Some local parks boosters say they are eager to work with county officials to upgrade an exhibit on Arlington’s Native American history.
Representatives of Friends of Gulf Branch Nature Center recently met with officials from the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to discuss ways to move forward at the nature center. The meeting came after two refurbished exhibits recently reopened following a multi-year restoration effort.
Two additional exhibits are slated to be restored to the center’s Native American room in the coming months.
“We applaud the DPR on this initiative to restore interpretive displays to better tell the story of the impact of Native Americans in Arlington,” said Duke Banks, president of Friends of Gulf Branch.
The Friends group was joined at the June 3 meeting with DPR staff by representatives of the Arlington Historical Society, which recently upgraded exhibit spaces at the Arlington Historical Museum. Discussions centered on ways of “not only restoring or replacing artifacts, but enhancing and upgrading the displays to be of similar quality as to the new, enhanced exhibits” at that museum, Banks said.
“The meeting was very positive. All agreed to continue discussion to try and make this partnership work,” he said.
The refurbished exhibitions back on display are “Native American Tools” and “From the Earth,” which feature arrowheads, pottery and other artifacts related to Native American life in what is now Arlington.
The remaining exhibits — “From the Wild” and “From the Water” — are expected to reopen in July, featuring items such as artificial fruit, nuts and animal bones, county officials told ARLnow in early June.
The exhibits are located in the lower level of the nature center, located at 3608 Military Road. The center is open daily except Mondays.
Although the exhibits have been offline since 2020, several other items related to Native American cultures, including a replica dugout canoe, have remained on exhibit.
Local Native American history can be traced back at least 10,000 years. According to county officials, by the time of European exploration in the 1500s-1600s, three tribes — the Powhatan, Monacan and Cherokee — were most prevalent in the region.
A map published after the 1612 exploration of Capt. John Smith included more than 200 indigenous towns in the Potomac River watershed.
The local area’s Native American population had dramatically reduced by the 1700s as European colonization took hold. Their descendants are among the 11 tribal nations that currently are recognized by the state government.
