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THE HISTORICAL
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“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Foxcroft Heights in Arlington in Arlington County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
 

Thornton Check

Arlington Historical Society

— Black Heritage Museum —

 
 
Thornton Check Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), July 16, 2026
1. Thornton Check Marker
Inscription.
Thornton Check
Once enslaved here
Born ca. 1820
Died ca. 1866

 
Erected by Arlington Historical Society, Black Heritage Museum.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African AmericansAgriculture. A significant historical year for this entry is 1820.
 
Location. 38° 52.005′ N, 77° 4.264′ W. Marker is in Arlington, Virginia, in Arlington County. It is in Foxcroft Heights. It is at the intersection of South Ode Street and Columbia Pike (Virginia Route 244), on the left when traveling south on South Ode Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1515 Columbia Pike, Arlington VA 22204, United States of America. Touch for directions.

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
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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: Daniel Check (here, next to this marker); Site of Arlington Chapel (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Freedman's Village (about 700 feet away); a different marker also named Freedman’s Village (about 700 feet away); Harry W. Gray House (approx. Ό mile away); Our Air Force Memorial, Arlington Virginia (approx. 0.3 miles away); Albert I. Cassell (approx. 0.3 miles away); George Washington Carver Cooperative Apartments (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Arlington.
 
Additional keywords. enslaved labor; chattel slavery; witness stones; stumbling stones
 
Stumbling stones at the intersection image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), July 16, 2026
2. Stumbling stones at the intersection
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on July 16, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 16, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 4 times since then. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on July 16, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
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Jul. 19, 2026