history

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

APS Names New Williamsburg Principal — The Arlington School Board has appointed Dr. Ann McCarty as the new principal of Williamsburg Middle School. McCarty, who has been a middle school principal in Falls Church, replaces Kathleen Francis, who was shown the door in February after sending a lengthy resignation letter to parents. The letter was harshly critical of Superintendent Dr. Patrick Murphy. [Arlington Public Schools]

Remembering Desegregation in Arlington — A town hall was held earlier this week to discuss the legacy of desegregation in Arlington. Stratford Junior High — now H-B Woodlawn — became the first school to integrate in Virginia in 1959. [WAMU]

William J. O’Donnell Obituary — Arlington resident William J. O’Donnell, NASA’s chief spokesman during the Gemini and Apollo programs, died last month at the age of 86. O’Donnell was a World War II veteran who fought in the Battle of Hurtgen Forest, one of the costliest battles of the war for the U.S. [Washington Post]

Flickr pool by Mark C. White

Arlington Invented the Internet

By ARLnow.com

You won’t find this on Wikipedia, but the internet was invented in Arlington in the 1970s.

On Tuesday, the County Board will recognize several former employees of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) who were instrumental in creating ARPANET, the forerunner of the internet. As part of the ceremony, which is set to take place just after 3:00 p.m., the county will show off two new historical markers that will be erected at 1400 Wilson Boulevard in Rosslyn, DARPA’s former headquarters.

The marker will read:

The ARPANET, a project of the Advanced Research Projects Agency of the Department of Defense, developed the technology that became the foundation for the internet at this site from 1970 to 1975. Originally intended to support military needs, ARPANET technology was soon applied to civilian uses, allowing information to be rapidly and widely available. The internet, and services such as e-mail, e-commerce and the World Wide Web, continues to grow as the under-lying technologies evolve. The innovations inspired by the ARPANET have provided great benefits for society.

ERECTED IN 2011 BY ARLINGTON COUNTY, VIRGINIA

Attending the meeting will be Steve Lukasik, former DARPA director, and several of his colleagues. The county will present each with a certificate, complete with the agency’s name spelled in binary code. As part of the ceremony, AVN, the county’s TV network, will air a short film on DARPA’s role in creating the internet.

DARPA is currently headquartered at 3701 N. Fairfax Drive in Virginia Square, but will be moving to a new office building — currently under construction — at 675 N. Randolph Street in Ballston, perhaps as early as the first quarter of 2012.

Ashton Heights to Celebrate 90th Anniversary With House Tour

By ARLnow.com

The annual Lyon Park-Ashton Heights house tour will be held this weekend.

This year’s event will mark the 90th anniversary of the founding of Ashton Heights. The tour will feature homes built between 1904 and 2009. Along the way there will be antique cars, retro costumes, old documents and demonstrations of green technology.

The tour will take place on Sunday between 1:00 and 4:00 p.m. Here’s how organizers are describing it:

Ninety years after real estate developer Ashton Jones created the subdivision he named after himself and appealed to Washingtonians to move to one of the first commuter neighborhoods in Arlington, the Ashton Heights Civic Association kicks off its anniversary celebration with the annual Lyon Park-Ashton Heights Villas & Vistas house tour showcasing the area’s history and charm.

This year’s Villas & Vistas house tour will celebrate Ashton Heights’ 90th anniversary with proceeds benefiting the renovation of the Lyon Park Community Center, a 1920s historic structure. The tour features twelve houses spanning 1904-2009, from bungalows to colonials, and the way residents have adapted them over nine decades through remodeling and green opportunities. Tour participants also will experience some fun vintage surprises–old cars, retro costumes, and original house documents–along the way.  Owners will be on hand to demonstrate aspects of green technology, display building materials, point out original details, describe renovation/design parameters, and share product information (as well as fascinating stories about former owners.)  A limited number of the Ashton Heights Style Guide, an illustrative how-to on planning additions to period houses, will be available.

See a list of homes on the tour here.

Other events being held this year in honor of Ashton Height’s 90th anniversary include a neighborhood picnic, lectures on neighborhood history and “a celebration of long-time residents.”

Courtesy photo

Video Throwback: The County’s New Web Site in 1997

By ARLnow.com

It’s hard to believe this video is only 14 years old, because for many of the internet generation it will feel like ancient history.

Yesterday Arlington put a county television news item from 1997 on its YouTube page. The video discusses the county’s newly-redesigned web site (or, in the parlance of the time, “home page”), which was described as “easy to use,” “updated and improved” and more “dynamic” than the previous web site.

Check out the early web graphics, the oversized cursor, the early Netscape browser (running on Windows 3.1), and the explanation of what a “URL” is.

Poll: What Would You Like to See Return to Clarendon-Courthouse?

By ARLnow.com

Clarendon and Courthouse have changed — a lot — over the past couple of decades.

The arrival of Metro in the late 1970s and early 1980s heralded the demise of many small mom-and-pop retailers and ethnic restaurants that once gave the area its unique character. It also helped speed along the end of large department and five & dime stores.

Among the categories and names of businesses that have disappeared from the Clarendon-Courthouse area are:

Which of those businesses would you most like to see come back to the area?


It’s worth noting that while there are still a few ethnic restaurants in the Clarendon area — Nam Viet and Taste of Morocco come to mind — there were once many more. Ethnic restaurants might not be gone, but certain specialty cuisines, like Cuban, are.

You Can Own History, But It’s a Fixer-Upper

By ARLnow.com

The Harry W. Gray House in Arlington View is on the National Register of Historic Places for its unique architecture and its significance to local African American history. And now it’s for sale for a mere $291,000.

The house was built in 1881 by Harry Gray, a bricklayer and a former slave in the Arlington household of Gen. Robert E. Lee. Despite the fact that the house stood alone on a 10 acre piece of farmland at the time, Gray built it in the Italianate style of fashionable townhouses he had seen in the District. The architecture was a statement about how far freed slaves had come since the Emancipation Proclamation.

“The dwelling represents the monumental shift from slaves to freedmen for African Americans in the years following the Civil War,” a National Park Service document states. The house sits at present-day 1005 South Quinn Street, near Columbia Pike and adjacent to what was once a thriving Freedman’s Village.

The house remains a sturdy structure, its longevity a testament to Gray’s workmanship. Its yard is fairly well-kept, and the brick exterior itself doesn’t look much older than other houses in the area . However, the interior needs some work thanks in part to what we’re told is water damage under a second-floor wooden deck and some outdated fixtures (wood stove, anyone?).

That’s not to imply that the interior is from the 19th century. Indeed, the house was largely gutted and renovated in 1979 after being sold by Gray’s descendants.

“There’s really nothing of significance left” inside, according to county historic preservation planner Rebeccah Ballo.

The home is a foreclosure. The bank took possession of the house late last year, county property records show. Also hurting the value of the home is the fact that the owner won’t have much latitude to make changes to the exterior.

(more…)

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

New Bar Coming to Columbia Pike — William Jeffrey’s Tavern will be a 6,500 square foot bar and restaurant on the ground floor of the Siena Park apartment complex, across the street from Bob & Edith’s Diner. The tavern, owned by the team behind Ragtime and Rhodeside Grill, is expected to open this fall. [Pike Wire]

Arlington Funds Slugging Web Site — Each year, Arlington allots $10,000 out of its $8 million commuter services budget to fund Slug-Lines.com, a privately-run internet resource for the area’s unique, grassroots carpooling system. [Miller-McCune Magazine]

Recalling Java Shack’s Nazi Past — Of course, nobody at Clarendon’s Java Shack has any Nazi affiliation. But the cafe’s building does. TBD recalls the days when the building was the headquarters of the American Nazi Party. Another reminder of the building’s infamous past: the occasional appearance of nostalgic Nazi fliers. [TBD]

New Wakefield High Will Have Lots of Bike Parking — The new $115 million Wakefield High School will include 304 bike parking spaces, up from the old school’s 45 spaces. The Sun Gazette’s Scott McCaffrey wonders if that’s a bit optimistic of school planners. [Sun Gazette Editor’s Blog]

Falls Church (Hearts) Arlington — In an editorial, the Falls Church News-Press addresses redistricting rumors that the 31st State Senate District — which now encompasses Arlington County, Falls Church and a slice of eastern Fairfax County — will be shifted north into McLean and Great Falls, leaving tiny Falls Church to be folded into the Fairfax-centric 32nd State Senate District. That’s frowned upon by the FCNP. “Falls Church is the spiritual sister of Arlington, far more than Fairfax County,” the editorial says. [Falls Church News-Press]

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Cycling Through Arlington National Cemetery — The one-month closure of the Wright gate to Fort Myer will affect some cyclists who travel through Arlington National Cemetery. One blogger argues that the closure should be used as an opportunity to expand cycling privileges in the cemetery. [Greater Greater Washington]

Yorktown High Students Advance to National History Bowl — Not one but two Yorktown High School teams are advancing to the National History Bowl Championship after finishing third and fourth in the Virginia competition. A total of eight Yorktown students will compete at the championship in the District next month. [Arlington Public Schools]

Car-Free Diet Skeptics Found — Arlington County found five individuals who were skeptical about ditching their car for 30 days, but who were willing to try it anyhow. In the end, only two Skeptics will be chosen; the public will be able to vote for their favorite through the end of the month. Disclosure: Arlington County Commuter Services is an advertiser. [Car-Free Diet Skeptics]

Flickr pool photo by Rukasu1

Long-Time Arlingtonians Tell Their Story

By ARLnow.com

Since last month, Arlington County has been asking residents to tell their story for a new initiative that seeks to “celebrate Arlington’s rich cultural diversity through a variety of events, celebrations, and story-telling.”

While the Tell Arlington’s Story web site has more than a dozen video interviews with local folks who have personal tales to tell, on Tuesday you can see some of the stories in person. Third- and fourth-generation African American residents will be sharing their stories at the Arlington Central Library auditorium.

The event will be held from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Storytellers include Mattie Walker, one-time teacher at the old Hoffman-Boston school and former Arlington Education Association President; Kline Price, the grandson of Charles Drew; and Kenny James, Yorktown high graduate and Arlington parks department employee.

The audience will have the opportunity to ask questions of the storytellers and to share their own stories.

Exhibit Explores Rosslyn’s Colorful Past (and Bright Future)

By ARLnow.com

Rosslyn wasn’t always the ho-hum collection of office towers and apartment buildings that it is today. A century ago, it was filled with gambling dens, rough-and-tumble saloons and houses of prostitution.

Photos from the bad old days adorn the walls of Artisphere’s Work-in-Progress Gallery for an exhibit called “Rosslyn: A Work in Progress.” The exhibit, which runs through March 13, “chronicles Rosslyn’s origins as a lawless, rowdy community in the 1800’s to the thriving urban village it is today, through historical items and images, and renderings of developments coming soon.”

At an opening reception last week, we caught up with local historian Kathryn Holt Springston, who told us some stories of Rosslyn’s bawdy past.

“From 1865, the end of the Civil War, up until 1906, it was so bad. There were 38 saloons, 14 bordellos and who knows how many gambling dens, that were open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.”

“Cunningham’s was just on a hill above Rosslyn, and it was the only [bordello] that was actually burned before Crandall Mackey’s great raid. What happened was that a soldier from Fort Myer was killed there, so the other soldiers from Fort Myer went over there one night and torched the place.”

“Crandall Mackey is like the hero of Rosslyn. In 1904 he was elected Commonwealth’s Attorney by one vote. He armed a party of 12 men with axes, sawed-off shotguns, etc. They rode the train down to Jackson City, which is where the 14th Street Bridge is today, and smashed it up because Jackson City was even worse than Rosslyn. Then they walked up to Rosslyn, they smashed in all the bordellos, threw the whiskey into the street, set some of the places on fire, smashed the gambling dens. The next day the Evening Star had a two inch headline: “Mackey Makes it Safe for Humanity in Alexandria County by Cleaning up Rosslyn Bums.”

(Arlington was called Alexandria County up until 1920, when it was renamed by the Virginia General Assembly to honor Robert E. Lee.)

(more…)

A Video Tour of Arlington’s “Essential” Historic Properties

By ARLnow.com

For just over four years, county staff have been taking an inventory of Arlington’s historic buildings. The fruits of that labor are now paying off.

Of the nearly 400 properties that were surveyed, Arlington has now designated 23 as “essential historic properties.” Among them are the Colonial Village apartments and the buildings that house some of Clarendon’s most popular nightspots, including Clarendon Ballroom and Lyon Hall.

In the county-produced video above, Arlington County spokewoman Mary Curtius talks with Arlington Historic Preservation Program Coordinator Michael Leventhal about what makes those properties “essential” and why it’s important to preserve them. The actual properties are listed near the end of the video, as well as online.

The video notes that since the survey began, about 100 of the 400 historic properties have been demolished.

View More Stories