Fort Myer near Arlington in Arlington County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Piecing the Past Together
Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial
— George Washington Memorial Parkway —
Archeology and oral history informs interpretation and historic preservation at Arlington House. Investigations in the 1980s and early 2000s revealed that the home's original cellar was used to store food. Surveys also revealed packed earth beneath the 1930s brick floors in the slave quarters. Workers removed these bricks to restore the quarters to their original state. Interviews with Selina Gray's children and enslaved worker Jim Parks helped inform the style of fence installed around the flower garden. Even pocket-sized objects from the site's wide variety of collections tell a personal story at Arlington House.
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Many artifacts, including ceramics, tools, and ammunition, have been found on site.
A China doll hand found inside a fireplace correlated to the period (1850s-1870s) enslaved worker Selina Gray and her family lived in this room.
Erected by National Park service, department of the interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Agriculture • Anthropology & Archaeology.
Location. 38° 52.883′ N, 77° 4.371′ W. Marker is near Arlington, Virginia, in Arlington County. It is in Fort Myer. Marker can be reached from Sherman Drive, 0.2 miles south of Lincoln Drive, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 320 Sherman Dr, Fort Myer VA 22211, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Growing Season (a few steps from this marker); Dependence on Slave Labor (a few steps from this marker); A Garden Sustains (a few steps from this marker); Paying Tribute (within shouting distance of this marker); Evolving Vision (within shouting distance of this marker); Long Haul (within shouting distance of this marker); Arlington Estate, 1860 (within shouting distance of this marker); Guardian of a Nation's Heritage (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Arlington.
Also see . . . Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial. National Park Service. (Submitted on March 30, 2022.)
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 120 times since then and 15 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on March 27, 2022, by Connor Olson of Kewaskum, Wisconsin. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
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