In the mid-1700s, most of modern-day Fairlington and Shirlington was part of a plantation called Torthorwald, a rural retreat for the wealthy Carlyle merchant family of Alexandria.
When patriarch John Carlyle died in 1780, Torthorwald was home to an enslaved population totaling more than 40. And on Sunday, two of them were honored with the placement of new “stumbling stones” near the Fairlington Villages Community Center.
A special “stumbling stone” unveiling last week taught Gunston Middle School sixth graders about the harsh lives of those enslaved across Arlington — and in their very neighborhoods.
The stones, the latest in a series being placed across the county, recognize the lives of Sina and George, a mother-son duo enslaved during the mid-1800s in the area where the school is now located. While the full story of their lives is not known, research has uncovered some information:
The two newest “stumbling stones” memorializing people enslaved in Arlington are located near a historic cemetery where the honorees are laid to rest.
The congregation of Lomax AME Zion Church was joined by community members on Nov. 9 to unveil the two new markers outside the church entrance on 24th Road S. in Green Valley.
The effort to memorialize people enslaved in Arlington is receiving an additional push over the coming month before it takes a winter break.
Six “stumbling stone” ceremonies have been planned through mid-November at locations across the county. They began Saturday in the Arlington View neighborhood with the unveiling of three new bronze markers embedded into the sidewalk.
