Historical Lectures
Geography is Destiny - Don Hawkins
Thursday, March 13, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Arlington Central Library Auditorium, 1015 N. Quincy Street, Arlington
The Arlington Historical Society (AHS) will host Don Hawkins, who will discuss “Geography as Destiny” at its next monthly lecture on Thursday, March 13. Arlington County was incorporated into the federal District of Columbia, as mandated by the U.S. Constitution. Though separated politically in 1846, its position relative to the City of Washington imposed upon the county a complementary role in its development. Hawkins will discuss how Arlington’s geography and proximity has served the agricultural, defense, industrial, residential and transportation needs of the nation’s capital, while developing into a prosperous independent community. Call 703-228-5990.
Eminent Domain Destroys a Community: Leveling Queen City for the Pentagon
Thursday, April 3, 7 p.m.
Arlington Central Library Auditorium, 1015 N. Quincy Street, Arlington
The Arlington Historical Society (AHS) will host Dr. Nancy Perry to discuss the destruction of Queen City at its next public program on Thursday, April 3. In 1942, the federal government exercised eminent domain by taking 27 acres of land to build a road network around the new Pentagon. The land was occupied by the more than 900 residents of the African-American neighborhood of East Arlington, also known as Queen City. Explore what the residents lost when they were forced to move and how they were compensated for that loss. The presentation will combine interviews with 10 of the original residents of the neighborhood, oral histories, land records, census data, photographs, and news articles. Perry has lived in Arlington since 1974. She received her Ph.D. in geography from George Mason University. Her dissertation explored the influence that geography had on the lives of the African-American residents of Arlington County during segregation. This presentation is a continuation of her dissertation research. Call 703-228-5990.
Capital Beer: A Heady History of Brewing in Washington, D.C. - Garrett Peck
Wednesday, April 16, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Mad Fox Brewing, 444 West Broad Street, Falls Church
Local author and AHS board member Garrett Peck will give a talk and lead a beer tasting for his latest book, "Capital Beer: A Heady History of Brewing in Washington, D.C.," which will be out in March 2014. Books will be for sale and signing.
Little Saigon: Remembering the Vietnamese Community in Arlington - Kim O'Connell
Thursday, May 8, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Central Library Auditorium, 1015 N. Quincy Street, Arlington
During the construction of the Orange Line, Clarendon became known as "Little Saigon" for the plethora of Vietnamese restaurants there. Kim O'Connell will give a talk about the extensive history about the Asian community in Arlington.
Arlington at 150: Special Guided Tour: The American Civil War
Monday, May 19, 2 to 5 p.m.
Arlington National Cemetery
Start Location: Women in Military Service for America Memorial
The American Civil War (1861-1865), also known as “The War Between the States,” pitted neighbor against neighbor and brother against brother. By the time it ended in Confederate surrender in 1865, the Civil War proved to be the costliest war ever fought on American soil. Arlington National Cemetery was created to bury the war dead. This tour explores how the Arlington Estate came to be Arlington National Cemetery and historical figures from this conflict.
Arlington at 150: Special Guided Tour: Uncle Sam's Little Wars
Tuesday, May 20, 2 to 5 p.m.
Arlington National Cemetery
Start Location: Women in Military Service for America Memorial
The War of 1812, various Indians campaigns, the Spanish-American War, the Philippine Insurrection, as well as interventions in the early 20th century are collectively referred to as “Uncle Sam's Little Wars.” Arlington National Cemetery was greatly impacted by “Uncle Sam’s Little Wars.” The first repatriations came from causalities of the Spanish-American War. Stops will include the War of 1812 Unknowns, sections 3, 21, 22, 24, along with a visit to the Mast of the USS Maine.
Arlington at 150: Special Guided Tour: World War I: Bringing our Heroes Home
Wednesday, May 21, 2 to 5 p.m.
Arlington National Cemetery
Start Location: Women in Military Service for America Memorial
As the First World War had a tremendous impact on the U.S., it also had a lasting effect on Arlington National Cemetery. Most importantly, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was created, similar to other burials of the unknown dead in Europe after World War I. Stops will include sections 18, 19, the Argonne Cross, section 34, and finish with a tour of the Memorial Amphitheater and watching the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Arlington at 150: Special Guided Tour: World War II: The Greatest Generation
Thursday, May 22, 2 to 5 p.m.
Arlington National Cemetery
Start Location: Women in Military Service for America Memorial
The Second World War was the first war fought globally. More than 11 million Americans, referred to as the “Greatest Generation,” fought the Axis aggression on two fronts in Europe and the Pacific. The war continues to have great impact on Arlington National Cemetery as the generation that fought in this war ages, and joins the ranks of those who fought the wars before them. In 1958, the remains of a World War II unknown was added to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The tour will include stops in sections 7, 7A, the Battle of the Bulge Memorial (section 21), 35, 36 and 46.
Arlington at 150: Special Guided Tour: U.S. Military and the Cold War
Friday, May 23, 2 to 5 p.m.
Arlington National Cemetery
Start Location: Women in Military Service for America Memorial
The Cold War is a term used to describe the conflict between the U.S. and communist expansion fought on many fronts all over the world, both in open and secret warfare, over a 45-year period after World War II. The first open conflict of the Cold War was fought on the Korean Peninsula from June 1950 through July 1953. Less than 10 years later, the U.S. would find itself involved in a 10-year conflict in Vietnam. The Cold War would end in the late 1980s not with gun fire, but cheers, as the people of East Berlin tore down the wall that divided the city which was the greatest symbol of the Cold War itself.
Arlington at 150: Old Amphitheater Renaming, Decoration Day
Friday, May 30
Arlington National Cemetery
Renaming ceremony for the Old Amphitheater, immediately following Decoration Day Observance hosted by the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.
Arlington at 150: Special Guided Tour: The American Civil War
Monday, June 2, 2 to 5 p.m.
Arlington National Cemetery
Start Location: Women in Military Service for America Memorial
The American Civil War (1861-1865), also known as “The War Between the States.” This tour explores how the Arlington Estate came to be Arlington National Cemetery and historical figures from this conflict.
Bus Tour on the Civil War Defenses of Washington
Saturday, March 22, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
4301 West Braddock Road, Alexandria
Register now for a special guided bus tour sponsored by the Friends of Fort Ward highlighting the 150th anniversary of a key year in the history of the Civil War Defenses of Washington. Led by military historian Dr. B. Franklin Cooling, the tour is scheduled for Saturday, March 22, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pre-registration is required. Cost is $85 for members of the Friends of Fort Ward, and $100 for non-members. Call the museum at 703-746-4848 to register. The Defenses of Washington was an extensive Union defense system which protected the Federal capital during the Civil War. The focus of this tour will be the events in 1864 leading up to Confederate General Jubal Early’s attack on Fort Stevens in July 1864. The battle, fought on July 11-12, 1864, marks the only time in which Washington, D.C. came under direct attack by the Confederacy, and the only time in American history that a President came under enemy fire while in office. The tour begins at Fort Ward with an orientation in the site’s reconstructed Northwest bastion. Participants proceed to Fort Foote, which provided crucial defense of the river access to Washington on the Maryland side of the Potomac. The tour will then travel to various sites in the northern line of forts. The itinerary includes Forts Reno, DeRussy and Totten, and highlights Fort Stevens and Battleground National Cemetery. Cooling, a professor of national security studies at the National Defense University, is a military historian and specialist on the Defenses of Washington. He is the co-author, with Walton Owen, of "Mr. Lincoln’s Forts: A Guide to the Civil War Defenses of Washington." His other publications include "The Day Lincoln Was Almost Shot: The Fort Stevens Story," and a forthcoming book on Jubal Early. Fort Ward is the best preserved of the forts that comprised the Civil War Defenses of Washington. Contact the Museum at 703-746-4848, or visit www.fortward.org.