VA-HIST members, I am currently working on a project with two other people to prepare an interpretive master plan for the Arcola Slave Quarters for Loudoun County Parks, Recreation and Community Services. The quarter, made of stone and constructed in two stages (ca. 1813 and ca. 1845) is a rare survival, and it is primarily through the efforts of the Friends of Arcola Slave Quarters that the building is still standing. It is located between Evergreen Mills Road and Route 50 and is not currently open to the public. The site includes a 20th-century county maintenance building and, in close proximity, an American four-square house constructed on the foundations of the early 19th-century plantation house, which burned in the 1920s. Vincent Lewis purchased this land in 1746 and gave part of it to his son, James, and then left most of it to his son, Charles [the story of the property is long and convoluted--this is the simple version]. The slave quarter is on land that we think belonged to James; Charles lived on land across Evergreen Mills Road. We have the research done by the Friends--primarily genealogical, focusing on the enslaved individuals owned by the family--and we have the deeds, wills, probate inventories, estate sale records, personal property tax records and slave division documents from the Fairfax and Loudoun County records. There is a very lengthy chancery case focusing on Lewis property, but this is primarily from the last quarter of the 19th century, even though it includes earlier wills, deeds, and probate records. We also have a detailed architectural report on the building done by Dr. Dennis Pogue and Dr. Douglas Sanford earlier this year. What we don't have and have been unable to locate, are any personal records of the family: letters, diaries, business records, etc., as well as any images of the property before the plantation house burned. We welcome any information on the whereabouts of these records as well as any other information or suggestions that can help us with this project. Many thanks! Martha Katz-Hyman Independent Curator Newport News, VA ______________________________________ To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html This list is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).