Photograph of an Arlington resident’s May fridge calendar, depicting the lack of plans for the month of May, 2020. (Photo provided by Center for Local History, Arlington Public Library)
Photograph of a cake from an Arlington couple to mark the original date of their canceled wedding day. (Photo provided by Center for Local History, Arlington Public Library)
Photograph of painted stones outside of a residence near the intersection of 9th Street and S. Wayne Street. (Photo provided by Center for Local History, Arlington Public Library)
Arlington’s COVID-19 testing site on March 31, 2020 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Trader Joe’s in Clarendon closed after employee tests positive for COVID-19 (photo courtesy Peter G.)
The DoubleTree Hotel is lit up with a heart shape during the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020 (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
201 12th St. parking garage in Crystal City during the coronavirus pandemic in the spring (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
A retail worker wearing a mask and gloves during the pandemic in May 2020 (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
A man wearing a facemask walks along Columbia Pike near the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
Arlingtonians protest and march from Ballston to Clarendon in honor of George Floyd and others killed in police violence (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
Arlingtonians protest and march from Ballston to Clarendon in honor of George Floyd and others killed in police violence (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
Scenes from a protest and march from Shirlington to Ballston to honor George Floyd (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
Scenes from a protest and march from Shirlington to Ballston to honor George Floyd (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
Black Lives Matter chalk art created in front of the home where county workers washed away a girl’s earlier art
Voting at Fairlington Community Center (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
Voting in Arlington (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
Trump supporters gather along Ft. Myer Drive in Rosslyn as President Trump visits his campaign headquarters (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
A passerby shows a finger to President Trump as his motorcade drives by in Rosslyn in November 2020 (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
When future Arlingtonians look back at last year, what are some items that will tell the story?
The Center for Local History at the Arlington Public Library is curating a time capsule of 2020. The project is titled, 2020 Unboxed, and will contain objects representing life in Arlington during the momentous year.
The themes for the collection include:
The COVID-19 pandemic
Racial justice and civic unrest
Arlington County’s naming centennial
The 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage
The 2020 Census
“The time capsule is a snapshot of today as well as a gift for the future, preserving an account of a particular period in time,” said library director Diane Kresh, in a press release.
The Center for Local History will be reaching out to community organizations and leaders to collect items for the project, but residents are encouraged to donate objects that demonstrate how life in Arlington was affected or altered by the pandemic as well.
Submissions can be made online or mailed to Arlington Public Library (P.O. Box 3655, Arlington, VA 22203). All submissions that are donated will not be returned.
The items will be collected for the next nine months, through September.
The time capsule collection will be exhibited online in October during American Archives Month. After the exhibit period ends the time capsule will be sealed and stored in the Arlington Community Archives for preservation and future research.
