VAF 2018 will take us back east to the Washington, DC region for A Shared Heritage: Urban and Rural Experience on the Banks of the Potomac, May 2-5, 2018. 

The Potomac River serves as the boundary between Maryland and Virginia, creating a cultural landscape that is simultaneously divided and shared. The tours will present the Potomac region’s urban and rural history, and highlight cultural, religious, economic, and agricultural resources while emphasizing cross-river connections. 

A day of tours in Maryland will focus on landscapes from three centuries, illustrating evolution from a slave-based monoculture to a region of diversified work and leisure activities.

Walking tours in Alexandria will showcase a city planned in the 18^th century that has continually evolved and adapted to meet cultural and economic change while retaining a distinct historic urbanity. 

Sites on both sides of the river will inform the following themes:

·      Plantation agriculture and riverine commercial settlements

·      Urban evolution

·      Intersections of black and white culture

·      Religious heritage: architectures of public and private worship

·      Modernity and whole place preservation

The conference is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia at the Crowne Plaza Old Town, and for the keynote event we will travel by boat to George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Please note two important points: Maryland tours are limited to 100 participants each, so register early; the boat for the keynote event leaves at 5:00pm on Wednesday, so make your travel plans accordingly. 

Questions? Contact Tom Reinhart at vafpotomac@vafweb.org.

We look forward to seeing you on the banks of the Potomac!