Fort Myer in Arlington in Arlington County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Long Haul

Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial

— George Washington Memorial Parkway, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior —

Long Haul Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Connor Olson, March 21, 2022

1. Long Haul Marker

Inscription.
The yard behind the mansion churned with a flurry of daily chores and demanding labor. Enslaved people crossed dirt paths here, their arm is packed with garden produce and supplies for field workers toiling in the 1,100 plantation acres. Close lines saved with wet laundry – strong up wind from dust kept up by the wheels of visiting carriages. Enslaved domestic workers slept in cramped quarters on each side of the yard. While the structures exist today, the field slave cabins that died the south end of the state, close to the river, no longer remain.

Daniel hauled a good deal of manure with the cart and the carriage horse and we are wheeling off the old roots and brush…
-G.W.P. Custis to his granddaughter, Agnes Lee, in 1853

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Agriculture. A significant historical year for this entry is 1853.

Location. 38° 52.861′ N, 77° 4.379′ W. Marker is in Arlington, Virginia, in Arlington County. It is in Fort Myer. Marker is on Sherman Drive, 0.1 miles Sheridan Drive, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 319 Sherman Dr, Fort Myer VA 22211, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least

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8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Guardian of a Nation's Heritage (here, next to this marker); The Gray Family (a few steps from this marker); A Place of Division and Reunification (within shouting distance of this marker); Cherish these forest trees… (within shouting distance of this marker); Tree Ring Timeline (within shouting distance of this marker); Division and Reunification (within shouting distance of this marker); Kingdom of my childhood (within shouting distance of this marker); Garden to Graves (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Arlington.

Additional keywords. enslaved labor

Yard behind the mansion image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Connor Olson, March 21, 2022

2. Yard behind the mansion

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 27, 2022, by Connor Olson of Kewaskum, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 162 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 27, 2022, by Connor Olson of Kewaskum, Wisconsin. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.