Date/Time
Date(s) - 04/01/2023
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Location
Ball-Sellers House
Categories
The weather looks bad for our original planned date (Apr 1) is calling for rain, wind, and possible thunderstorms. So we are taking a rain check and holding our special event “Threading History” on Saturday, April 15.
We will be open on April 1 from 1-4 pm, for regular free tours, but our special event will be held in two weeks.
Special Event Information for April 15
The five daughters of John and Elizabeth Ball would have learned from a very young age how to prepare the raw materials to make clothing and household items. On our 2023 opening day, we’ll show you how and let you practice preparing the material for a take home memento.
We’re open from 1-4 pm and at the top of each hour we’ll have demonstrations of how different textiles were prepared and turned into material used in this colonial house.
- 1:00 pm: Turning wool into spun yarn
- 2:00 pm: Preparing flax for spinning it into thread to make linen
- 3:00 pm: Preparing cotton for spinning and weaving.
In between we’ll have ways for all ages to practice with each of the materials to bring home.
We’ll have free colonial era sweet treats.
You’ll be able to tour the oldest house in Arlington free with a knowledgeable docent and be transported back to the sights and sounds of Arlington’s earliest days!
The Ball-Sellers House has been around since before Arlington County was even a thought. John and Elizabeth Ball acquired a land grant from Lord Fairfax VI when he was directed by King George II to carve out Fairfax County from Stafford County in 1742.
In 1976, Marian Rhinehart Sellers donated the house to the Arlington Historical Society (AHS). AHS preserved the original section to look like it may have when John and Elizabeth ball lived there with their five daughters. So the section has no electricity, heat, or running water and we close the museum through the colder months of November through March.
Each year we reopen on the first Saturday of April and host a different and memorable historic event. Join us!