Arlington Historical Society

Historical Society to Offer Antique Appraisals

By Ethan Rothstein

Ball-Sellers House (photo courtesy Arlington Historical Society)Anyone with an old family heirloom, antique piece of furniture or other item of potential value can have it appraised for value and authenticity next month.

The Arlington Historical Society is hosting its first-ever antique appraisal at Carlin Hall (5711 4th Street S.) on Saturday, Sept. 13 from 10:00 a.m. to noon. Interested visitors can pay $10 to have Todd Peenstra, of Annapolis, Md.-based Peenstra Antiques Appraisals, and Steve Gouterman, a jewelry appraiser from NovaGold in Fairfax.

The first hour of appraisals will be conducted in a public, Antiques Roadshow-style setting, and the second hour is reserved for private appraisals. Each appraisal costs $10, while those without antiques can see the show for $5.

All proceeds will go to fund the Arlington Historical Society’s maintenance of Arlington’s oldest building, the Ball-Sellers house at 5620 3rd Street S. Built by John Ball — after whom Ballston is named — around 1750, the house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It will be open for free tours from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the 13th, so those attending the appraisal can see what their admission is funding.

To reserve a spot to have an item appraised, send the Historical Society an email describing the item. The $10 fee is to be paid in advance, according to the organization.

Photo courtesy Arlington Historical Society

Library to Host Presentation on County’s Second-Oldest House

By ARLnow.com

Dawson-Bailey HouseA more-than-200-year-old piece of Arlington history will be the subject of an event at the Arlington Central Library (1015 N. Quincy St.).

The Dawson-Bailey House, believed to be the second-oldest home in Arlington, will be the focus of a visual presentation by Karl VanNewkirk, an Arlington Historical Society board member. The Sept. 12 presentation is part of a series of public programs between AHS and the library in an effort to further educate residents on the county’s history.

The Dawson-Bailey House was originally built as a one-room log cabin in the 1780s — though the actual age of the house is unknown. Both the Dawson and Bailey families occupied the house and continued to add to it for about 100 years. In 1955, after the last owner died, it was handed over to Arlington County. Today, the house is part of the Dawson Terrace Community Center (2133 N. Taft St.) and overlooks Spout Run Parkway in the North Highlands neighborhood, near Rosslyn.

The Ball-Sellers House, which is owned by AHS, is believed to be the oldest house in the county.

Dawson-Bailey HouseVanNewkirk’s presentation will include plenty about this historical landmark, including anecdotes about Abraham Lincoln and Robert E. Lee. Both are rumored to have visited the house during the Civil War era. Lee lived just a mile or so away in the Arlington House.

The hour-long program is set to begin at 7:00 p.m. on Sept. 12 in the library’s main auditorium. A Q&A session with VanNewkirk will follow.

In addition to these public programs, the Arlington Historical Society welcomes visitors to their other historic Arlington locations, the Balls-Sellers House and the former Hume School, now the Arlington Historical Museum.

This article was written by Maddy Berner

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Church steeple in Arlington

Exhibit Looks at Civil War Soldier — The Arlington Historical Society has a new exhibit highlighting the life of “everyman” soldier that was stationed in Arlington during the Civil War. About 10,000 soldiers were stationed in Arlington at any one time, compared to the population of Arlington at the time: 1,400. [Sun Gazette]

Streetcar Supporters Throw Party — About 100 people turned out at the Party for the Pike, an inaugural event organized by the pro-streetcar group Arlington Streetcar Now. The chairman of the group says he’s seeing growing support for the streetcar, especially among younger residents. [Patch]

Arlington Capital Bikeshare Video — Arlington County has produced a video highlighting the expansion of the Capital Bikeshare system in the county and encouraging more residents to use it. Arlington even offers classes for residents who  need to learn how to ride a bike. [YouTube]

Program to Wax Nostalgic About Historic Businesses

By Katie Pyzyk

In Arlington, where it seems like something new is always being built, sometimes it’s difficult to remember which businesses used to exist. A history program taking place tonight is hoping to jog your memory.

“Do You Remember?” is being billed as an interactive journey through Arlington’s commercial history. Charlie Clark, a longtime contributor to the Arlington Historical Magazine, will lead the program.

The program will look at now defunct businesses such as Herbert’s Youth Fashions and McCrory’s Five and Dime. Attendees can also share their memories of beloved businesses from decades past.

“Do You Remember?” is free and takes place tonight from 7:30-9:00 p.m. at the Central Library.

Thieves Strike Hume School, Endangering Historical Society’s Finances

By ARLnow.com

The Hume School, home of the Arlington Historical Society Museum (1805 South Arlington Ridge Road), was damaged by thieves last month, the organization’s president has confirmed.

“Sometime in early December, thieves literally ripped off three 30 foot long copper downspouts from the exterior walls of the Hume School,” said Arlington Historical Society President Tom Dickinson. “This is a severe blow to our carefully shepherded finances, which were already in a precarious (deficit budget) situation. Although covered by insurance, we will incur a $1,000 deductible hit to pay for replacement downspouts.”

Dickinson said he’s meeting with a contractor today to get an estimate for the total replacement cost. He said that with the public’s help, he’s still hoping to catch the thieves.

“It would be interesting to know if any of your readers have contacts with scrap metal dealers in the area who might remember having seen these very long, dark brown tubes come through recently,” he said. “The price of copper has gone way up in recent months, thus making such brazen thefts more frequent.”

A photo of the Hume School is one of the finalists in this year’s county vehicle decal contest.

Anyone interested in donating to the historical society can do so online here or by sending a check to the Arlington Historical Society at P.O. Box 100402, Arlington, Virginia 22210-3402.