Where Halls Hill
Tells Its Own Story
A guided walking tour through one of the most remarkable Black communities in American history - led by a fourth generation resident who literally wrote the book on it.
Halls Hill Heritage Tour
THE STORY
More Than a Neighborhood
In 1866, formerly enslaved people built a community on a hill in Arlington, Virginia. They built their own churches, their own schools, their own businesses — and when the government built walls to segregate them from white neighbors, they built something brilliant behind them.
Halls Hill / High View Park is one of the oldest continuously Black-owned communities in the DC region. Although greatly gentrified, the streets you'll walk carry 160 years of resistance, accomplishment, and community. This tour puts you inside that story.
You'll stand at the segregation wall. You'll visit the church that anchored the community. You'll hear about the children who desegregated Arlington's public schools in 1959. You'll leave knowing something most people in this area have never been told.
The Halls Hill Wall
Built to Separate
Still Standing
S=====
The Stratford Four
Desegregation 1959
Wilma Jones
Historian | Author | Fourth Generation Halls Hill Resident
Wilma Jones has spent more than 20 years documenting 400+ stories of Black Arlington history spanning nearly 300 years — drawing from the Arlington Center for Local History, the Library of Virginia, and her own family's archive.
Her brother Michael is one of the Stratford Four. Her family has lived on this hill for four generations. She is not a guide who studied this history. She was raised into this history.
Author of My Halls Hill Family: More Than a Neighborhood. NPR-featured community leader. Award-winning civic activist. The most compelling storyteller you'll meet in the DC region.
Tour Details
GROUP SIZE
Up to 12 guests
DURATION
FORMAT
IDEAL FOR
ADD-ONS
~2 Hours with Q&A
Outdoor Walk with Reston Limousine Service
Corporate Groups, Hotel Guests and History Buffs
Available
EXPERIENCE RATE
Starting from $2,200
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Code of Conduct
Review the ABHE Code of Conduct applicable for guests and organizations for ALL experiences.
Operational Standards
ABHE meets the operational standards required by DMCs, luxury tour organizations, corporate incentive and procurement teams. We carry $1,000,000 in general liability coverage and maintain absolute client privacy - no guest photography, no social media, and no disclosure of client or attendee information. Certificates of insurance available upon request.