Arlington Historical Society

Deadline: October 3 Contest Entries Commemorating Arlington's Role in America's 250-Year Journey
2025-08-20 - 2025-10-03 | Virginia
As our nation approaches its 250th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence from Great Britain, we reflect on 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.
For this contest, identify what you believe is the most significant historical event that took place in Arlington and how it is linked to America’s 250-year journey. Explain why this event stands out as an Arlington story, its impact on the county and our nation, and how it reflects our nation’s struggles, achievements, and/or values.
You may present your event in one of the following ways:

An essay
A poem
A video
A design of a new memorial about the event

Grade 8-12 students who live in Arlington are eligible to participate in this contest.
Student products will be judged by an Arlington Historical Society review committee using the following criteria:

Product should reflect research using multiple sources and a bibliography of sources used for the product should be included
Product should be submitted digitally and must include a cover sheet with student name, grade, school, and product title. A video submission must include this information at the beginning of the video.

The deadline for submission is Friday, October 3rd by 10:00 pm. Products received after this date will not be considered. Submit to AHSedlink@gmail.com
AWARDS include the following prizes:

1st Place: $1,000. The 1st place winner will be featured in the 2026 Arlington Historical Magazine and/or on the AHS website and invited as a guest to the October 14th AHS Annual Banquet.
2nd Place: $500
3rd Place: $250
Honorable Mention: $100

Questions regarding the essay should be sent to apscathy@gmail.com.
We hope you take this opportunity to explore the ways in which Arlington’s history intertwines with the broader tapestry of the United States.

The Arlington Historical Society is at the County Fair
2025-08-15 16:00 - 2025-08-16 19:00 (America/New_York) | Thomas Jefferson Community Center, 3501 Second Street, South, Arlington, VA, 22204, United States
The Arlington Historical Society is at the Arlington County Fair. We have an indoor booth from Friday at 4 pm through Sunday at 7 pm. Stop by and say hello and talk about history!

See artifacts from the AHS collection
Play the Arlington Chrono Game and try to put local history events in the order they occurred
See Then and Now images and try to guess where these historic building were (or still are!)
Learn about Upcoming AHS events
Find out about Memorializing the Enslaved of Arlington, the joint project with the Black Heritage Museum of Arlington, to learn where stumbling stones are or will be placed.
Find your home on an 1865 map
And more!

Indoor booths are open:Friday, August 15: 4 – 10 PMSaturday, August 16: 11 AM – 9 PMSunday, August 17: 11 AM – 7 PM

Neighbors in Arms: The Fairfax Muster
2025-08-09 13:00 - 16:00 | Ball-Sellers House, 5620 3rd Street, South, Arlington VA 22204, VA, 22312, United States
Join us at the Ball-Sellers House as we rediscover how, 250 years ago, the Fairfax militia prepared to fight the British.

History Spotlight at 2:00. Local historian Kevin Vincent will give a brief talk about the muster, who from what is now Arlington would have served in it, what they were called to do, and what its historical significance is to the founding of our country.
Reenactors will show you how the militia would have dressed, lived, and prepared to protect Virginia against British attack.
Meet the muster clerk and sign up for duty protecting Alexandria and the county against the British crown.
Camp followers, the wives, mothers, and sisters, who followed the militia will show you the tools they used and the conditions they worked under to help feed, clothe, and take care of the men.

When the Assembly of Virginia met in July 1775, after being disbanded in 1774 by Governor Lord Dunmore, the first law Virginians passed was “An Ordinance for Raising and Embodying a Sufficient Force for the Defense and Protection of the Colony.” It authorized forming Continental regiments, minute men battalions, and the county militia. The law made militia duty mandatory for all free men, hired servants, and apprentices between the ages of 16 and 50. In each county the Committee of Safety was to commission officers, a Colonel, a Lieutenant Colonel, and a Major to lead the men. Once formed, the commissioned officers would name a Captain, a Lieutenant, and an Ensign. Government officials, clergymen, and professors were exempt from militia duty. The Fairfax militia included men from what is now Arlington and protected all of Northern Virginia.

15-Minute History Spotlight: The Family Tea House
2025-07-27 14:00 - 14:30 | Arlington Historical Museum, 1805 South Arlington Ridge Road, Arlington, 22207, United States
Join us on Sunday, July 27 when high school student and AHS volunteer, Caroline Tso, will discuss her new exhibit at the Arlington Historical Museum, “The Family Tea House: Where Culture and Cuisine Met in Arlington.” This young historian from Woodson High School will talk about the restaurant, the first Chinese restaurant in the county, it’s place in history, and what she found out about it.
This initially began as a project to celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Ms. Tso was interested in the history of Asian Americans in Arlington and found advertisements for Chinese restaurants from the late 1940s and 1950s. She grew curious about how these restaurants started in Arlington and how they differed from, yet were similar to, the numerous Chinese restaurants we have today, decades later.
This is one of a new series of brief talks at the Arlington Historical Museum on select Sundays each month. Come to the talk and learn history you won’t learn in school, then stay to tour all the new exhibits at the re-envisioned museum.

What's Buried in Your Dirt?
2025-07-26 14:00 - 16:00 | Ball-Sellers House, 5620 3rd Street, South, Arlington VA 22204, VA, 22312, United States
Have you unearthed something in your garden or your lawn or somewhere else in Arlington and wonder what it is? Bring it to the Ball-Sellers House on July 26 from 2-4 PM and Tim Landis will tell you what it is. Landis began as a metal detector-ist as a kid and now he boasts an extensive collection of the thousands of things he’s found in and around Arlington and Northern Virginia. He’ll identify anything anyone brings to him that they found buried somewhere in Arlington. He’ll apply his decades of experience and knowledge to identify bits of metal, ceramics, pottery, glassware of any type, even plastics, because he’s found it all first as a kid growing up in Arlington, and now with permission from some builders. Each unearthed artifact helps everyone understand more about Arlington’s history.
So bring your “find” and your curiosity to learn more about what it is, what it is not, and its role in Arlington history. Then stay for a free guided tour of this c.1750 farmhouse.

15-Minute History Spotlight: Camp Casey
2025-07-13 14:00 - 14:30 | Arlington Historical Museum, 1805 South Arlington Ridge Road, Arlington, 22207, United States
Join us on Sunday, July 13 at 2 PM at the Arlington Historical Museum to uncover the powerful story of Camp Casey—a Civil War training ground for newly freed Black men who joined the US Army during the Civil War in the new US Colored Troop (USCT) Regiments. Michael Schaffner, a reenactor with the USCT, has spent the last several years hunting through military and government records to locate this uniquely Arlington site.
Located near today’s Pentagon, Camp Casey was more than just a military post—it was a symbol of freedom, hope, and change during a pivotal moment in our nation’s history. Hear the story and what we know about it and then see the artifacts related to it–all in the Arlington Historical Museum.
This is one of a new series of brief talks at the Arlington Historical Museum on select Sundays each month. Come to the talk and learn history you won’t learn in school, then stay to tour all the new exhibits at the re-envisioned museum. Come rediscover the hidden stories that helped shape Arlington.

The Power of Place: Built by the People Themselves
2025-07-10 19:00 - 20:30 | Reinsch Library Auditorium, Marymount University, 2807 North Glebe Road, Arlington
In her discussion of the “Power of Place: Suburbanization, Segregation, and Community Development in Arlington,” Dr. Lindsey Bestebreurtje will help us explore segregation and racialized zoning and planning laws in Arlington to see how these policies impacted the County’s growth during the 20th Century. She’ll investigate the race-based policies of early boosters at the dawn of Arlington’s suburban growth, and continue into discussions of restrictive covenants, planning laws, and how Arlington’s communities – both Black and white – grew together and in opposition. The majority of this research comes from Bestebreurtje’s book Built by the People Themselves: African American Community Development in Arlington from the Civil War through Civil Rights (USC Press, 2024).
Dr. Lindsey Bestebreurtje is a historian of African American community development and the built environment in the 19th and 20th century American South. She holds a Ph.D. in History and a Masters in Museum Studies from George Mason University. For the last 15 years she has worked at various public history sites, including the Historic American Landscape Survey, the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media, and the National Park Service. Bestebreurtje has worked as a Curatorial Assistant at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture since 2015. Dr. Bestebreurtje also serves on the Arlington Historical Society’s Advisory Board.
This event will be in-person and via Zoom. AHS will have the book for sale so attendees can buy it and have the author sign it. If you do not plan to attend in person, you can buy the book on the AHS website: https://arlhist.org/product/book-built-by-the-people-themselves/
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: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdHop4BcGF7GbbnShuHNO4DGYiB1WyNQqL8zxITWK5Zp3lBfg/viewform into your own browser and complete it there. Please register by Wednesday, July 9. Zoom access information will be sent to you in an email on the morning of the event on Thursday, July 10.
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.

Reading the Declaration of Independence and Making Revolutionary Protest Signs
2025-07-04 13:00 - 17:00 | Ball-Sellers House, 5620 3rd Street, South, Arlington VA 22204, VA, 22312, United States
“We hold these truths to be self-evident…” help read the Declaration of Independence out loud for all to hear at one of the only structures in the county that is still in existence to hear the document read aloud in 1776: the Ball-Sellers House (c.1750). Lend your voice and/or that of your family to read the words that helped start this nation’s “great experiment” in democracy. If you’d like to read a portion of the “Declaration,” please email info@arlingtonhistoricalsociety.org and let us know!
You can also make protest signs that colonial Virginians could have used as they protested the king’s actions. We’ll have the materials for posters and signs and information about what the colonists were complaining about–and they had a LOT of complaints! Join us for this historic way to celebrate this important date.
Reading the Declaration of Independence starts at 1:00 pm. Making protests signs starts at 1:00 till 3:30. Come for the history, stay for the free guided tour of this 275-year-old house.

Cheesy History at the Ball-Sellers House
2025-06-28 14:00 - 15:00 | Ball-Sellers House, 5620 3rd Street, South, Arlington VA 22204, VA, 22312, United States
The Ball-Sellers House is celebrating 50 years of ownership of this c.1750 farmhouse when Marian Sellers donated it to the Arlington Historical Society. We have so much history to share, we’re launching a new mini history series called “15 Minute History” twice a month on select Saturdays at 2:00 pm.
On June 28 come and see a reenactment demonstration of how the Ball girls would have made cheese. Sandy Newton will demonstrate the steps it took to make the cheese we now take for granted at our grocery store. Sandy has worked at Mount Vernon for 32 years as a guide, farm supervisor, and character interpreter. She knows! how 18th century farms worked and what they were able to produce.
We’re also open for FREE guided tours from 1-4. Step back in time with us! All ages welcome!

The Secret Trip of the Declaration of Independence: 15 Minute History at the Museum
2025-06-22 14:00 - 14:30 | Arlington Historical Museum, 1805 South Arlington Ridge Road, Arlington, 22207, United States
Did you know that the Declaration of Independence was once hidden in Arlington? Join us for a 15-minute history talk at the Arlington Historical Museum on Sunday, June 22 at 2PM to uncover the fascinating story of how the nation’s founding document found safety during the War of 1812 here in what became Arlington County.
Our county is loaded with history! Come and rediscover it where it happened. Our newly redone museum has so much history, we’re starting a series of brief talks at the Arlington Historical Museum on select Sundays each month. They’re free and fun and you’ll learn some fascinating tidbits to WOW your friends and family! Then continue touring the museum (on both floors!) on your self-guided tour of the rest of Arlington’s history. History is for everyone!
#America250 #ArlingtonVA #DeclarationOfIndependence #LocalHistory #FourthofJuly #CivicSpirit #ArlingtonHistory #VA250

LOCATION CHANGE DUE TO WEATHER Juneteenth Community Day
2025-06-19 16:00 - 19:00 | Wakefield High School, 1325 S, Dinwiddie Street, Arlington, VA, 22207, United States
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN MOVED INDOORS TO WAKEFIELD HIGH SCHOOL DUE TO WEATHER FORECASTS
Honor and celebrate the strength, determination, resilience and integrity of those who weathered in the pursuit of liberation and freedom!
You’re invited to the Annual Juneteenth Community Day!
This family-friendly event commemorates the emancipation of Africans who were enslaved and honors African American culture and heritage. Join us to honor and celebrate the strength, determination, resilience, and integrity of those who weathered in the pursuit of liberation and freedom!
June 19th will be a day of celebration and reflection at Metropolitan Park as we commemorate Juneteenth, a pivotal moment in American history. This in-person event will feature live music, cultural performances, delicious food, and activities for all ages.
Kickoff will start promptly at 4:00 pm!! Don’t miss our special guest speakers and more at 4:30!!! Please consider using public transportation. Be sure to register and invite a friend!
Let’s honor the past, celebrate the present, and look toward a brighter future together. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to come together as a community and celebrate freedom!
AHS will bring artifacts info on African American local history from enslavement to empowerment! Plus, information on upcoming local history events and how to preserve your family’s history.
Admission: Free and open to the public. Rain or Shine!
Please sign up to reserve your spot: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2nd-annual-juneteenth-community-day-tickets-1348280797159
Host: Challenging Racism www.challengingracism.org
Co-Hosts:

Arlington Coalition of Black Clergy
Arlington Historical Society: https://arlhist.org/
Black Heritage Museum of Arlington: https://arlingtonblackheritage.org/
NAACP Arlington Branch: https://www.arlingtonnaacp.com/

Community Sponsors: Arlington Community Foundation: https://www.arlcf.org/
Media Sponsor: WHUT: https://www.whut.org/

Who Were the Enslaved People at the Ball-Sellers House?
2025-06-14 14:00 - 14:30 | Ball-Sellers House, 5620 3rd Street, South, Arlington VA 22204, VA, 22312, United States
The Ball-Sellers House is celebrating 50 years of ownership of this c.1750 farmhouse when Marian Sellers donated it to the Arlington Historical Society. We have so much history to share, we’re launching a new mini history series called “15 Minute History” twice a month on select Saturdays at 2:00 pm.
On June 14, come and hear about the least known residents of this 275 year old farmhouse: the three known enslaved people. Jessica Kaplan research lead for the Memorializing the Enslaved in Arlington project will talk about who they were and what we know. This joint project between the Arlington historical Society and the Black Heritage Museum of Arlington laid the first “stumbling stones” at the Ball-Sellers House to honor their memory. Find out what we now know. Also! free tours of the house from 1-4. All ages welcome!
All mini events will begin at 2:00 at the Ball-Sellers House located at 5620 3rd Street, South, in Arlington

Can’t You Hear Me Calling: Tales and Tunes from Arlington’s Bluegrass History
2025-06-12 19:00 - 21:00 | Reinsch Library Auditorium, Marymount University, 2807 North Glebe Road, Arlington
Although now an international phenomenon, Bluegrass music would have never reached such popularity without the musical community that formed in the DC area. Local bands, radio stations, and music venues, reverberated these melodies round the whole world. Join Zack Youcha, Andrew Acosta, Randy Barrett, Michael Jaworek, and Don Rusnak on a musical exploration of Arlington’s Bluegrass history. Through song and conversation, they will demonstrate and discuss Arlington’s important contributions to the cultural explosion of a beloved American genre. Due to the performance nature of this event, this will be an IN-HOUSE ONLY event and not available on Zoom.
Randy Barrett is president of Bluegrass Country radio, America’s oldest bluegrass, old time and Americana station (formerly operated by WAMU FM). Streaming worldwide, it offers a unique blend of musical offerings old and new curated by expert deejays from a library of more than 100,000 recordings. He is also a musician, songwriter, luthier and co-author, with Ben Eldridge, of the celebrated book On Banjo: Recollections, Licks and Solos.
Michael Jaworek has been a concert promoter for over 50 years, presenting pop/jazz/blues/world beat music, as well as dance companies. His activities currently are focused in the Washington DC/Baltimore MD markets, where he is promoter for The Birchmere along with other venues. He has been nominated many times as “Nightclub Talent Buyer of the Year” by Pollstar Magazine, the publication of record for the concert promotion industry. Mr. Jaworek was also a co-founder of the Washington Area Music Awards. He has been a NARAS member & served on the Wash DC Board of Governors for philanthropy of NARAS. He has received the International Talent Buyers Association “Club Buyer of the Year” Award.
Andrew Acosta is a Falls Church native. Born in 1952, he formed his first band The Dusters in 1975 with the encouragement of local bluegrass bandleader Benny and Vallie Cain. He attended college at VCU and Clinch Valley College (now UVA Wise) where he soaked up the deep musical traditions of southwest Virginia. In 1999, he formed The New Old Time String Band with banjoist Pat MacCauley, then added fiddle player Roy ‘Speedy’ Tolliver. They performed extensively in northern Virginia and also the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage and The Smithsonian Folk Life Festival in 2007, which is also the year the legendary Arlington bluegrass guitarist John Kaparakis joined the group. Andrew still resides in Falls Chuch, performs often, has produced four CD’s and is very thankful for the many blessings music has brought into his life.
Don Rusnak is a lifelong banjo player, steeped in the history and lore of Arlington and Alexandria. After moving here as a kid, Don leapt into the Bluegrass and Country music scenes, becoming a regular performer, as well as a banjo maker and repairman. Through the community that developed around his instrument shop, Vintage Music, Don founded the Capital Area Bluegrass and Oldtime Music Association (CABOMA) in 1978. It is still thriving and open to the public.
Zack Youcha is the executive director of Music is Culture, a non-profit record label and publishing company supporting the preservation of traditional music worldwide. His own work preserving the songs of his Sephardic ancestors led to collaborations with museums, universities, archives, and governments around the world. He wrote an article for the Arlington Historical Magazine’s 2024 edition titled: “From the Seldom Scene to the Seldom Heard of: An Interview about Arlington Bluegrass with CABOMA Founder, Don Rusnack” that inspired this presentation. You can find an ongoing publication of his research through the Jewish Music Research Centre.

This is an in-person event only. Zoom is not being offered due to the performative nature of this event.
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.

Living History at Fort C.F. Smith Park
2025-06-08 12:00 - 16:00 | Fort C.F. Smith, 2411 24th Street, North, Arlington, VA, 22207, United States
The Union Army has come to Arlington and set up camp at Fort C.F. Smith Park. Join us for a day of living history that will include drilling activities, specialized fort tours and more. Come learn about Civil War life in Arlington County and beyond at this free event. Cancelled if raining.

The Arlington Historical Society will show artifacts and talk about what life was like for some of the thousands of US Army troops stationed in and around Arlington to protect the Capital City from potential Confederate attack.
Matthew Brady, the renowned Civil War photographer who had a studio in Arlington, will be there to take your picture like he did thousands of US Army troops in Arlington (Re-enacted by AHS President, Peter Vaselopulos).
And MORE!

Fort C.F. Smith is the best preserved Civil War fort in Arlington and one of the best preserved of all the Washington defenses. Between 1863 and 1865, Fort C. F. Smith was built to bolster defenses of the nation’s capital. It was called the Fort McDowell, but in June 1863, it was named to honor Major General Charles Ferguson Smith who had died in battle.

Drilling Activities
Specialized Fort Tours
Civil War Artifacts!
Re-enactors!
Historians!
Hooray!

Memorializing the Enslaved of Arlington: Columbia Pike
2025-06-07 16:00 - 17:00 | 1515 Columbia Pike, 1515 Columbia Pike, Arlington, 22204, United States
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). The markers are placed in the sidewalk at the last known location where these enslaved people lived. Memorializing the Enslaved in Arlington’s research has revealed over 2750 enslaved people and identified 1045 by name.
Please join us for the Dedication Ceremony honoring two once enslaved individuals:

Thornton Check: Born ca. 1823, Died August 12, 1889
Daniel Check: Born ca. 1826

Their Story
Brothers, Thornton and Daniel Check, were enslaved by Bazil Williams whose large farm straddled Columbia Pike in what is today the Foxcroft Heights – Arlington View areas of Arlington. Two additional brothers, Jackson and Lewis, were also enslaved by Williams. Thornton was born around 1820 and Daniel ca. 1826. Their mother’s name is unknown; their father was Emanual Check.
Bazil Williams, bought land along Columbia Pike beginning in 1816. His farm grew and by 1830 he enslaved 11 people. At his death in 1854, Williams enslaved roughly 23 individuals. He freed all but three in his will and gave them each $20 to help them move to Liberia or the Western United States. None of them resettled in Liberia.
Thornton was married to Julia Check, a woman enslaved at neighboring Arlington House. They had two daughters, Catherine and Susan and a son, Henry. In 1864, Thornton enlisted in the 117th US Colored Troops and was discharged a year later. In 1878, he entered the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers near Dayton, OH, where he died in 1889. He was buried at the Soldiers Home Cemetery.
Daniel Check was born around 1826 in Virginia. He lived in both Arlington and Washington, DC after gaining his freedom in 1855. In 1873, he married Henrietta Baker, and they had one known daughter, Mary H. Check. Daniel’s date of death is unknown, but entries in District of Columbia directories point to his having lived there continuously until 1899.
Join us as we celebrate and honor Thornton and Daniel and gain a greater understanding of Arlington’s complicated past. Brief remarks will be offered.
Memorializing the Enslaved in Arlington seeks to shed light upon these early Americans who contributed so much to the economic, social, and cultural development of our county. For more information, please contact Jessica Kaplan from the Arlington Historical Society at ahsedlink@gmail.com.

From Fleece to Cloth: Reenactment at Ball-Sellers House
2025-05-31 14:00 - 14:30 | Ball-Sellers House, 5620 3rd Street, South, Arlington VA 22204, VA, 22312, United States
The Ball-Sellers House is celebrating 50 years of ownership of this c.1750 farmhouse–Marian Sellers donated it to the Arlington Historical Society for $10. We have so much history to share, we’re launching a new mini history series called “15 Minute History” twice a month on select Saturdays at 2:00 pm.
On May 31, come and see a demonstration of how colonial Virginia women turned sheep’s wool into cloth. Reenactor Sandy Newton will show you how our colonial forebears who lived in THIS house would have turned sheep’s wool into material for all sorts of things used in the house. She’ll show you wool carding and spinning and even help you make a take home “bouncy ball” of felted wool. Also: take a free guided tour of the house from 1-4 pm.
All ages welcome!
All mini events will begin at 2:00 at the Ball-Sellers House located at 5620 3rd Street, South, in Arlington

Drew Day at Dr. Charles Drew Elementary
2025-05-31 10:00 - 13:00 | Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary School, 3500 23rd Street, South, Arlington, VA, 22206, United States
The Arlington Historical Society is proud to be helping to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Charles R. Drew. We’ll have a table, artifacts, a quiz, and lots of info on the man who became known as the Father of the Blood Bank. Find out how an Arlington elementary school appreciates its namesake.
Visit our table and say, “HI!”

Dedication of Eagle Scout Project Ball-Sellers House Benches
2025-05-17 13:00 - 14:00 | Ball-Sellers House, 5620 3rd Street, South, Arlington VA 22204, VA, 22312, United States
Join us as we dedicate one of the four new wooden benches designed and built by Connor Jones as his Eagle Scout project. He conducted historical research and coordinated with the Ball-Sellers House to identify an appropriate style for the colonial era in which the house was built (c.1750). Then he planned, led, and managed a team of scouts from Arlington’s Scout Troop 647 to build and install four benches. He also refurbished two older benches that look so good, we dare you to guess which ones are old and which are the new ones! He also designed and built a new kitchen table for inside the museum. The six benches are installed around the Ball-Sellers House property for visitors to enjoy during tours, special events, or just to appreciate the history of the site.
The dedication ceremony is open and free to the public to appreciate the work of this young man. We will serve refreshments and hear brief remarks by the Scout leader and AHS officials.
We will be dedicating one of the benches to a historic figure in Connor’s family, Ralph Jones (1625-1692) from Plymouth Massachusetts. This ancestor, one of the first European children born in the colonial America, inspired Connor’s interest in history and drew him to the Ball-Sellers House to complete his Eagle Scout Project for a historic site. (Photo at right is Connor Jones and his dad and assistant, Bill with three of the four new benches.)
Come for the dedication and stay for the free tours of the c. 1750 farmhouse.

George Washington's Forest Guided Walking Tour
2025-05-10 13:00 - 15:30 | Ball-Sellers House, 5620 3rd Street, South, Arlington VA 22204, VA, 22312, United States
Walk in the footsteps of George Washington on a guided walking tour with local historian, Kevin Vincent. In 1775, George Washington bought 1200-acres of forest in what is now Arlington. After the Revolutionary War, he returned home and surveyed his property. On the walk you’ll start with a tour of the Ball-Sellers House (the oldest building in Arlington), visit the survey markers used by Washington in 1785, see historic springs, see the site of a mill built by George Washington’s step-grandson, and more.

The walk begins at the Ball-Sellers House. It is about a three hour walk encompassing about three miles with a couple hills. There are several places where you can peel off the walk. So:

Wear sturdy shoes
Bring water
Dress for the weather.

Add to calendar

Early Days of the Civil War Defenses of Washington: From Fort Sumter to First Bull Run
2025-05-08 19:15 - 20:45 | Reinsch Library Auditorium, Marymount University, 2807 North Glebe Road, Arlington
Arlington was key to the defenses of Washington during the Civil War. Bryan Cheeseboro will describe the threats to the Capital City that spurred building the ring of defenses—inside DC and in Virginia. The Civil War Defenses of Washington (CWDW) were composed of 68 forts and 93 batteries. But this was the strength of the defenses by the end of the war. How did the CWDW begin? Where was the first fort built and when was it completed? How many forts were built in the first few months of the war? Was a Confederate attack on the city, like the British had done in the War of 1812, really possible? He’ll explain where the forts were built and the fear and danger to the Capital City after the abysmal US Army defeat at the Battle of First Bull Run.
Bryan Cheeseboro is a historian of the American Civil War and a reenactor with Company B, 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. He has been featured on American Battlefield Trust’s Zoom Goes the History series and Antietam Live! programs. He has written for the Emerging Civil War blog. His presentations to the Rock Creek, DC Civil War Round Table include the programs “Outside of Lincoln’s White House: Civil War Men and Women of the DC Metro Area;” “The Grand Reviews of the Civil War;” and the “1st United States Colored Infantry.” He is also a former board member of the Alliance to Preserve the Civil War Defenses of Washington. He is currently a Park Ranger with the National Park Service. His site is the Civil War Defenses of Washington.
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: https://forms.gle/UGEVTB3hCpfViSc98 You can also cut and paste this link: https://forms.gle/UGEVTB3hCpfViSc98 into your own browser and complete it there. Please register by Wednesday, May 7. Zoom access information will be sent to you on the morning of the event on Thursday, May 8. This presentation immediately follows a brief AHS members’ meeting.
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.

Annual AHS Member Meeting
2025-05-08 19:00 - 19:30 | Reinsch Library Auditorium, Marymount University, 2807 North Glebe Road, Arlington
The Arlington Historical Society will hold its annual meeting of members on Thursday, May 8, 2025, at 7:00 pm. The meeting will be held BOTH on Zoom and in person at the Reinsch Library Auditorium on the main campus of Marymount University. If you are a member and plan to attend by Zoom, please register at this link: https://forms.gle/UGEVTB3hCpfViSc98 (This is the same link for Zoom access to the monthly event which will immediately follow the brief members’ meeting: “Early Days of Civil War Defenses of Washington: From Fort Sumter to First Bull Run” with Bryan Chesebrough. See more details about that presentation here: https://arlhist.org/event/early-days-of-the-civil-war-defenses/
Agenda:

Report of Financial Status
Approve Slate of Officer and Board Members

I. AHS Financial Status
Outgoing AHS President David Pearson will give a brief summary of the AHS financial situation from a report prepared by treasurer Richard Samp. Click here to follow along and view details: AHS Income and Expenses 7-1-24 to 4-23-25
II. Approve Slate of Officer and Board Members
The Nominating Committee nominates the following for election as officers and directors at the meeting. Click here to read a brief bio on each proposed officer and board member: https://arlhist.org/arlington-historical-society-2025-2026/
Officers

President: Peter Vaselopulos
Vice President: Sean Denniston
Treasurer: Richard Samp
Secretary: Harry Evans

Members of the Board of Directors

George Axiotis
Bethany Baker
Annette Benbow
Jessica Kaplan
Andy McLeod
Annette Scherber
Martin Suydam

Memorializing the Enslaved in Arlington: Dedication at Westover
2025-05-04 11:00 - 12:00 | Northeast Corner of Washington Boulevard and North Longfellow Street, 5837 Washington Blvd, Arlington, 22205, United States
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). The markers are placed in the sidewalk at the last known location where these enslaved people lived. Memorializing the Enslaved in Arlington’s research has revealed over 2750 enslaved people and identified 1050 by name.
Please join us for the Dedication Ceremony honoring two once enslaved individuals

Liza: Born 1828
Jinny: Born June 7, 1853

We will be honoring them at 11:00am, Sunday May 4, 2025 at the Northeast Corner of Washington Boulevard and North Longfellow Street.
Their Story
Liza and Jinny were enslaved by Nicholas and Amanda Febrey. During the 1850s, the Febreys moved from their farm near Upton’s Hill to what is now Westover. During this period, they enslaved 6-7 people.
Very little is known about Liza and Jinny. The 1853 Virginia Birth Index records the birth of Jinny on June 7, 1853. Liza is listed as her mother and her father is listed as a “slave.” In the 1860 Census – Slave Schedule, Jinny appears as an eight-year-old enslaved by Nicholas Febrey, but Liza is not enumerated. Perhaps she was hired out to another family or had died. Liza (if still alive) and Jinny were likely freed by the Emancipation Proclamation in January 1863. They then disappear from the records.
Join us as we celebrate and honor Liza and Jinny and gain a greater understanding of Arlington’s complicated past. Brief remarks will be offered.
Memorializing the Enslaved in Arlington seeks to shed light upon these early Americans who contributed so much to the economic, social, and cultural development of our county. For more information, please contact Jessica Kaplan from the Arlington Historical Society at ahsedlink@gmail.com.

Grand Re-Opening of the Arlington Historical Museum
2025-05-03 10:00 - 16:00 | Arlington Historical Museum, 1805 South Arlington Ridge Road, Arlington, 22207, United States
Come rediscover our local history at the Arlington Historical Museum! After closing last summer for preservation and renovation work, we reopen on May 3 at 10:00 AM with the debut of all-new exhibits.
You’ll also have an opportunity at 1:00 PM to hear from local author Barbara Noe Kennedy, author of “100 Things to Do in Arlington Before You Die.” (You can leave with just 99 left!) The book is for sale in our updated and expanded museum shop and she looks forward to signing your book.
The exhibits tell new stories uncovered about Arlington’s past and build on much of the history we have always shared. You’ll see Arlington history from the time of Native peoples through the thriving multicultural community it is today. One new exhibit AHS is proud to introduce is the Memorializing the Enslaved exhibit highlighting the special research project that has shed light on the lives of enslaved individuals who lived and labored in Arlington, honoring their contributions and resilience. Through historical records, artifacts, and personal stories, the project and the exhibit seek to ensure that their voices are acknowledged and remembered as part of Arlington’s complex history.
But that’s not all! The museum shows new views and artifacts of its farming past, its role in the formation of Civil War US Colored Troops, and the defense of Washington. You’ll get a new appreciation of our leading role in the nation’s history of transportation, communications, and businesses as well as a new perspective on where we’ve been and where we are now.
We’ve also opened space on the second floor for use as an education center, community gathering room, and a place to feature revolving exhibits, including those co-curated with community groups! This will be a dynamic part of the museum, where you will be able to attend events on special topics, and view exhibits told in the voices of the groups presenting them. To kick start what the Second Floor can be, AHS, in celebration of the Ball-Sellers House 50th Anniversary, is presenting an illustrated history of this c. 1750 farmhouse highlighting its colonial builders through today as the story of the history of all of Arlington.
Visit us at the Arlington Historical Museum for the big reveal! The museum is in the oldest existing schoolhouse at 1805 S. Arlington Ridge Road. It’s free and parking is free.

Spring Celebration with the Glencarlyn Community Garden
2025-04-19 10:00 - 16:00 | Ball-Sellers House, 5620 3rd Street, South, Arlington VA 22204, VA, 22312, United States
The Arlington Historical Society/Ball-Sellers House is partnering with the Glencarlyn Library Garden to celebrate gardening. We are in TWO locations for this fun event:

The Ball-Sellers House at 5620 3rd St., South, 10 – 4
Glencarlyn Library at 300 S. Kensington St. South, 10 – 3

At the Ball-Sellers House you’ll see how colonial gardeners planted vegetables and herbs and learn about how herbs were used, see our model beehives, and a modern rain garden at work. You’ll also be able to tour the house FREE! and learn how colonial families lived. The Ball-Sellers House works with the Friends of Urban Gardeners. They have helped us re-create a colonial style vegetable garden like the one early owners of this c.1750 farmhouse would have had outside their front door.
At the Glencarlyn Library, we’ll help you practice using a quern or a mortar and pestle to grind corn like our ancestors did. You’ll learn more about gardening today and about native plants, tour the magnificent Glencarlyn Community Garden, and even buy some plants for your own garden!

Who Owns the Potomac and Why?
2025-04-10 19:00 - 20:30 | Reinsch Library Auditorium, Marymount University, 2807 North Glebe Road, Arlington
Have you ever looked at maps and wondered why the boundary line between Virginia and Maryland on the Potomac River is so odd? It is not in the middle of the river, like it is in most places, and it doesn’t really follow the curves of one shoreline or the other. Michael Nardolilli, the Executive Director of the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin will explain the weird history behind Arlington’s boundary along the Potomac River.
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: https://forms.gle/AsYooukSag7BeR8k9 to register. You can also cut and paste this link, https://forms.gle/AsYooukSag7BeR8k9 into your own browser and complete it there. Please register by Wednesday, April 9. Zoom access information will be sent to you on the morning of the event on Thursday, April 10.
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.

Memorializing the Enslaved in Arlington: Dedication for Humphrey Albert and Priscilla Willis
2025-04-06 15:00 - 16:00 | Intersection of Key and N. Highland, 3103 Key Boulevard, Arlington, 22201, United States
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). The markers are placed in the sidewalk at the last known location where these enslaved people lived. Memorializing the Enslaved in Arlington’s research has revealed over 2750 enslaved people and identified 1050 by name.
Please join us for the Dedication Ceremony honoring two once enslaved individuals:

Humphrey Albert: Born ca. 1841
Priscilla Willis: Born ca. 1852

We will be honoring them at on Sunday, April 6, 2025 at 3:00 pm at the Northwest Corner of Key Boulevard and North Highland Street
Humphrey Albert and Priscilla Willis were enslaved by Robert and Catherine Cruit and later their heir, Susan Cruit. Humphrey’s mother was Betsey Docket from Maryland, whom Cruit had “purchased from a negro pen.” In 1859, Priscilla was bought by the Cruits for at the age of six. In the 1850s, the Cruits enslaved at least five other people, who will be honored at another time. Robert Cruit, a

Georgetown resident, bought property in what is now Arlington in 1847 as a second home. Robert used enslaved laborers to operate his dairy farming operation. The Cruit farmhouse still stands today at 1614 North Highland Street.
On April 16, 1862, Humphrey and Priscilla gained their freedom when the D.C. Compensated Emancipation Act was signed by President Lincoln. The Cruits had fled to D.C. early in the Civil War when Union troops defending the capital overwhelmed most of Arlington. They took several of their enslaved people, including Humphrey and Priscilla, with them. Enslaved people remaining in Arlington remained in bondage until the passage of the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863.
The markers will be embedded in the sidewalk. They were designed and fabricated by the students at Arlington Tech of Arlington Public Schools and installed by the Arlington County Department of Environmental Services, who also provided helpful advice on the design.
Join us as we celebrate and honor Humphrey and Priscilla and gain a greater understanding of Arlington’s complicated past. Brief remarks will be offered.
Memorializing the Enslaved in Arlington seeks to shed light upon these early Americans who contributed so much to the economic, social, and cultural development of our county. For more information, please contact Jessica Kaplan from the Arlington Historical Society at ahsedlink@gmail.com.

Ball-Sellers House Opening Day
2025-04-05 13:00 - 16:00 | Ball-Sellers House, 5620 3rd Street, South, Arlington VA 22204, VA, 22312, United States
During our 2025 season (April through October) the Ball-Sellers House will celebrate the 50th anniversary of becoming a free public museum and we are planning a series of commemorative events at the house starting with our opening day on Saturday, April 5 at 1:00 pm. The Ball-Sellers House is hosting the Early American music group, Bedlam, for two concert shows at:

1:30 pm
3:00 pm

Bedlam was founded in 1989 and specializes in Early American music, including songs and tunes of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Its unusual name comes from a bittersweet ballad about the infamous mental asylum, the Hospital of St. Mary of Bethlehem, London, popularly known throughout history as Bedlam. The group is based in Maryland and performs throughout the DMV region. They perform a wide range of tavern songs, romantic ballads, lively dance tunes, and instrumental selections on guitars, recorders, and percussion.
Join us as we celebrate our history and our anniversary. The house will be open for free guided tours, we’ll have colonial re-enactors keep it real! And we’ll offer free colonial era sweet treats. We are at 5620 3rd Street, South in Arlington.
On February 24, 1975, the Arlington Historical Society (AHS) held a public Acceptance Ceremony at the house to accept the key from the donor, Marian Sellers. Despite the chill in the winter air, the AHS board of Directors, the Arlington County board, and the public watched as Mrs. Sellers handed the key to Donald Orth, the AHS President, in return for a handshake and $10. Since then, AHS has researched the house history, refurbished the original 1750 farmhouse as it may have looked during the colonial period, and opened it to the public for free tours. We hope you’ll join us for this and future events this season as we appreciate the selfless act of generosity to our community of this gift of a historic treasure of a house.

In Defense of Freedom
2025-03-18 19:00 - 20:00 | Glencarlyn Library, 300 S. Kensington Street, Arlington, VA, 22204, United States
At the start of the Civil War in 1861, Arlington was at the center of a significant military conflict. It witnessed many minor skirmishes and military actions. The county’s strategic location required Union soldiers to build fortifications known as the “Arlington Line” to protect the capital, Washington. However, these forts and camps had another unintended purpose: they provided refuge for enslaved people seeking freedom. During the war, thousands of African Americans settled in Arlington. Many worked for the United States Army, and some eventually joined the newly formed United States Colored Troops (USCT), fighting for their freedom. Discover more about this unique chapter of Civil War history. Peter Vaselopulos, Vice President of the Arlington Historical Society (AHS), will speak about Arlington’s unique role in the Civil War, including Arlington’s camps and forts that not only protected the nation’s capital but also provided refuge for thousands of enslaved people seeking freedom. This event is open free to the public and is hosted by the Glencarlyn Civic Association and the Arlington Historical Society.

Peter Vaselopulos is currently Vice President of the Arlington Historical Society. Before his retirement, Peter served 35 years at the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM), where he worked as a broadcast journalist, international television producer, and new media and information technology specialist. He is currently a board member of the Alliance to Preserve the Civil War Defenses of Washington, D.C. and was a member of Arlington County’s Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee. Peter has a master’s certificate in Digital Public Humanities from George Mason University. He is also a graduate of George Washington University and American University, with master’s degrees in Managing Information Systems and International Communications. He teaches history and digital storytelling courses for Arlington’s Encore Learning adult education program. Peter is an Arlington County Historic Preservation grant awardee and is working on a multiyear digital media project called “Arlington Historical” including a website and mobile application: Arlington History. Peter and his wife, Virginie, are 44-year residents of Arlington County.

Memorializing the Enslaved of Arlington: Dedication Honoring Three
2025-03-15 15:00 - 16:00 | Little Falls Road, 5498 Little Falls Road, Arlington, VA, 22207, United States
The Arlington Historical Society and the Black Heritage Museum of Arlington invite you to the unveiling of the first of a new series of “Stumbling Stones.” These bronze markers commemorate the lives of the enslaved people who helped build our county (and our country). The markers are placed in the sidewalk at the last known location where these enslaved people lived. Memorializing the Enslaved in Arlington’s research has revealed over 2750 enslaved people and identified 1050 by name.
Please join us for the Dedication Ceremony honoring three once enslaved individuals

Margaret Hyson: Born ca 1825, Died July 11, 1891
George Hyson: Born ca 1851, Died June 1900
Charlotte Hyson: Born Nov. 10, 1853, Died June 9, 1921

We will be honoring them at the Northeast Corner of Little Falls Road and Harrison Street, North. Arlington VA 22207
Their Story
Margaret, George, and Charlotte Hyson were enslaved by William and Catherine Minor. From 1803 through the Civil War, their 110-acre farm, “Springfield,” (see image in later years) encompassed a portion of what is now the Yorktown Civic Association neighborhood. When William Minor died in 1859, 29 enslaved men, women, and children were part of his estate.
Margaret’s origins are unknown although an unmarried woman her age was listed on the Minor family census records from 1830-1860. Margaret married a free Black man, Thornton Hyson, and gave birth to George and Charlotte in 1853. When William Minor died, the enslaved people were given to his children, but the Hysons remained with Catherine. The Hyson family was likely freed by the Emancipation Proclamation in January 1863. They eventually settled in the Hall’s Hill/High View Park community of Arlington where their descendants still live today.
Hyson family descendants and some of the Arlington Public School students who helped design and manufacture the bronze markers will offer brief remarks about this important milestone. County officials and others involved with the project will speak as well.
Memorializing the Enslaved in Arlington seeks to shed light upon these early Americans who contributed so much to the economic, social, and cultural development of our county. For more information, please contact Jessica Kaplan from the Arlington Historical Society at ahsedlink@gmail.com

The Outstanding Women of the Ball-Sellers House
2025-03-13 19:00 - 20:30 | Reinsch Library Auditorium, Marymount University, 2807 North Glebe Road, Arlington
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 $10 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.
