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 | |
Photographed by Connor Olson, March 21, 2022
1. Piecing the Past Together Marker
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.
Caption
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.
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Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area and in Northern Virginia. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in the Mid-Atlantic, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Growing Season (a few steps from this marker); Division and Unification (within shouting distance of this marker); Paying Tribute (within shouting distance of this marker); Evolving Vision
Photographed by Brandon D Cross, August 12, 2025
2. Piecing the Past Together Marker
Other markers no longer nearby. Kitchen Garden (was a few steps from this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Dependence on Slave Labor (was a few steps from this marker but has been permanently removed); A Garden Sustains (was a few steps from this marker but has been permanently removed); Arlington Estate, 1860 (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); Selina Gray (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Guardian of a Nation's Heritage (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed).
Also see . . . Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial. National Park Service. (Submitted on March 30, 2022.)
Credits. This page was last revised on August 12, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 27, 2022, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 278 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on March 27, 2022, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. 2. submitted on August 12, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. Wide shot of marker and its surroundings. • Can you help?
