History |
History of Arlington House Foundation
The galvanizing force behind the creation of SHAH was Wayne Parks, the great-grandson of James Parks1, an enslaved Parks partnered with Gene Cross, a civil war historian2 and volunteer interpreter at Arlington House, to form a Board of Trustees for SHAH that included Robert E. Lee IV, General Montgomery Meigs3, Robert Poole, who wrote "On Hallowed Ground", the seminal history of Arlington National Cemetery and Elizabeth Pryor Parks next recruited to the Board a lawyer in his neighborhood, James Baker, who subsequently became Chief Judge on the U.S. Military Court of Appeals. Judge Baker provided invaluable legal guidance to SHAH and negotiated a Philanthropic Partnership Agreement (PPA) with NPS in 2011, one which became the national model for subsequent PPA's between the NPS and "Friends Groups" throughout the United States.
In 2014, philanthropist, David Rubenstein, donated $13.35 million for the restoration of Arlington House which was closed for renovation in 2018 and reopened in June 2021. However, our work at Arlington House Foundation is not finished. The reopening of Arlington House heralded a new commitment to enlarging the historical lens and ensuring, going forward, that all stories be told, and all voices be heard. Arlington House Foundation and our Board Chair, Merle Schneider, invite you to join us by making a contribution that will assist with the ongoing preservation of this unique national treasure. 1 After the Civil War, James Parks became a long-time and revered employee of Arlington National Cemetery. He is the only formerly enslaved person at Arlington House who is currently buried in a marked grave at Arlington National Cemetery. 2 Harlan Eugene Cross, “Letters Home: Three Years Under General Lee in the 6th Alabama” (2013: available on Amazon). 3 General Meigs was the great-great nephew of General Montgomery Meigs who in 1864 ordered the first burials on the grounds of what which was ultimately to become Arlington National Cemetery 4 Wayne Parks died suddenly in the spring of 2010 and Gene Cross (Board Chair 2009-2018) passed away in January 2020, but their work lives on at Arlington House Foundation. |