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Collection

New May Releases

Post Published: May 6, 2025

Spring cleaning? We prefer spring reading. 🌸🧹📚

Turn off notifications, find a quiet spot in the shade and use these new books as the perfect excuse to ignore your to-do list.

Composite of ten book covers.

When Cora’s son is born, everyone in the family disagrees on what to name him. "The Names" by Florence Knapp explores three different timelines, each stemming from what name the baby is given.  

You don’t need to be a racing fan to enjoy Karen Booth’s steamy enemies-to-loves romance, "Not So Fast." Formula 1 podcaster Mia has been going viral for her hot takes on struggling racer Xander, but when the two meet face-to-face, a different type of sparks begin to fly!  

The axe is one of humanity’s oldest tools and most chilling weapons. In "Whack Job," Rachel McCarthy James mixes true crime, pop culture and witty prose to trace a lethal legacy through the centuries, from royal executions in Tudor England to infamous modern crimes like Lizzie Borden. 

From closeted housewives to out teens, the entries from a lesbian helpline reveal a chorus of voices seeking connection and solidarity in 1990s London. Weaving these stories with her own, Elizabeth Lovatt’s "Thank You For Calling the Lesbian Line" asks vital questions about queer history and who gets remembered. 

Newbery Medal winner Erin Entrada Kelly shifts to nonfiction in her middle grade biography "At Last She Stood." Diagnosed with leprosy during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, Josefina "Joey" Guerrero was expected to disappear quietly. Instead, she used her disease to slip past Japanese checkpoints and delivered crucial intelligence to the Allies. This riveting account of Guerrero’s bravery brings an unsung World War II hero to light. 

Teen mystery fans will enjoy the sharp and funny "Death in the Cards" by Mia P. Manansala. Danika juggles tarot readings and part-time PI work at her mom’s detective agency—but when a classmate disappears after a chilling tarot session, Danika’s casual side hustle turns into a full-blown investigation involving secret identities, hidden movies and a growing web of suspects. 

Place Your Holds Now!

More Book Lists to Explore

Composite of two book covers.

Celebrate the many cultures and stories within the AANHPI community with hand-picked books by librarian Deborah K for Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month.

AANHPI Guest List
Composite of two book covers.

Explore these books, suggested by the Arlington County's Chavurah Employee Resource Group for Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM).

JAHM Guest List

May 6, 2025 by Library Communications Officer

New April Releases

Post Published: April 4, 2025

It’s time to pack your books for spring break! 📗🌸🌷

Peak bloom has officially ended, baseball is underway and whether you’re going to the beach or staying on your couch, it’s time to pack your books for spring break. Luckily, there are some great books out this month to choose from!

Book composite of 10 covers.

Picture it: Miami, 1980s. Four beloved sitcom characters have to solve a murder after Dorothy’s date is found face-down in cheesecake. "Murder by Cheesecake" by Rachel Ekstrom Courage captures the beloved Golden Girls in this cozy mystery series opener.

"The Amalfi Curse" by Sarah Penner features a coven of witches who protect the coast from pirates. When one tries to run away with a sailor, she’s kidnapped by a shipping magnate who wants her power. Two hundred years later, an underwater archaeologist searching for treasure instead finds family secrets and deep magic in this lush and atmospheric tale.

Parenting is hard, even more so when you’re disabled. "Unfit Parent" by Jessica Slice exposes the challenges from trying to find accessible baby equipment to fighting a system that sees disabled parents as fundamentally "unfit." Slice's own experiences and those from other disabled parents demonstrate how the creativity and skill needed to navigate an unjust system can make everyone a better parent.

In early 1944, the German Army marched on Budapest, by summer, they were being bombed by Allied forces, and at the end of the year, the Red Army had the city under siege. The city swirled with spies and refugees, soldiers, everyday people, aristocrats and cabaret singers, before descending into unimaginable carnage, destruction, hate and anarchy. With newly uncovered sources and survivor interviews, "The Last Days of Budapest" by Adam LeBor recreates life in the city during the war.

In "The Pecan Sheller" by Lupe Ruiz-Flores, Petra dreams of college, but after her father suddenly dies, the thirteen-year-old drops out of school and gets a job shelling pecans to make enough money for her family to survive. Faced with terrible conditions and threatened cuts to already meager wages, Petra must decide if she wants to risk her job to join a strike in this middle grade novel based on the 1937’s six-week pecan sheller's strike in San Antonio.

Candace Fleming’s gripping and immersive "Death in the Jungle" introduces teen readers to Jim Jones, the People’s Temple and the tragic murder-suicide of 918 people in the Guyanese jungle. This deeply researched and thoughtful account not only shows what happened, but how and pays particular attention to the stories of the victims and survivors of the families.

Place Your Holds Now!

Celebrate Earth Day With These Great Book Lists.

Book composite of two covers.

Find practical guides to living with less waste, sewing techniques for transforming old clothes and how to reduce chemical pollution.

Sustainable Living
Book composite of two covers.

Learn about migratory birds, animals from the Kalahari Desert and the geological foundations of the earth with these audio books.

Listening to Nature

April 4, 2025 by Library Communications Officer

New March Releases

Post Published: March 4, 2025

March is here and that means another month of new book đź“– releases!

Find out how a teen discovers that her family is in the mafia, get inside the brains of four senior assassins who solve a murder and learn how the community of Batavia, New York fought corporate greed to save their minor league baseball team.

Composite graphic of 10 book covers.

Good Stab is a Blackfeet vampire seeking revenge for the atrocities committed against his people. "The Buffalo Hunter Hunter" by Stephen Graham Jones layers narratives over a century, combining historical events with chilling horror while examining themes of identity, guilt and survival.

Retired assassins Billie, Helen, Mary Alice and Natalie are once again pulled back into the game. "Kills Well with Others," Deanna Raybourn’s exhilarating and darkly funny sequel to "Killers of a Certain Age," uncovers a revenge plot tied to a decades-old mission stretching back to WWII.

When Major League Baseball eliminated 42 minor league teams in 2020, the community of Batavia, New York didn’t let go of their beloved Muckdogs without a fight. They revived the team as a summer league for college players and in "Homestand," journalist Will Bardenwerper captures the eccentric fans, passionate locals and the bittersweet clash between corporate greed and grassroots love for the game in small town America.

Historian and herbalist Charlotte Taylor Fryar uses the Potomac River as a lens to explore America’s racial and colonial past, highlighting gentrification, environmental degradation and systemic inequality. "Potomac Fever" is both a love letter to the river and a sharp critique of American myth.

Middle-grade readers will be drawn to "Whale Eyes," a memoir by James Robinson, illustrated by Brian Rea. The interactive visuals and imaginative design—with changing fonts and words traveling across the page requiring the book to be physically turned on its side and upside down—portray Robinson’s life with strabismus, a condition that affects eye alignment and perception.

Teen readers will be swept up in the action-packed enemies-to-lovers mafia romance, "In the Company of Killers" by Elora Cook. When Tasha’s father and sister are murdered, she discovers that she’s inherited control of New York’s most powerful mob family, but to find the killer, she must team up with Leo, her former best friend and heir to a rival family.

Place Your Holds Now!

More Book Lists to Explore

Composite of two book covers.
Diane's 2025 Picks
Composite of two book covers.
Recent Irish Fiction

March 4, 2025 by Library Communications Officer

Announcing the Wedding Contest Winners

Post Published: February 14, 2025

And the winners are…

Love, libraries, and lifelong commitment—Katie Lettie & Vincent Bauer’s story is one for the books! After more than a decade together (sometimes on opposite coasts, sometimes an ocean apart), these two built a life full of love, literature and culinary adventures! But when it came to choosing a wedding venue, nothing felt quite right… until now.

Arlington is where they finally put down roots together, where they found their community, and now, where they’ll say “I do.” And who better to announce their big news than Bridgerton author and Arlington Reads guest Julia Quinn?

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ArlingtonVALib (@arlingtonvalib)

Thank you to all the couples who entered. You made our committee’s job VERY challenging!

Learn more about this year's Arlington Reads theme, "Share the Love," and stay tuned to hear more from Katie & Vincent. Mark your calendar for their big day July 12, 2025.

February 14, 2025 by Christopher George

New February Releases

Post Published: February 5, 2025

Our Hearts ❤️ Are In The Books 📖

This year, we’re sending valentines to our favorite authors and book characters. Whether they make us laugh, cry, think or all of the above, they ensure our hearts will always be between the pages.

Book composite of 8 book covers.

The Ethiopian government banned "Oromay" days after it was released in 1983. Author Baalu Girma disappeared mere months later, widely believed to be murdered by the regime in retaliation for this powerful anti-war novel. Set against the Red Star Campaign against Eritrean insurgents, a journalist grows increasingly disillusioned while navigating propaganda, war and personal turmoil. Translated from Amharic by David Degusta and Mesfin Felleke Yirgu, it’s now available in English for the first time.

In Molly O’Neill’s "Greenteeth," a lake monster, a witch and a goblin go on a quest to fight a malevolent force threatening their home. Steeped in British folklore and Arthurian legend, this rich fantasy mixes eerie magic, adventure and found family. Perfect for fans of mythic quests.

In "You Didn’t Hear This From Me," Kelsey McKinney, the host of the Normal Gossip podcast examines the role gossip plays in human connection. Using personal stories, research and pop culture from Gilgamesh to The Real Housewives, she explores the good and bad sides of talking about others behind their back.

"Waste Wars" is a hard-hitting exposé of the global waste trade and uncovers how the affluent nations of the Global North offload their trash onto poorer countries under the guise of recycling. From toxic shipbreaking in Turkey to hazardous e-waste processing in Ghana, Alexander Clapp looks at the dark underbelly of consumerism and its devastating consequences.

The middle grade graphic novel "Crumble" follows Emily, who can bake her emotions into desserts. Her family of bakers have one cardinal rule–never bake a bad feeling. But after the devastating loss of her aunt, Emily bakes her grief with widespread unintended consequences. Written by Meredith McClaren and illustrated by Andrea Ball, this is a poignant look at grief, magic and healing.

Teen readers will want to check out the swashbuckling fantasy "Capitana" by Cassandra James. When the Queen is kidnapped by pirates, Cadet Ximena sees her chance to prove her loyalty and become a Cazadoro, a pirate hunter. But her journey, complete with rivalries, high-stakes action and a slow-burning romance with her competitor challenges everything she thought she knew.

Place Your Holds Now!

More Book Lists to Explore

Book composite of two books.
Best recent Black Fiction
Book composite of two books.
Best recent romance

February 5, 2025 by Library Communications Officer

New January Releases

Post Published: January 9, 2025

Our new January releases are here! Place Your Holds Now! ⛄⛸️🏒

There are so many great books coming out this month to start off 2025 with epic stories, intriguing plot twists and new ways of looking at the world.

Book composite of 10 book covers.

"Homeseeking" by Karissa Chen, an epic story of love and war, travels forward and backward in time as it follows two childhood sweethearts separated in 1947 Shanghai until they see each other again in 2008 at a Los Angeles supermarket.

When her drag mother, Lady Lady, is murdered by poisoned chocolate, police bias mars the investigation. Drag star Misty Divine takes on the case, armed with her knowledge of the drag world and everything she has learned from binging true crime shows in Holly Star’s "Murder in the Dressing Room."

The death at the center Fall River, America’s first true crime book, also inspired "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne but remains a mystery. Combining the groundbreaking work of Fall River and modern crime-solving techniques, Kate Winkler Dawson reopens the case in the thought-provoking "The Sinners All Bow."

"Mood Machine" by Liz Pelly offers a sharp critique of Spotify’s impact on the music industry and reveals how the streaming giant favors major labels while exploiting independent artists. This provocative and well-researched book is a must-read for anyone concerned about the future of music.

When Ajay Anthonipillai steals a candy bar, he discovers it holds a million-dollar prize. Now he has to decide if he takes the money, which will change everything for his family, or tell the truth. This middle grade novel, "No Purchase Necessary" by Maria Marianayagam, is full of humor, tension and heart.

A new teen edition of "The Black Swans of Harlem" by Karen Velby introduces readers to Lydia Abarca, Gayle McKinney-Griffith, Sheila Rohan, Marcia Sells and Karlya Shelton. Five dancers, who were integral to the founding of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, broke color barriers in a predominantly white world of ballet. Learn about their enduring legacy in classical dance and their ongoing influence on future generations of dancers.

Place Your Holds Now!

More Book Lists to Explore

Explore the fun side of winter with these curated lists!

Book composite of 2 covers.
Skiing & Snowboarding
Book composite of 2 covers.
Hockey Romance

January 9, 2025 by Library Communications Officer

Great Books You Might Have Missed in 2024

Post Published: December 11, 2024

Looking for a Great Book? We're Here to Help!

So many wonderful books come out every year and 2024 was no exception! Arlington loved “The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store” by James McBride and “The Woman in Me” by Britney Spears. But while we were all trying to read “Lessons and Chemistry” and “Killers of the Flower Moon” before watching their adaptations, we missed hundreds of other great titles!

As much as we try, we know we can’t read everything that comes out, but we do have a list of 2024 titles that deserve a second glance. These books received rave reviews but flew beneath Arlington’s radar.

The books are sorted into subcategories: fiction, nonfiction, graphic, teen, elementary/middle grade and picture books/early readers. And much like browsing the library’s shelves, you're sure to find something unexpected and delightful!

To see which books Arlington readers checked out the most this year, click here.

Browse Full Lists in the Library Catalog

Complete List
Fiction List
Nonfiction List
Graphic Novel List
Picture Books / Early Readers List
Elementary / Middle Grade List
Teen List

December 11, 2024 by Library Communications Officer

Arlington’s Top Reads in 2024

Post Published: December 11, 2024

What Did Arlington Readers Check Out This Year?

2024 was another excellent year for Arlington readers. From history to genre fiction, paper books to eAudio, Arlington reads a lot! While Arlington enjoys a wide range of titles, there were still a few, that it seems like, everyone was reading.

Here is a breakdown of the top adult, kids and young adult titles.

Composite of 10 book covers with text "2024 Top Books."

Three titles had more than 4,000 checkouts this year:

  1. "The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store," by James McBride
  2.  "Tom Lake," by Ann Patchett
  3. "The Women," by Kristin Hannah

“Fourth Wing” by Rebecca Yarros was on last year’s list and saw over 3,500 checkouts in 2024. The sequel, “Iron Flame” also made the top 20 this year, with almost 2,500 checkouts. Place your holds now—the third book in the series, “Onyx Storm” comes out in January.

The most popular teen read was the Hunger Games prequel, "Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes." Keep your eyes out for the sequel, "Sunrise on the Reaping," which comes out next spring. "A Court of Thorn and Roses" by Sarah J. Maas stays on the list and the "Throne of Glass" series has two titles in the top five most checked-out young adult books.

Our younger readers couldn't get enough of "Wimpy Kid."

In addition to the new Rebecca Yarros and Hunger Games books, next summer will see new releases by Arlington favorites, Emily Henry and R. F. Kuang.

"As we celebrate our collective reading in 2024, we are grateful to be of service to the Arlington community and library patrons with exciting book services, author programs, storytimes and ever-expanding diverse collections," said Rebecca Case, Acting Division Chief, Collections and Access, Arlington Public Library.

Of course, there are always great books that don’t get the buzz and popularity and sometimes go missed on our shelves.

Curious about which releases you might have missed this year? We have a curated list from our 2024 catalog of great titles that could be included on your reading list.

Always free. Always open. Always reading!

Great Books You Missed in 2024

Your Favorite eCollection Resources

Composite of eight eResource providers.

Remember, our collection goes beyond books—including many eCollections that you can access from anywhere free with your library card!

Arlington's favorites for 2024 included digital newspaper and magazine access from PressReader, Flipster and Libby, streaming videos from Kanopy, online courses from LinkedIn Learning, language learning from Mango, consumer and investing resources like Consumer Reports and Value Line, O'Reilly's technology and business resources and interactive children’s books from Bookflix.

Arlington's Top 10 eResources

December 11, 2024 by Library Communications Officer

Funeral Programs: A Genealogical Treasure

Post Published: February 15, 2023

Newly Digitized Resource for Historians and Researchers

The Center for Local History’s online collection now includes over 100 documents from funerals of Black community members, donated by Arlington residents Birdie and Mable Alston. These materials will be an important resource for historians and genealogical researchers.

FUNERAL PROGRAMS FROM THE BIRDIE AND MABLE ALSTON COLLECTION

Using Funeral Programs

For African-Americans doing genealogical research, information such as exact dates of birth and death, past residences, place of burial, and maiden names are often difficult to find in the South due to slavery and segregation laws.

According to the Georgia Public Library Service, “The records of many in these communities were often either destroyed, kept in private hands, or never created in the first place.”

These gaps in information can often be found in funeral programs. They may often give valuable personal information about the deceased’s life including hobbies, friends, relatives, and community involvement.

Link to Funeral Program for Evelyn Syphax

Funeral Program for Evelyn Syphax, 2000, CLH Collections

Obituaries can also give context to a person’s life beyond genealogical information and provide insight to researchers that might not be available elsewhere.

In addition, large groups of obituaries give a broader view of a community's makeup and show larger local historical trends.

Link to Nathaniel Richardson funeral program

Funeral Program for Dr. Nathaniel R. Richardson, 1966, CLH Collections

Chase_Viola-0001

Funeral Program for Mrs. Viola P. Chase, 1968, CLH Collections

Link to Lillian Williams Funeral Program

Funeral Program for Lillian Brooks Williams, 1973, CLH Collections

Birdie and Mable Alston

Birdie (1919-2020) and Mable (née Shirley) Alston (1920-2017) were married neighborhood activists and prominent community members in the Halls Hill/Highview Park area. The Alston’s came to Arlington in 1944 and settled in Halls Hill in 1947. Both were heavily involved with the Langston Civic Association and the NAACP.

CLH Staff recently finished digitizing Series 1: Funeral Programs of RG338, Birdie and Mable Alston Collection. This includes over 100 programs from funerals of the area’s Black community members spanning from 1961-2011. Each program contains information about the deceased’s life and family, with many including photographs.

Link to funeral program for Clifton Brown

Funeral Program for Clifton Randolph Brown, 1993, CLH Collections

Link to funeral program for Clifton Brown

Obituary for Clifton Randolph Brown, 1993, CLH Collections

About the Birdie and Mable Alston Collection

Upon Birdie Alston’s death in 2017, his estate donated much of his personal files, photographs, and other materials to the Center for Local History. The materials relate to the various community organizations that the Alston’s were involved with, such as the NAACP, Langston Civic Association, Halls Hill (High View Park) Neighborhood Preservation Plan, and Calloway United Methodist Church. The material dates from 1905-2019, making it an important resource for documenting the changes in Arlington’s Black community.

Related Collections in the CLH

For other collections of active Black citizens in Arlington, see RG 11, Papers of Edmond C. Fleet, and see RG 349, Dorothy Hamm Personal Papers. There are also several oral history interviews detailing life in the Halls Hill/Highview Park neighborhood, including one from Birdie Alston in 1991. RG 48, Records of the NAACP, Arlington Branch, has more detail on this group where the Alston’s were members.

Help Build Arlington's Community History

The Center for Local History (CLH) collects, preserves, and shares resources that illustrate Arlington County’s history, diversity and communities. Learn how you can play an active role in documenting Arlington's history by donating physical and/or digital materials for the Center for Local History’s permanent collection.

Do you have a question about this story, or a personal experience to share? 

Use this form to send a message to the Charlie Clark Center for Local History.

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February 15, 2023 by CLH

From Our Archives: I Saw Lincoln Slain

Post Published: April 12, 2012

She found herself in Washington like millions before and since, a young woman from somewhere else—in this case Connecticut—quickly taken with her newfound closeness to the pomp of the Federal seat of government.

Back in 1865, Washington was also capital of a nation split by a brutal civil war entering its last months. Sarah Russell, a minister’s daughter, would twice see President Lincoln with her own eyes—at the White House on the evening of his second inauguration, March 4, and a few weeks later on Good Friday, April 14, Ford’s Theatre.

Currier & Ives

Jump ahead four decades to a roomy two-story home with picket fence on Lee Highway in the East Fall Church neighborhood.  Sarah Norton Russell Eastman (1847-1939), mother of two impressive young men and wife of a Union veteran, is placing her memories onto the modest lines of a composition book. Points of popular history supplement her recall and at times a fact or two come out wrong.

But it’s Mrs. Eastman’s brief glimpses of Lincoln, both in celebration and mortally wounded, that shine like well-kept heirlooms.

“His shirt was open showing blood on his chest.”

Arlington Public Library’s Virginia Room is home to the Eastman-Fenwick Collection, a large mix of personal papers, Civil War and World War I front-line correspondence, photographs, maps and other materials that include Sarah Eastman’s, and those of several generations including her granddaughter’s husband, Virginia delegate, state senator and gubernatorial candidate Charles R. Fenwick. The Arlington Democrat was a key proponent of regional mass transit and his name is attached to Metro’s Yellow Line span of the 14th Street Bridge.  Fenwick was also a political intimate of John and Robert Kennedy.

The Eastman-Fenwick House, 6733 Lee Highway, is still a family home.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A transcription of Sarah Eastman's account of seeing Abraham Lincoln during March and April 1865:

 

My Recollection of the Assassination of

President Abraham Lincoln.

 

In January 1865, before the close of the

Civil War, I came to Washington to live, and

witnessed many of the exciting scenes of

that period.

 

I saw President Lincolns second

Inauguration and helped dress my Sister to

ride in a float in the parade, which was

an impromptu affair. Thirteen girls dressed

in white with red white and blue, carrying

flags rode on the float.

 

That evening I attended the reception to

President Lincoln’ second inaugural reception

The President at the White House. At the

front door a certain number of persons were

admitted at a time, and when the door was

closed the crowd surging back actually

lifted me off the my feet. After entering, persons

passed through the hall into the Blue

Room, and after shaking hands with the

President and Mrs. Lincoln passed into

the East Room, making their exit through

 

[page 2]

one of the windows onto a platform extending

from the windowsill to the front fence, then

down a few steps to the pavement.

 

My father had been a minister in

Connecticut, and was opposed to the Theatre, so it

was after long urging and the argument that

Ford's Theatre, April 1865

General Grant was to be at the Theater with the

President that evening, that he gave his consent

to my going. I sat in the dress circle nearly

opposite the box in which the President was seated.

The play was Our American Cousin. When the

Presidential Party came in, Lord Dundreary was

just asking the conundrum [“]Why does a dog

wag his tail[?”], and after the applause given the

President he repeated it. The play went

on, then at a moment when the stage was

clear there was a pistol flash and John Wilkes

Booth jumped from the box in which the

President was sitting onto the stage. In jumping

his foot caught in the flag decorating the box

and he apparently sat for an instant on the stage.

Rushing across the stage, about in the middle,

he turned, brandishing a dagger that glistened

[page 3]

in the gas light, and calling out “Sic Semper Tyranus [sic]”

was gone into the alley where a boy was holding

his horse. Being familiar with the Theater he

knew how to arrange the passages so that nothing

would obstruct his course.

 

For a moment every one was dazed, there was

quiet, but almost immediately word spread

around The President has been shot. Then the

confusion was awful. Women fainted, some tried

to climb over the backs of chairs, men rushed on to

the stage, some climbed to the box with water,

Laura Keene came on the stage and with arms

outstretched implored the audience to be calm.

Twice she came out in that manner. After that

she was in the box with Mrs. Lincoln.

 

In going out I reached the top of the stairs just

as the President was being carried down on a

stretcher. Laura Keene was following calling

[“]Make way for Mrs. Lincoln,[“] who was crying

[“]Let me get the assassin, Oh take me to him.[“]

His shirt was open showing blood on his chest.

He was taken to a house opposite where he

died the next morning.

 

[page 4]

There was a plot to assassinate some of

the Cabinet that night. Secretary of State Seward

was attacked, on his sick bed, and seriously

injured, his Son having a tussle with the assassin.

 

Secretary of War Stanton was an intended

victim but was not found where the plotters

supposed him to be. General Grant who was

advertised to be at the Theater was suddenly

called out of the city.

 

Accompanying the President and Mrs. Lincoln

was Major Rathburn [sic] and Miss Harris – afterward

married.

 

There were six persons in the plot

Mrs. Surratt, at whose house on H St near 5th NW

their meetings were held, her Son John H. Surratt,

Payne, who attacked Secretary Seward, Harrold [sic],

Atzerolt [sic] and Mudd. After trial three were

executed  - hung – on the grounds of Old Capitol Prison.

(The ground now occupied by the New Senate Office  Bldg.)

Mrs. Surratt, Payne, Atzerolt. The others were

banished to Dry Tortugus [sic].

 

A few words about Miss Keene

 

[page 5]

The performance that evening was

advertised as a Benefit, also her last night.

The President, with a full house must have

been an incentive to do her best. She was

gowned in white satin brocaded with pink

roses and green leaves, cut with tight bodice,

low neck, short sleeves and full shirt, in

which she made a pleasing picture.

 

I quote from a program which I have preserved.

 

Playbill. Smithsonian Institution

Benefit and Last Night of Miss Laura Keene

the distinguished managerist [sic], authorist [sic] and

actress. Supported by John Doytt and

Henry [sic] Hawk, in Tom Taylors celebrated eccentric

comedy. As originally produced by Miss Keene

and performed by her upwards of 1000 nights

Entitled, Our American Cousin.

 

Copied into this book February 1905.

Sarah N. Eastman.

April 12, 2012 by Web Editor Tagged With: local history news

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We champion the power of stories, information and ideas.

We create space for culture and connection.

We embrace inclusion and diverse points of view.
























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