What am I?

This unidentified object, part of the Alexander Haight Family Collection, was found alongside a broken handcuff and chisel in western Fairfax County, Virginia. Speculation is that a fugitive, possibly a slave, possibly a captured soldier, hid in the woods and used the chisel to break through the handcuff, leaving this object behind with them. Please […]

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Newly Recovered Music and Voice Recordings from the 1950s Arts Scene

During the 1950s the United States and Russia not only competed in terms of military might, they also vied against each other for world influence. Though America may have been on the leading edge of manufacturing, technology, and popular culture; the Soviet Union and its satellite countries in eastern Europe were the generally accepted leaders […]

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Not Just Another Library Preservation Video!

As you know, this week is National Library Week, and George Mason University Libraries and Special Collections & Archives has teamed up to create a video to educate library users on the proper care of library materials. This latest installment in what has become a a cottage industry among hip university library systems, features an […]

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Marriott, a Restauranteur Before a Hotel Magnate

Nearly everyone over the age of 40 who grew up in the Washington, D.C. area must recall either eating at or driving by a Hot Shoppes restaurant. The brainchild of J. Willard Marriott, Hot Shoppes featured family-style comfort food, such as burgers, meatloaf, steaks, soups, fries, milkshakes, and numerous desserts. Before becoming a hotel baron, […]

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New Exhibit: Hidden Treasures in SC&A

SC&A has recently installed a new exhibit entitled Hidden Treaures in Special Collections & Archives, which features unusual, unique or otherwise unconventional archival items. The items selected for this exhibit are non-textual and intended to be visually appealing.

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