Date/Time
Date(s) - 01/10/2019
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Location
Reinsch Library Auditorium, Marymount University
Categories
Author Garrett Peck will guide us along the historic course of the Potomac River as he highlights how the river has impacted Arlington and Northern Virginia. Maryland and Virginia have disputed control of the Potomac for 400 years since the original charters of both states claim the entire river. The river drove the development of the region and the path of a young republic. George Washington saw it as a crucial link to the West. During the Civil War the river divided North and South and offered a last physical defense for the Union capital. Damaging floods in 1936 and 1937 prompted calls for the Army Corps of Engineers to build a series of dams. The history of the Potomac and its impact on Arlington and Northern Virginian is a thought-provoking mix of national history and natural history.
Garrett Peck is an author, historian and tour guide of the nation’s capital and its environs. He is also the author of seven popular books on a variety of history topics. He is on the board of the Woodrow Wilson House and is a member of the Association of the Oldest Inhabitants of D.C. He is also a member of the Arlington Historical Society and has served on the AHS Board of Directors. A native Californian, he is a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute and George Washington University as well as a US Army veteran, Garrett lives in Arlington. His book, “The Potomac River: A History and Guide,” will be on sale and he’ll be happy to autograph your copy.
This program is free and open to the public. It is part of a monthly series of public programs sponsored by the Arlington Historical Society and Marymount University’s Department of History and Politics. For more information, please visit www.arlingtonhistoricalsociety.org, Email: info@arlingtonhistoricalsociety.org or call: 703-942-9247.
DRIVING DIRECTIONS and FREE PARKING: Attendees should enter the Marymount University campus at the library gate on N. 26th Street. On N. Glebe Road, head towards Chain Bridge and after the intersection at Lee Highway (Route 29) take a right onto N. 26th Street. After passing through the intersection at Yorktown Road, turn left onto the Marymount Campus. Take an immediate left and the library is on your right. Attendees should park in the garage at the bottom of the incline. Handicapped parking is available at this 26th Street entrance immediately upon entry to your right as you enter the gate.