In Colonial times, Abingdon Plantation occupied the Arlington, VA site near where Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) now sits.

Abingdon was purchased in 1778 by John Parke Custis, the adopted stepson of President George Washington, and was the birthplace of Washington’s granddaughter, Eleanor “Nelly” Parke Custis. The home was destroyed by fire in 1930 and the ruins stabilized.

In 1998 the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority preserved the site and created an exhibit of artifacts you can see today in the walkway between Terminals 1 and 2.

Outside the airport, on the site of the ruins of Abingdon Plantation, historical signage only told the story of the landowners.

But that wasn’t the whole story. Now, finally, signs at the ruins – between DCA’s Garages A and B – include the story of the enslaved people who worked and lived on this land.  

One sign (above) includes the known names of the Africans and African Americans who were once enslaved there. The other signs give more of a description of what life was like for the slaves.

According to an airport spokesperson, the ruins in the picture below are from the main house. The new interpretive sign describes what life might have been like for the enslaved person who served as the stable manager.

The ruins in the background in this image are from Abingdon’s laundry and kitchen. This new panel describes the life of a slave who served as a seamstress.