Arlington Historical Society

03/18/2023

Photos from Ball-Sellers House's post

03/18/2023

Photos from Ball-Sellers House's post

03/18/2023

SAVE THE DATE: APRIL 1st (1-4 pm)
TWO WEEKS FROM TODAY!
THREADING HISTORY: Wool, Flax, and Cotton
The Ball-Sellers House Museum will reopen its 2023 season on Saturday, April 1. The five daughters of John and Elizabeth Ball would have learned from a very young age how to prepare the raw materials to make clothing and household items. On our 2023 opening day, we’ll show you how and let you practice preparing the material for a take home memento.
(FREE! at 5620 3rd St., South in the Glencarlyn neighborhood)

We’re open from 1-4 pm and at the top of each hour we’ll have demonstrations of how different textiles were prepared and turned into material used in this colonial house.
1:00 pm: Turning wool into spun yarn
2:00 pm: Preparing flax for spinning it into thread to make linen
3:00 pm: Preparing cotton for spinning and weaving.

In between we’ll have ways for all ages to practice with each of the materials to bring home.
-- Free colonial era sweet treats.
-- Tour the oldest house in Arlington free with a knowledgeable docent
-- Be transported back to the sights and sounds of Arlington’s earliest days!

The Ball-Sellers House has been around since before Arlington County was even a thought. John and Elizabeth Ball acquired a land grant from Lord Fairfax VI when he was directed by King George II to carve out Fairfax County from Stafford County in 1742.

In 1976, Marian Rhinehart Sellers donated the house to the Arlington Historical Society (AHS). AHS preserved the original section to look like it may have when John and Elizabeth ball lived there with their five daughters. So the section has no electricity, heat, or running water and we close the museum through the colder months of November through March.

Each year we reopen on the first Saturday of April and host a different and memorable historic event. Join us!
https://arlingtonhistoricalsociety.org/events/threading-history-colonial-textiles/

03/18/2023

On this day in Arlington history: March 18, 1766: An ailing John Ball wrote his last will and testament. He built what is now the oldest structure in Arlington which stands at 5620 Third Street South in the Glencarlyn neighborhood.

John was one of the first permanent settlers rather than an absentee owner of the newly established Fairfax County. He acquired a patent of land from the Lord Fairfax in 1742 and brought his family up from Stafford County to build a home where he would farm and mill corn for his neighbors until his death in 1766. A few years after he settled in Fairfax County, he encouraged his brother, Moses to do the same thing and Moses acquired land just south of his brother’s property. Moses children became the namesake for Ball’s Crossing and Ballston

When John Ball died in December 1766, his will directed that all his property be sold and the proceeds divided equally among his wife and five daughters. He named as his executors his “true and trusted friends William Adams and Moses Ball.” His widow, Elizabeth, came to court four months later to give up her widow’s dower right so she could stay on the property as long as she lived, even after the property was sold.

John Ball's land was bought several years after his death by William Carlin, a tailor with a shop in Alexandria. The Carlin family would live in this house for over 100 years and become the names sake for the Glencarlyn neighborhood.

The house still stands at 5620 3rd St. South in the Glencarlyn neighborhood. The house is owned by the Arlington Historical Society and is open free to the public (in non-pandemic years) on Saturdays from April through October. Much of what we know about the Ball family comes from John Ball’s will and his probated inventory. His inventory is particularly valuable because it told the historical society everything he owned at his death and they used it to refurnish his house and show how he and his family lived and worked.

55+ is hosting an in-person talk and discussion about the Ball-Sellers House on March 22. 55+ Programs are in person at 55+ Centers, unless otherwise noted. A 55+ Pass is required to participate (starting at a $20 annual fee). To join or register, go to registration.arlingtonva.us or call 703-228-4747. Registration # 913402-07.

03/17/2023

Charlie Clark attended the AHS-hosted event last week:

"Back in the ‘60s, my friends’ parents who were active in Arlington politics lamented “the Byrd Machine.” But as a teen I held only a vague notion of why political attitudes in Northern Virginia differed from those I’d sensed about Richmond.

"On March 9, Alexandria-based radio reporter Michael Lee Pope brought some clarity; he spoke to the Arlington Historical Society about his new book “The Byrd Machine: The Rise and Fall of a Conservative Political Organization.”

Read more in Charlie Clark's latest column "Our Man in Arlington"
https://www.fcnp.com/2023/03/17/our-man-in-arlington-519/

03/17/2023

SAVE THE DATE! Apr 1st at 1 pm
THREADING HISTORY: WOOL, FLAX, AND COTTON IN COLONIAL TIMES
The Ball-Sellers House Museum will reopen its 2023 season on Saturday, April 1. The five daughters of John and Elizabeth Ball would have learned from a very young age how to prepare the raw materials to make clothing and household items. On our 2023 opening day, we’ll show you how THEY DID IT and let you practice preparing the material for a take home memento.

We’re open from 1-4 pm and at the top of each hour we’ll have demonstrations of how different textiles were prepared and turned into material used in this colonial house.
1:00 pm: Turning wool into spun yarn
2:00 pm: Preparing flax for spinning it into thread to make linen
3:00 pm: Preparing cotton for spinning and weaving.

You can practice working with each material and take your work home!

We’ll have free colonial era sweet treats. You’ll be able to tour the oldest house in Arlington free with a knowledgeable docent and be transported back to the sights and sounds of Arlington’s earliest days!

The Ball-Sellers House has been around since before Arlington County was even a thought. John and Elizabeth Ball acquired a land grant from Lord Fairfax VI when he was directed by King George II to carve out Fairfax County from Stafford County in 1742.

In 1976, Marian Rhinehart Sellers donated the house to the Arlington Historical Society (AHS). AHS preserved the original section to look like it may have when John and Elizabeth ball lived there with their five daughters. So the section has no electricity, heat, or running water and we close the museum through the colder months of November through March.

Each year we reopen on the first Saturday of April and host a different and memorable historic event. Join us!

https://arlingtonhistoricalsociety.org/events/threading-history-colonial-textiles/

03/17/2023

Photos from The Black Heritage Museum of Arlington's post

03/17/2023

Photos from Ball-Sellers House's post

03/17/2023

On this day in Arlington history: March 17, 1916 Preston E. King was born in Washington, D.C. His service and sacrifice in World War II are honored in the Westover Post Office.

King graduated from Western High School in DC in 1935 and his parents moved to North 11th Street in the Westover neighborhood in Arlington where Preston worked in construction and real estate. After the attack on Pearl Harbor and the US entered World War II, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps. Out of a class of 280 recruits, he was among the only 20 selected for pilot training and commission as an officer.

Second Lieutenant King graduated from aviation training in Florida and was assigned to the 37th Fighter Group, 30th Fighter Squadron as a P-38 fighter pilot assigned to protect and defend the Panama Canal Zone. The US feared that the Germans or Japanese would launch an attack on this vital shipping route through Latin America.

That attack never happened and by the end of 1943, Lieutenant King was preparing for another assignment in an area that he wrote in a letter to a relative would keep him busy and happy and would provide “enough stories to keep me busy for years” when he came home.

He never did. While on a reconnaissance mission over unspecified territory in Latin America, his P-38 suffered engine failure and King could not land the plane. He bailed out but he was struck by a tail section of his plane and killed.

Westover’s post office is named for him and a plaque to his life and sacrifice along with a portrait of him in uniform by local military retiree and artist, Chip Beck, graces the lobby.

03/16/2023

On this day in Arlington history March 16, 1920: Alexandria County was officially renamed Arlington County. In 1846 the US government retroceded the Virginia part of DC back to Virginia and it became Alexandria County. But in 1870 Alexandria City voted to become a separate city outside of county jurisdiction. Alexandria County—the rural part—and Alexandria City—the more thickly settled part--existed side by side.

The area population grew and confusion ensued between Alexandria County and Alexandria City; mail was improperly addressed and public services had a hard time deciding where people were really located. Finally, the straw that broke the camel’s back was when a lot of people missed out on seeing a lavish World War I parade in 1919 that welcomed home returning troops. They went to the Alexandria City courthouse, not the Alexandria County courthouse where the parade was actually held.

Several names were proposed, including George Washington, Arlington, Pocahontas, and Alcova–using the first two letters of Alexandria County, VA. You know what name was selected.

Delegate Charles T. Jesse introduced legislation in January 1920 to change the name to Arlington. It passed and the new name took effect on March 16, 1920.

See what Arlington looked like in the 1920s, Thanks to Charlie Clark and his 1920 Story Map
https://arlingtonhistoricalsociety.org/images-of-arlington-county-1920/

03/15/2023

Join AHS as it co-hosts the unveiling of the USS Arlington Display
April 12, 2023 at 5 pm
Bozman Government Center
2100 Clarendon Boulevard

All are welcome to attend the dedication of the USS Arlington display. See more details here: https://www.ussarlington.org/

03/15/2023

Rosslyn is celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the establishment of it Business Improvement District (BID) and it wants you to play a key part in that!

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Rosslyn BID, and we want you to play a key part in commemorating and celebrating this milestone!

Have you had a perfect date at one of our restaurants? Received a promotion at your business based in our neighborhood? Found the perfect spot to call home at one of our residences? Or just enjoyed a wonderful day at one of our parks? We want to see and hear about it all!

We’re collecting the stories, memories, photos, and favorite things about the neighborhood from those who have lived, worked, visited, and explored in our neighborhood throughout the past 20 years and beyond.

If you have a favorite Rosslyn story, photo, memory, or place to share, please fill out this form at the link below to submit your content by Friday, March 31.

We'll be sharing submissions on social media, and top submissions will be included at our annual City Social this May (more details coming soon on this not-to-miss celebration!). Entrants whose content is featured at City Social will be guaranteed admission with a guest!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdz4sSZXg0WGz8eHPfMGHOw_g4M7JZXe4BDfPRaSSVxUGryFg/viewform

03/15/2023

Neighborhood Histories

The Arlington Historical Society's website has a new featured post. Charlie Clark (AHS Board member and local history author) has assembled histories tailored by neighborhoods about their neighborhoods and histories of four high schools and one elementary school. Check it out!

Many Arlingtonians have prepared histories tailored to their own neighborhoods, most—but not all of them—for civic associations. Below in the neighborhood names are links to online versions for our…

03/14/2023

On this day in Arlington history, March 14, 1945 the Arlington Sun newspaper reported that the Victory Garden campaign in Arlington was issuing an appeal to Arlingtonians who have unused land to allow gardens to be planted on it.

The front-page item went on to say that at a recent meeting, the Chairman of the Victory Garden Campaign, Elizabeth B. Magruder said that there were far more people who wanted to plant gardens than there was space currently available. The Victory Garden Campaign offered to plow any plots at a minimal cost.

As part of the war effort, the government rationed foods like sugar, butter, milk, cheese, eggs, coffee, meat, and canned goods. Labor and transportation shortages made it hard to harvest and move fruits and vegetables to market. So, the government turned to its citizens and encouraged them to plant Victory Gardens. They wanted individuals to provide their own fruits and vegetables.

Like the rest of America, many Arlingtonians planted gardens in their backyards and empty lots. Neighbors pooled their resources, planted different kinds of foods and formed cooperatives, all in the name of patriotism. Even African-Americans evicted from Queen City to make way for Pentagon construction and relocated to trailers nearby had victory gardens (see image, courtesy Library of Congress).

Magazines such as the Saturday Evening Post printed stories about victory gardens, and women's magazines gave instructions on how to grow and preserve garden produce. Families were encouraged to can their own vegetables to save commercial canned goods for the troops. The Arlington Sun newspaper also had a column on gardening tips and food preservation. The government and businesses urged people to make gardening a family and community effort.

Magruder said, in urging cooperation from property owners that “Food is just as necessary as guns, tanks, and planes. Home gardeners produced more than 40 per cent of the fresh vegetables in 1944 and she hoped the county could equal that record in 1945.

She urged that “there be no let down on the home front until the war is won.”

03/13/2023

On this day in Arlington history, March 13, 1847, The Commonwealth of Virginia formally accepts retrocession from Washington City of what will become Arlington County.

In 1846 Congress voted to return all the District's territory south of the Potomac River back to Virginia. President James Polk signed the legislation into law on the next day but returning DC’s Virginia county was an arduous process.

The Organic Act of 1801 organized the District of Columbia and put it under Congressional control. The District was organized into two counties, Washington on the east side of the Potomac River, and Alexandria on the west side. With this act, district resident were no longer residents of Maryland or Virginia and had no representation in Congress.

In the 1830s, efforts grew to reunite the southern portion of the District with Virginia. Alexandria City had gone into economic decline due to neglect of the area by Congress and the city needed infrastructure improvements to compete with other ports in the area like Georgetown. A 1791 amendment to the Residence Act specifically prohibited the "er****on of the public buildings otherwise than on the Maryland side of the river Potomac." The institutions of the federal government, including the White House and the United States Capitol were exclusively located in Washington on the east side of the Potomac River. This made Alexandria less important to the functioning of the national government. Alexandria was also a major market in the American slave trade and rumors circulated that abolitionists in Congress were attempting to end slavery in the nation's capital, which would have seriously harmed Alexandria’s economy.

In early 1846, Virginia General Assembly agreed to accept Alexandria’s petitions to reunite the western county of DC with the state clearing the way for Congressional advocates to urge passage of the bill in Congress. After fervent lobbying by Alexandrians, the 29th Congress passed the legislation on July 9, 1846, returning Virginian land south of the Potomac River but only after approval by Alexandrian voters.

The Virginia referendum on retrocession was held on September 1–2, 1846. The residents of the city of Alexandria voted in favor of the retrocession, 763 to 222. The residents of Alexandria County—the more rural area of Alexandria County and what would become Arlington County--voted against retrocession 106 to 29. Farmers wanted to keep their connection to DC to sell their goods. Despite the objections of those living in Alexandria County, Polk certified the referendum and issued a proclamation of transfer on September 7, 1846.

The Virginia legislature, however, still didn’t immediately accept the retrocession offer. Virginia legislators were concerned that the people of Alexandria County had not been properly included in the retrocession proceedings. After months of debate, the Virginia General Assembly voted to formally accept the retrocession legislation on March 13, 1847.

You can still see the boundary stones--the oldest federal monuments--marking Washington City borders in Arlington. This website has a great map with all their locations: http://www.boundarystones.org/

03/12/2023

On this date in Arlington history: March 12, 1936: The Virginia Court of Appeals approves a bid by residents of East Falls Church to secede from the town of Falls Church and be absorbed into Arlington.

There were several Falls Churches: South Falls Church, which was gerrymandered to Fairfax County in the 1880s and soon ceased to be called such; West Falls Church; the village center of Falls Church, sometimes just called "the village," both of which were in Fairfax County; and East Falls Church, which was in Arlington County. The three together formed the Town of Falls Church, which straddled the county boundary. Residents of East Falls Church had to deal with conflicting jurisdiction oversight. In the words of the Commonwealth's Attorney Lawrence Douglas, this created an “intolerable confusion of overlapping government agencies in this area.”

The first suggestions that East Falls Church secede from Falls Church and become part of Arlington County came in 1921. But not until 1932 did disgruntled citizens of East Falls Church present a petition to the courts to allow them to become part of Arlington County.

The circuit court granted the petition in 1935. On March 12 of the following year, the Virginia Court upheld the petition despite appeals by Falls Church clearing the way for the final decree to be signed on April 30, 1936 legally separating East Falls Church from Falls Church and enabling it to become part of Arlington County.
(Photo: Arlington-East Falls Church Railroad Station in 1966)

03/11/2023

On this day in Arlington history, March 11, 1938, the Arlington Sun newspaper reports that boys at Washington-Lee High School for the first time in history can enroll in a home economics class especially for them. The front page newspaper article said that a separate course was specifically designed for “the less gentle sex.”

“The class is made up of 17 or 18 junior and senior boys. If it is a success the class will probably become a regular part of the curriculum for those who want to take it. The course will feature cooking—which will always come in handy for young men. The wearing of aprons will be optional. They will also learn the art of repairing clothing such as sewing on buttons, darning socks, and sewing split seams. The last topic the course will cover will be some of the fundamentals of cleaning.”

Home economics, now called family and consumer sciences are offered around the world. Historically these courses were an effort to professionalize housework and to emphasize the value of “women’s work” as well as prepare students for these gender-based roles. Offered as an elective or a required course for girls, this vocational training enabled women to become more efficient household managers. These courses also evolved to teach women to be better consumers and to communicate homemakers’ needs to manufacturers and political leaders. Despite a revamped focus on real-life skills, by the 1970s many of these courses had all but disappeared from high school curricula.

In 1938, young men attending Washington-Lee (now Washington Liberty) High school who took this class probably found what they learned came in very handy when they served in World War II which was just three years away.

Image: the newspaper article and the 1938 Boys Home Ec Class form the WL-HS yearbook)

03/10/2023

On this day in Arlington history, March 10, 1924: Lutrelle Fleming Parker, Sr. is born in Newport News, Virginia. He will go on to serve his country and his community and quietly break the color barrier by serving in several top positions in the Patent Office .

During World War II, Parker served in the Navy as a gunnery officer aboard an Amphibious cargo ship (or AKA) in the Pacific theater. AKAs were designed to carry troops, heavy equipment and supplies in support of amphibious assaults and to provide naval gunfire support during those assaults. When the war was over, he earned a degree in civil engineering in 1947 from Howard University. After that he went to work for the US Patent Office (the predecessor of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office) and was one of VERY few African American patent examiners. While there, he became one of the first four African Americans accepted at Georgetown Law School and he graduated 1952.

He went on to become an attorney in the Office of the Solicitor of the Patent Office and served with distinction from through June, 1970. In his first year there, he received a Superior Accomplishment Award and earned the Commerce Department's second highest award, a Meritorious Service Award (Silver Medal) the following year.

Toward the end of his tenure in the Solicitor's Office, on March 11, 1970, Mr. Parker was nominated to be an Examiner-in-Chief on the Board of Patent Appeals by President Richard Nixon and he became the first African American to hold such a position. Five years later, nominated by President Gerald Ford, Parker became the first African-American to serve as the Deputy Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks. He later served as Acting Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks from August, 1977, to June, 1978 and again was the first African American to hold the position of Commissioner in any capacity. He retired in 1986.

Parker’s military career did not end with his service in World War II. After leaving active duty, Parker was commissioned upon graduation from the U.S. Naval Reserve Midshipman's School, Cornell University and was one of the earliest African American Navy Officers. He rose to the Navy rank of Captain. On July 9, 1974, Captain Parker became the highest ranking African American naval reserve officer in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. He took command of Destroyer Atlantic Detachment 406 and was the first African American commander of the Destroyer detachment. He retired from the U.S. Navy Reserve in 1992.

As an Arlington County resident, Parker was active in his community. He was the first African American to serve as a member and, subsequently, Chair the Arlington County Planning Commission. He served as President of the Nauck Citizens Association and was on the Board of Directors for the Veterans Memorial YMCA and the Arlington Metropolitan Chorus. He helped found the George Mason School of Law and was on the Board of Trustees for Arlington Hospital, to name but a few civic positions.

Lutrelle Parker was married for 48 years to his wife Lillian and they had three sons: Lutrelle Jr. (a captain in the US Navy like his dad) and Wendell and Raymond who became doctors.

After his death in 1994, Lutrelle Parker was honored for his service. In 1995 the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office named its law library the Lutrelle F. Parker Sr. Memorial Law Library. He is buried with wife at Arlington National Cemetery.