The Ages Of Abington

The land that Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport occupies today was 
once part of a plantation.  This hill and the ruins on it are all that remain of the house that stood here for nearly 190 years.

	Abington, as this tract of land on the Potomac River was called, witnessed 
sweeping historical changes.  The land was owned for many years by the Alexander 
family, for whom Alexandria, Virginia was named.  John Parke Custis, George 
Washington's adopted stepson, moved his family to Abington in 1778.  Through the 
Curtis family, Abington is associated with families of the Virginia plantations of Mount Vernon, Stratford Hall, Kenmore, Woodlawn and Arlington.

	Abington survived Union occupation during the Civil War and the end of 
plantation life.  However, the encroachment of industry finally took its toll on Abington, which fell into disrepair until it burned in 1930.  Eight years later, the land was chosen as the site of an airport designed to serve the Nation's Capital.  As National Airport evolved, the ruins of the plantation house remained preserved on this hill as a testament to the rich history of this land.