In celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday this year, the Fairfax County History Commission is hosting a free conference that will feature authors, scholars, archeologists, preservationists and community members on Saturday, April 18, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Fairfax County History Commission's 2026 conference is themed “Revolutionary Ideas: Fairfax County’s American Revolution” and is presented with partners: the Fairfax County Park Authority, the Fairfax250 Commission, George Mason University, and the Historical Society of Fairfax County.  It all takes place at the Fairfax County Government Center 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax. You're welcome to view the event program and event flyer in advance.While the conference is free, registration is requested.  Come for an hour or two, or stay the whole day.  Lunch options will be available. 

Conference Overview

Keynote speaker Richard Bell, PhD, a professor of history at the University of Maryland and author of The American Revolution and the Fate of the World, will lead off the conference. He will be followed by a presentation with i George Mason University professors Rosemarie Zagarri and Cynthia Kierner and Center for Mason Legacies Director George Oberle (conference cochair).

Afternoon sessions will offer opportunities for attendees of all ages to participate in hands-on activities and interactive projects from Colonial-era toys to modern methods for archaeology and genealogy.  Local historical societies will be there to answer questions and provide information about events taking place over the course of the nation’s 250th anniversary.

Whether you're a history enthusiast, educator, student or curious community member, it’s a welcoming event at which to learn, explore and get involved in commemorating the American Revolution and the ideas that shaped our country.

Program

morning session

8:30 a.m. – Registration and coffee

9 a.m. – Keynote speaker Richard Bell, author of The American Revolution and the Fate of the World

10:45 a.m. - History Commission Awards presentation, followed by panel presentation, The Big Picture

  • Rosemarie Zagarri: Politics in Revolutionary Fairfax
  • Cynthia Kierner: Living the Revolution
  • George Oberle: Slavery in Fairfax County in the Revolutionary Era

noon - 2 p.m. - tabling featuring local non-profits and history organizations, including

  • Fairfax County Public Library Virginia Room
  • George Mason University Libraries
  • Fairfax County Department of Planning & Development 
  • Burke Historical Society
  • Friends of Colvin Run Mill
  • Gum Springs Historical Society and Museum
  • Pohick Church Docents Guild
  • Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation

12:15 pm - lunch break and opportunity to visit information tables 

afternoon sessions (concurrent)

1:30 - 3:45

  • Live Like a Colonial (for all ages) – Make a whirligig, write with quills, learn slang and about old-time jobs, dress up and take a selfie Our Talented Students (for all ages) - Middle and high school students interpret history
  • In Your Own Words (for all ages) - What does freedom mean to you? Contribute to a community poster

1:30 - 2:30 p.m.

  • Impacts of the Revolution - presentation by Center for Mason Legacies doctoral students of original research
    • David Armstrong: “Not Satisfied with the Provisions Made for Her”: Elizabeth Mary Ann Barnes Hooe, the Mason Family, and the Transfer of Property in Early Virginia
    • Anne Champlin: The Mason Family Account Book and Revolutionary Virginia, 1774-1783
    • Allesandra DelDonna: “An Agreeable Companion, Prudent Mother, and Humane Mistress:” Ann Eilbeck Mason as the ‘Planter’s Wife’ in 18th-Century Virginia
  • High School Trivia Competition: “It’s Revolutionary" (for all ages)
  • Archaeology Artifacts Game, "What Is It?" (for all ages) - with Fairfax County Park Authority's Archaeology and Collections Branch

2:45 - 3:45 p.m.

  • Workshop: Land Records and Racial Covenants - Interactive research and mapping workshop with Krystyn Moon, author and professor of History and American Studies at the University of Mary Washington
  • Find Your Roots (for all ages) - Interactive session with the Fairfax Genealogical Society
  • African American Cemeteries - Historian Mary Lipsey explains burial traditions and preservation while providing insight on some of those interred locally   
  • A.I. for the Humanities (for all ages) - Mason scholars explain uses of Artificial Intelligence for research