#73 – Visit the Arlington Historical Museum

The Arlington Historical Museum offers a free and fascinating window into the county’s rich past, housed in a building that is itself a piece of history: the 1891 Hume School at 1805 S. Arlington Ridge Rd. — the oldest surviving school building in Arlington County. Designed by Washington architect B. Stanley Simmons and named for Confederate veteran and civic leader Frank Hume, the school was converted into the museum in the early 1960s and is now both a Virginia State Historical Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places. Operated by the Arlington Historical Society, it sits just a half mile from the Pentagon City Metro station.

Exhibits trace Arlington’s story from Captain John Smith’s 1608 encounter with Algonquin peoples through the Civil War, industrial growth, immigration, and the lives of enslaved people in the community – all the way to a section of Pentagon wall destroyed on September 11, 2001. A hands-on education exhibit lets visitors ring the original school bell. The museum also operates the nearby 18th-century Ball-Sellers House. Admission is free. Hours are Wednesday 12:30–3:30 p.m. and Saturday–Sunday 1–4 p.m. (April through October for the Ball-Sellers House). Visit arlhist.org for current hours and special events.

You can also join the Arlington Historical Society, a non-profit organization designed to provide historic resources for the community.