Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Records of the Arlington Committee on Jamestown 2007, Collection # RG 174, Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History

Acquisition Information

Gift of Joan McDermott, Chair of the Committee, in February 2009.

Historical Information

According to the final report to the Arlington County Board, the Board appointed an 18-member committee in October 2005, charged with planning events and legacy projects to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown in 1607. The chair was Joan McDermott. The first meeting was in November 2005, followed by monthly meetings. The committee planned and sponsored 40 events, activities, and projects during the period from May 1, 2006 and December 31, 2007. This was one of 181 programs in Virginia for this commemoration. The goals were to increase tourism, expand economic development, renew awareness of Virginia history, highlight local historical and cultural interests, and to involve local people in planned events.

Scope and Content

Record Group 174 measures approximately four linear feet of records dating from 2001 to 2008. Materials consist of minutes, correspondence, alphabetical files chiefly concerning activities and projects for the celebration, reports about the economic impact of the celebration on Arlington and the final report to the county board, grant proposals, promotional materials, magazine articles, clippings, and photographs, the majority from 2001 and from 2006 and 2007. They deal chiefly with the Jamestown 2007 celebration in Arlington, Virginia. Among the 40 events and activities described in detail are: staffing a booth at the Arlington County Fair, showing documentary films, sponsoring a play about Jamestown, holding author lectures, participating in two Jamestown Oak tree plantings, holding a book fair, and taking part in the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. There were three legacy projects: a heritage calendar, oral histories from 37 Arlington residents of different heritages and ages, and small grants to groups for projects such as the Lustron House Documentation Project, the Potomac Overlook Park Heritage Program, the Taylor Rain Garden, and a Colonial Faire.

Also included is a photograph album showing the Arlington Bicentennial celebration in July, August, and October 2001. This album shows local and state dignitaries at the celebrations (e.g. Jay Fissette, John Millikin, James Moran) well as actors in a play portraying Arlington history, filling of a time capsule chest and a celebration at the Arlington County Fair. Close to half of the record group consists of alphabetical files concerning planning for and execution of events for the celebration.

Arrangement

The record group is arranged into seven series by type of material. Series 1 contains minutes of the Arlington Committee on Jamestown 2007 with a small amount of related correspondence in chronological order. This series was constructed by the processor. Series 2 consists of 131 alphabetical files with titles retained from the folders as they arrived at the library. The folders arrived in rough alphabetical order in sections of two boxes but appeared to be part of one group with similar handwritten titles so were placed in the same series.

Series 3 consists of grant proposals to the committee for the celebration, most of which were funded and are noted in the Scope and Content section, and promotional materials such as the official commemorative publication and guides for local communities with suggestions for activities. Series 4 contains reports of the economic impact of the celebration and the Committee's final report. Series 5 contains magazine articles about the celebration in Virginia and the importance of the settlement for the country. Series 6 contains photocopies of clippings about the celebration.

Series 7 contains one photo of the Committee and one folder showing period-costumed Arlingtonians, as well as nine folders of Arlington Bicentennial photographs from the original 2001 album: July 26, August 16, September 21, and October 28. The album was disassembled and put in folders by date and photographic roll number as indicated in the album.

Index Terms

Subjects:

• Arlington (Va.)
• Arlington County (Va.)
• Jamestown (Va.)
• Jamestown Settlement -- Anniversaries, etc.
• Jamestown Settlement -- Centennial celebrations, etc.