Hi Everyone -
Please join us for the next in our regular monthly series of free
Department of the Interior Library Park Ranger Speaker Series lectures,
entitled "We Have a Claim on This Estate: African American History at
Arlington House," on Tuesday, July 20th from 1:00 - 1:45 pm in the
Department of the Interior Library.
Arlington House was built by African American slaves, protected during the
Civil War by slaves, and restored in the 20th century thanks largely to the
memory of former slaves who had lived and worked there. George Washington
Parke Custis, adopted grandson of George Washington, needed slave labor to
build his mansion in 1802. Later, Custis’s daughter, Mary Custis Lee and
her husband, Robert E. Lee would inherit the estate. The children of Mary
Custis Lee’s personal housemaid, Selina Gray, played a major role in
assisting the War Department in the restoration of Arlington House in the
1920’s by providing the only firsthand accounts of the mansion’s pre-Civil
War condition. They also donated several original furnishings which had
descended in the Gray family. Today, a replica of Freedman’s Village and
exhibits in the restored Arlington House slave quarters retell the
beginnings of African American history in Arlington.
Please join Park Ranger Matt Penrod as he explores the African American
experience in Arlington House. Find out why Arlington House is both the
birthplace of African American history in Arlington — and a lasting
reminder of the role of African Americans in Arlington’s growth and
development.
All that are interested are invited. The DOI Library is located in the
Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street, NW, Room 1151 in
Washington. Space is limited so please contact the Library by phone at
(202) 208-5815 or by e-mail at [log in to unmask] to let us know you will be
coming. For more information about future DOI Library Park Ranger
Speaker Series programs, we encourage you to visit our Park Ranger Speaker
Series website at http://library.doi.gov/programs/speaker/index.html .
We hope to see you here on July 20th!
George Franchois
Director
U.S. Dept. of the Interior Library
1849 C Street, NW, MS 1151
Washington, DC 20240
[log in to unmask]
Phone: (202) 208-3796
Fax: (202) 208-6773
URL: http://library.doi.gov
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