 years old. She was described as a “fine servant\, cook\, washer\, and ironer.”\nWilliam was 6 feet tall\, “very erect and straight\,” “black in color\,” and 25 years old. He “stands number one as a good wagoner\, field hand\, and marketer.”\nMary Ann was 5 feet 7 inches tall\, “fine looking\,” “coppery” in color\, and 19 years old. She was described as a “fair cook and good washer and ironer.”\nHorace was 5 feet 10 inches tall\, “dark in color\,” and 17 years old. He was a “pretty good wagoner and farm hand.”\nJames was 5 feet 10 inches tall\, “dark in color\,” and 13 years old. He was described as a “fine sprightly boy” who earned “some months $5–$6 per month\,” suggesting that he was regularly hired out.\nFrank was 5 feet 3 inches tall\, “dark in color\,” and 11 years old. He was described as “sprightly tall and healthy.”\nMoses Bennet was 5 feet 8 inches tall\, “a dark copper color\, and 49 years old. He was described as “stout and well made.”\n\nThe Bransons and Moses Bennet nevertheless gained their freedom. They received nothing for the years of forced labor they had given to the Minors. \nMariah\nMariah was born around 1840\, enslaved by Eliza Summers in the Leeway-Overlee area. Eliza’s 1848 will bequeathed her servant Mariah\, “the daughter of Ellen” to her niece Marietta Minor\, the daughter of Polly and Smith\, till she reached the age of 35. Then she was to be freed. Ellen was manumitted in Eliza’s will but perhaps was able to live near her 8-year-old child. \nWhat became of Mariah is unclear. Marietta was living in Middleburg\, VA with relatives when the war broke out so Mariah was probably with her. Eventually Marietta moved to Georgetown to nurse her ailing mother\, who died during the war. Mariah would have been freed if she relocated to DC with Marietta so chances are she had already self-emancipated. Without a last name\, Mariah disappears from the records. \nLeeway-Overlee’s Enslaved People\nThe Leeway-Overlee neighborhood was home to many enslavers and enslaved people throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Today’s dedication honors individuals enslaved by three families during that period. \n18th Century \nIn the 1750s\, Fedro and Harry were enslaved by Simon Pearson\, a Fairfax County landowner\, and leased to his neighbor Charles Broadwater. In 1759\, Pearson deeded 500 acres—stretching from today’s I-66 north to the Fairfax County line—to his brother Thomas. Part of this tract included the northern section of present-day Leeway-Overlee. \nPearson also transferred ownership of Fedro and Harry to Thomas. The deed identifies the two men only by name. Afterward\, they disappear from the historical record. \n19th Century \nMoses Bennet\, born about 1813\, and Julia Ann Branson\, born about 1810\, were enslaved by Simon Summers\, whose property covered much of present-day Leeway-Overlee. When Summers’s daughter Polly married Smith Minor in 1817\, Summers gave the couple three enslaved people: four-year-old Moses\, a woman named Henny\, and seven-year-old Julia Ann. Moses and Julia remained with the Minors until emancipation. \nJulia later married Lewis Branson\, who was also enslaved by the Minors. The couple had five children: William (1837)\, Mary Ann (1843)\, Horace (1845)\, James (1849)\, and Frank (1851). \nIn 1849\, the Minors moved with their enslaved workers to a farm near St. Louis\, Missouri. After their eighteen-year-old daughter Helen died unexpectedly\, the family returned to Arlington in 1853. They purchased the former farm of Polly’s father\, Simon Summers\, along present-day Langston Boulevard\, near what is now Rivendell School. \nIn 1855\, Lewis Branson committed suicide\, a form of resistance to slavery. \nWhen Virginia seceded in 1861\, Federal troops occupied Arlington and built forts throughout the area. The Minors were forced from their home and moved to Washington\, D.C.\, taking their enslaved workers with them. Horace Branson self-emancipated and remained with the Federal troops. \nThe move to Washington proved significant. In 1862\, Congress abolished slavery in the District of Columbia and provided compensation to qualifying enslavers. That April\, Smith Minor petitioned for compensation for the emancipation of Julia\, her children\, and Moses Bennet. \nThe petition provides rare physical descriptions of the Branson family and records the skills their enslaver considered valuable. Julia was described as a cook\, washer\, and ironer; William as a wagoner\, field hand\, and marketer; Mary Ann as a cook\, washer\, and ironer; and Horace as a wagoner and farm hand. James\, only 13\, was described as a “fine sprightly boy” who was regularly hired out. Frank\, 11\, was described as “sprightly\, tall and healthy.” Finally\, Moses Bennet\, at 49 was depicted as “stout and well-made.” \nThe Bransons and Moses Bennet gained their freedom but received nothing for the years of forced labor they had given to the Minors.
URL:https://arlhist.org/event/memorializing-the-enslaved-in-arlington-overlee-leeway/
LOCATION:Lee Center Baseball Field\, 2403 N. Lexington Street\, Arlington\, VA\, 22207\, United States
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