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George Melvin Richardson

Hoffman-Boston Principal, 1954-1965

Do you remember your first school field trip to visit the Smithsonian dinosaurs? 

In this photo, a group of late 1950s/early 1960s Hoffman-Boston high school students examine the relics on display at the Museum of Natural History.

Their principal at Hoffman-Boston (the combined elementary, junior high, and senior high school for African American students) was George Melvin Richardson, a man of quiet authority and the ideal leader to cope with the complex issues then facing his school and the County.

Richardson was on the initial 1954 committee to study desegregation of the Arlington Public Schools, and principal of Hoffman-Boston from 1954 until the school was closed in 1965. Faced with inadequate classrooms and facilities, Richardson worked for years to improve and expand the school. Field trips such as the one pictured here helped to compensate for the lack of equipment and resources, and to educate students beyond the classroom.

As a resident of the Arlington View neighborhood, Richardson also worked to create the area’s Neighborhood Conservation Plan (one of the first in the county), and later served on the executive board for the Arlington Committee of 100.

George Melvin Richardson’s photographs, oral histories, papers and more can be found on the Center for Local History’s ProjectDAPS.org website, a repository for the Center’s collection of archival documents and photographs relating to the story of the desegregation of Arlington public schools.

View the George Melvin Richardson Collection in ProjectDAPS.org

Central Library Upgrade: Public Computers Unavailable Feb. 4-5

On Monday, Feb. 4, and Tuesday, Feb. 5, Central Library's public computers may be unavailable for public use.

During this time, we will be installing new public computer station on the second floor.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Central Library New PC area

Rosslyn in the 1960s

Do you remember Rosslyn Ten Pin Bowl or A & H Plumbing Supply CORP.?

Aerial photo of Rosslyn neighborhood taken looking over the Potomac river towards Georgetown

This image, taken in the 1960s, shows a time when Rosslyn was full of parking spaces, small businesses, and clear views of Key Bridge and Georgetown.

Like many Arlington neighborhoods, Rosslyn has undergone significant growth since this photo was taken. With its proximity to Washington, D.C., the neighborhood has naturally morphed into an urbanized hub, complete with skyscrapers, hotels, numerous restaurants and businesses. It even boasts the title for the third longest continuous span escalator in the world!

Do you remember Rosslyn in the 1960s, before the skyscrapers went up? Did you ever go bowling at Rosslyn Ten Pin Bowl?

To see more images from the “Arlington Photographs: Before and After, The Guy W. Starling Collection,” or to learn more about the history of Rosslyn, visit the Center for Local History on the 1st floor of Central Library.

Where Were These Photos Taken?

Can you guess the location of these images? 

Here are a few clues:

  • The photos were taken in the early 1960s, shortly after the building was completed.
  • This building was the first publicly financed construction project for this County department, and has housed this department since the 1960s - although it underwent a major renovation in the early 1990s.
  • In 1995, the department installed the first public internet terminals with the help of a grant.

If you guessed that the photos feature Central Library, you are correct!

Although Central Library no longer looks the way it did in these photos, the spirit of the Library has remained the same – to serve the residents of Arlington County and create space for culture and connection.

To learn more about the history of Arlington Public Library visit The Center for Local History's online exhibit “Women’s Work.”

To see more photos from Arlington’s diverse history visit the Center for Local History, located on the 1st floor of Central Library.

Neighborhood Activist Joan Cooper

For nearly 50 years, community activist and Nauck resident Joan Cooper worked for change in her neighborhood. 

She also challenged others to make changes to improve the community, stating, “People have to realize, that we as community members have to do our job, too.”

During her active years Cooper helped to advocate for an integrated school system in Arlington County, drove individuals to drug and alcohol detox programs, helped patrol corner blocks of the Nauck neighborhood, and worked tirelessly to rid her streets of illicit narcotics.

“Be persistent, consistent, and insistent,” was her message, and in July 1992, through an initiative called “Crackdown on Drugs,” Cooper’s efforts and leadership on this campaign were recognized by then President George H.W. Bush, when he visited Drew Model School.

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In the same year, she was also named a Notable Woman of Arlington by the County’s Commission on the Status of Women.

To learn more about Joan Cooper, make an appointment to visit the Center for Local History.  located on the 1st floor of Central Library. To learn more about the Green Valley neighborhood you can also visit the the Green Valley Heritage Project page.

Overdue Fines Waived for Furloughed Federal Workers

In response to the ongoing federal government shutdown, Arlington Public Library may waive outstanding overdue fines for furloughed federal employees until further notice.

Affected patrons should visit any Library location (or call 703-228-5940) and provide a valid federal employee ID.

More Help for Furloughed Workers

  • Arlington County Offers Assistance for residents and businesses affected by the federal government shutdown.
  • Arlington Public Library locations offer free meeting room, public computers, comfortable seating and study space for those unable to access their regular office space.
  • All Library locations offer free daily events for adults and children.
  • Free tax preparation is available starting February 1 during select times at Central Library and Columbia Pike Branch Library.

This list will be updated.

 

February 7 – Michael W. Twitty, Author of “The Cooking Gene”

How do genetic research, historic interpretation and culinary history intertwine?

Join food writer, Judaic studies teacher, culinary historian and James Beard Award winning author Michael W. Twitty as he takes us on a journey through African-American cooking and personal discovery.

Central Library Auditorium
Thursday, Feb. 7, 7 – 8:30 p.m.

How To Prepare Tin Cans For Collection in 1943

This colorful advertisement from 1943, produced by the Arlington County Salvage Committee, describes “To the Housewives of Arlington County” how to properly clean and prepare tin cans for recycling in order to aid war efforts during WWII.

The two sided circular, which “makes known to you the vital need of tin in the War effort,” is part of the Robert McAtee, (1913-2014) archival collection. Mr. McAtee, who lived in Arlington for most his life, and in the Maywood neighborhood for decades, owned Seven Corners Rentals on Leesburg Pike. McAtee was an active community historian who documented both his neighborhood and physical changes throughout Arlington county. Thanks to donors like Mr. McAtee, who spent a majority of his life collecting material culture about Arlington County, historians today are able to see the significant shifts and changes of the community over the last century.

To learn more about Robert McAtee, life in Arlington during WWII, or to see more items like this, visit the Center for Local History located on the 1st floor of Central Library.

The Columbia News

“What the old year has done for us is this; it has brought everything forward to the point where hope is real, and apt to blossom in full at any moment. It has turned hope into practical assurance. In this way we can say wholeheartedly to each other, and to the world at large – “Happy New Year!”

This January 1, 1945 message of hope was made during World War 2, from a short lived, hyper local newspaper called the Columbia News.

The Columbia News was published semimonthly in Arlington from 1941 - 1945, by Eugene Beard, starting on January 18, 1941. The Center for Local History holds the Vol. 1, No. 1 edition, some from 1944, and some from 1945. We are in the process of digitizing these holdings, and they will soon be available to view through the Library catalog. (The Library of Congress and the Library of Virginia also have some editions on microfilm.)

To see more historic newspapers like this one, visit us at the Center for Local History located on the 1st floor of Central Library.



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