Historical Markers
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By car · County in Virginia

Family History Trips in Arlington County, VA

Plan a trip to the places your ancestors lived: the churches, schools and cemeteries on the record near where they settled.

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Arlington County is one of 134 counties in Virginia. Researchers working on Arlington County, VA usually start at the courthouse. The listed sites around it are often the fastest way to see what the records describe.

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On the record near Arlington County, VA

The 12 nearest

850 listed historic sites on the record within 30 miles of Arlington County, VA. 31 listed sites carry Arlington County as their county.

  1. Glebe Centerunder a mile from the center of Arlington County · Building · Arlington · listed 2004National Register of Historic Places
  2. Windsor Apartmentsunder a mile from the center of Arlington County · District · Arlington · listed 2021National Register of Historic Places
  3. Al's Motorsunder a mile from the center of Arlington County · Building · Arlington · listed 2003National Register of Historic Places
  4. Clarendon Schoolunder a mile from the center of Arlington County · Building · Arlington · listed 1999National Register of Historic Places
  5. Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlingtonunder a mile from the center of Arlington County · Building · Arlington · listed 2014National Register of Historic Places
  6. Drew, Charles Richard, Houseunder a mile from the center of Arlington County · Building · Arlington · listed 1976National Register of Historic Places
  7. US Post Office--Arlingtonunder a mile from the center of Arlington County · Building · Arlington · listed 1986National Register of Historic Places
  8. Cherrydale Volunteer Fire Houseunder a mile from the center of Arlington County · Building · Arlington · listed 1995National Register of Historic Places
  9. Canadian Embassy1.4 miles from the center of Arlington County · Building · Washington · listed 1973National Register of Historic Places
  10. Glebe, The1.5 miles from the center of Arlington County · Building · Arlington · listed 1972National Register of Historic Places
  11. Calvert Manor1.5 miles from the center of Arlington County · Building · Arlington · listed 1997National Register of Historic Places
  12. Ball-Sellers House1.5 miles from the center of Arlington County · Building · Arlington · listed 1975National Register of Historic Places

Distances are straight-line from the center of Arlington County, VA. Many sites are private property or working buildings - view them from the public way. See them on the map.

Family History Trips in Arlington County, step by step

  1. 1

    Open the map and see what is listed within a few miles

  2. 2

    Pick three stops close enough together for one outing

  3. 3

    Read the record for the first stop before you leave the car

  4. 4

    Stand where it happened and find one detail the sign leaves out

  5. 5

    Collect the stops and pick the next three from what is left

What people in Arlington County, VA ask first

How much does it cost to visit these sites in Arlington County, VA?

Most listed sites can be seen from a public road or sidewalk at no cost, and the app is free to use. Some sites are private homes, working churches or museums with their own hours and fees. The record for each one says what it is, so you know before you go.

Where does the information on these sites come from?

From published records: the National Register of Historic Places, the Recorded Texas Historic Landmark program, and the Georgia Historical Society and Georgia Department of Natural Resources marker program. Every site on the page names its source.

Can I correct a mistake in a listing?

Yes. Send a photo, a location fix or a note with your source, and it is checked before it changes the record. People who visit the sites are the best check the record has.

Does this replace the official register files?

No. It points you to them. Each site names its source so you can go to the full nomination file or marker program record for the deeper detail.

How a visit works in Arlington County

  1. Step 1

    Find the place

    Every stop starts as a pin with real coordinates. In Arlington County, VA the map shows what is listed around you and how far each one is, so the first decision is where to go, and it takes a few seconds.

  2. Step 2

    Read the story

    The record behind each marker is kept whole: what happened there, when, who was involved, and why it was worth a sign. You read it standing where it happened, which is the part a textbook cannot give you.

  3. Step 3

    Get there under your own power

    Walk it, run it, hike it, ride it or drive it. Stops in Arlington County, VA are chained into routes that fit the way you move, so a lunch break, a long run or a Saturday drive can all pass through history.

  4. Step 4

    Collect it and come back

    Each stop you reach counts toward a badge, and a photo or a correction you send makes the record better for the next person. The map remembers where you have been, so the next trip starts where the last one ended.

The rules that make it work

The record comes first

Every site on these pages comes from a published register or marker program, with its source named. Nothing is listed that is not on the record.

Read the whole story

A marker is a few lines on a post. The story behind it is longer, and it includes the hard parts. Both are worth the stop.

Movement makes it stick

People remember the places they walked to. A route through five markers teaches more than fifty marker pages read on a couch.

Local beats famous

The marker two streets over usually has a better story than the one in the guidebook, and nobody else is standing in front of it.

Respect the ground

Many sites are private homes, working churches or cemeteries. View from the public way, follow posted hours, and leave it as you found it.

Every visitor can improve it

Markers go missing, get moved, or carry mistakes. A photo or a location fix from the person standing there is how the record stays right.

More ways in around Arlington County, VA

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Family History Trips near Arlington County

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