History

A New History Initiative The Arlington Historical Society, in collaboration with the Black Heritage Museum of Arlington, is pleased to introduce a local history project, Memorializing the Enslaved in Arlington … Continued

Gwen Tolbart visits The Black Heritage Museum of Arlington and takes a walk through some local Black history.

Queen City was once a thriving African American neighborhood in Arlington complete with its own fire department. The original residents of Queen City were descendents of the residents of Freedman’s … Continued

On April 20, 1861, Robert E Lee resigned his commission in the US Army and shortly thereafter entered into confederate military service.  By the end of May 1861,  union troops … Continued

Evelyn Syphax Evelyn Reid Syphax, was a former Arlington Public Schools Educator and a long a time resident of Arlington Virginia. She served extensively on a variety of elected and … Continued

Fort Corcoran was a wood-and-earthwork fortification constructed by the Union Army in northern  Virginia as part of the defenses of Washington, D.C.. during the American Civil War. Built in 1861, shortly after the occupation … Continued

During major restorative efforts to Arlington House from 1929 to 1930, the Gray family made another important contribution to the history of Arlington County and the nation. Four of Selina … Continued

Selina Norris Gray was born and raised a slave at Arlington House, the Virginia plantation of George Washington Parke Custis. Custis, the adopted son of George Washington, also owned her … Continued

The Gray family has another claim to historic preservation: Harry W. Gray, Selina and Thornton’s son, built a house in Arlington County that is now a National Historic Landmark. Born … Continued

The story of the Syphax family, whose name traces back to African royalty, is one of anything but defeat. Despite the oppression of slavery and racism, theirs is a legacy … Continued