The Arlington County Board has approved several new investments in projects involving local history.
Officials signed off on a total of $65,000 in funding on Saturday for operational costs at the Black Heritage Museum of Arlington, facility improvements at the Arlington Historical Museum and the installation of 30 markers indicating where people were enslaved in Arlington.
“During the budget, the County Board earmarked a few funds for several small but really important projects dedicated to preserving and sharing Arlington’s history,” Chair Libby Garvey said.
A $25,000 investment in the Arlington Historical Museum at 1805 S. Arlington Ridge Road will help support the following changes, according to a County Board report.
- Waterproofing the building’s foundation
- Repointing and repairing the masonry
- Repairing and preserving the bell tower
- Repairing and restoring the finials, flashing and roof ornamentation
- Repairing the gate and restoring the front doors and entrance
- Cleaning and painting the exterior
In addition to presenting exhibits that spotlight local history, the museum is located in the historic Hume School — the oldest standing school building in the county and one of the few remaining 19th-century masonry school buildings in Virginia.
Another $25,000 in funding will support costs at the Black Heritage Museum including rent, utilities, insurance, advertising, and development and hosting of various educational materials.
“BHM of Arlington does not have paid staff and occasionally needs to pay for professional services or other types of technical assistance needed for updating and developing their website and/or other related support in partnership with other organizations interested in supporting Black history,” a county report says.
Finally, $15,000 will go toward installing “stumbling stones” in public spaces as part of the “Memorializing the Enslaved in Arlington” project.
In June, the County Board signed off on a memorandum of agreement with the Arlington Historical Society permitting the placement of small memorial markers at sites where enslaved people resided — inspired by similar markers in Europe indicating where victims of the Holocaust lived.
The project is expected to begin this fall, a county staff report says.
Photo 2 via Google Maps.
