A Guide to the Virginia B. Peters Papers on the Fairfax County History Commission, 1982-1993 Virginia B. Peters Papers on the Fairfax County History Commission MSS 06-17

A Guide to the Virginia B. Peters Papers on the Fairfax County History Commission, 1982-1993

A Collection in The Fairfax County Public Library

Record Group Number MSS 06-17


[logo]

Fairfax County Public Library
City of Fairfax Regional Library
Virginia Room
10360 North Street
Fairfax, VA 22030-2514 USA
Virginia Room: 703-293-6227 x6
Fax: 703-293-2155
Email: va_room@fairfaxcounty.gov
URL: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/virginia-room

© 2017 Fairfax County Public Library. All rights reserved.

Repository
Fairfax County Public Library
Record Group Number
MSS 06-17
Title
The Virginia B. Peters Papers on the Fairfax County History Commission, 1982-1993
Extent
1.0 linear feet
Creator
Peters, Virginia Bergman (1918 - )
Language
English
Abstract
The Virginia B. Peters Papers on the Fairfax County History Commission consists of 1.0 linear feet spanning the years 1982-1993 and contains correspondence, notes, minutes, reports, studies, and memorandum. Subjects include the Fairfax County History Commission, Fairfax County Park Authority, Fairfax County Office of Comprehensive Planning Heritage Resources Branch, and the preservation of Fairfax County historic buildings and historic districts.

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

None

Use Restrictions

Consult repository for information

Preferred Citation

Virginia B. Peters Papers on the Fairfax County History Commission, MSS 06-17, Virginia Room, Fairfax County Public Library

Acquisition Information

Donated by Nan Netherton, March 1995

Processing Information

Chris Barbuschak, March 2017
EAD generated by Ross Landis, 2017

Historical and Biographical Information

Virginia “Ginny” Bergman Peters was born on March 13, 1918 in Lac Qui Parle, Minnesota to Samuel Oscar and Ruth Caroline Bergman. In 1941, she graduated from the University of Minnesota with a B.S. in English and Journalism and taught English for Appleton Public Schools until 1943.

She married J. Shelton Peters on April 27, 1946 and relocated to Northern Virginia where she took a job as a research analyst for the Department of Defense in Arlington, Va. from 1951-1955. In 1956, she began a long career with Fairfax County Public Schools teaching elementary school until 1961 and high school from 1965-1971. Peters later taught classes at the college level and tutored at Belvedere Elementary School and Graham Road Elementary School. In 1965, she received an M.A. in Anthropology from George Washington University.

In 1968, she directed Woodson High School students in the archaeological excavation of Dranesville Tavern and the renovation of the Legato School. Along with Tony Wrenn and Edith Sprouse, Peters co-authored the report Legato School: A Centennial Souvenir and she was instrumental in acquiring the funding for its publication.

In 1979, Peters published The Florida Wars, which chronicled the little known forty-eight year history of armed conflict between the U.S. Army and the Seminole Indian nation. Her book won the Florida Historical Society’s 1980 Rembert W. Patrick Memorial Book Award. In 1995, she wrote a second book, Women on the Earth Lodges: Tribal Life on the Plains.

Peters first joined the Fairfax County History Commission in 1974 and became its archaeological authority. As a member of the History Commission, she was active in trying to establish the site of the 1742 Fairfax County Courthouse. She worked with American University’s Department of Anthropology to conduct excavations of the courthouse site in 1974. In 1977, she helped form the Ad Hoc Cultural Resources Survey Committee of which she served as its chairman. She later served as Chairman of the History Commission from 1982-1984 and resigned in October 1998.

Scope and Content

The Virginia B. Peters Papers on the Fairfax County History Commission consists of 1.0 linear feet spanning the years 1982-1993 and contains correspondence, notes, minutes, reports, studies, and memorandum. Subjects include the Fairfax County History Commission, Fairfax County Park Authority, Fairfax County Office of Comprehensive Planning Heritage Resources Branch, and the preservation of Fairfax County historic buildings and historic districts. Subjects of correspondence include the George Washington Birthday Commission, contracts with Joseph L. Harsh to write a history of the Civil War in Fairfax County, and the move of the Heritage Resources Branch to the Fairfax County Park Authority.

Related Material

MSS 09-01 Fairfax County History Commission Records


Index Terms

  • Fairfax County (Va.). Office of Comprehensive Planning. Heritage Resources Branch.
  • Fairfax County History Commission
  • Fairfax County Park Authority
  • Harsh, Joseph L. (1941-2010)
  • Historic Buildings - Virginia - Fairfax County
  • Peters, Virginia Bergman (1918 - )

Container List

Box 1 Folder 1
Archaeology, 1990-1992
Box 1 Folder 2
History Commission Files, 1982
Box 1 Folder 3
History Commission Files, 1983
Box 1 Folder 4
History Commission Files, 1983
Box 1 Folder 5
History Commission Files, 1984
Box 2 Folder 1
History Commission Files, 1985
Box 2 Folder 2
History Commission Files, 1988-90
Box 2 Folder 3
History Commission Files, 1991
Box 2 Folder 4
History Commission Files, 1992-93
Box 2 Folder 5
History Commission Notes, 1990-92
Box 2 Folder 6
History Commission, Gum Springs Museum, 1984
Box 2 Folder 7
History Commission, Move of Heritage Resources from OCP to Park Authority, 1983-84
Box 2 Folder 8
History Commission, Joseph L. Harsh, Contract & Correspondence, 1983-84
Box 2 Folder 9
Board Minutes, Fairfax County Park Authority, 1982-85