To celebrate we will create our very own monsters, snack on sweet treats, and Missus Counts will read a Halloween story. Don’t forget to come dressed in your best Halloween costume!
Brittany Root: Paintings
Brittany Root’s paintings will be on exhibit at the Connection: Crystal City Pop-Up Library from September 7 – November 1, 2019.
Last Day to Borrow Tools from The Shed: Saturday, October 12
Garden tool lending closes for the season this Saturday, October 12.
Arlington’s Water System
Do you know where your water comes from?
By the 1920s, while a few Arlington communities were serviced by privately-owned water companies (including Aurora Hills and Cherrydale) most of the County’s 16,040 residents got their water from individual shallow wells, which were inconvenient and susceptible to pollution.
Arlington County Water Department Float for the Water Carnival, November 1927
In 1922, the State of Virginia passed legislation to permit the establishment of sanitary districts within the County for the purpose of constructing water and sewer systems.
The Arlington County Board of Supervisors contracted engineer Asa E. Phillips to investigate options for a County-wide water system in 1926. Phillips and the County Board proposed a number of solutions to County residents. Eventually residents decided that instead of building its own water filtration plant Arlington County would request water from Washington, D.C., which had recently finished construction on the Dalecarlia Water Plant.
After Congress passed two authorizing acts – the first to allow the sale of the federal water supply to Arlington County, and the second to connect the federal water system to the Arlington County water system – and the Virginia General Assembly authorized bonds for the construction and operation of the water supply, construction began on the water main that would connect Dalecarlia to Lyonhurst Station in North Arlington, one of the highest points in the County. Lyonhurst Station was equipped with a pump station, a 260,000-
gallon water tower, and a 1.5- million gallon reservoir.
On November 3, 1927, public water supply service began in Arlington. The County declared a special holiday and threw a Water Carnival in Lyon Village to celebrate. The Water Carnival consisted of a parade with floats decorated by various county groups, a fire hydrant demonstration, dancing, fireworks, a barbeque and even a jousting tournament! In the water spirit of the event, many of the afternoon activities were rained out, but that did not dampen the celebration too much, as the evening programs continued.
Dalecarlia Water Treatment Plant, 2011
The distribution system in Arlington has significantly expanded and updated from the original 1927 system, and improvements to the system, initiated in 1953, have since made Lyonhurst Station obsolete.
Arlington County's water source is the Potomac River. The water is then treated and comes to us from the Dalecarlia Water Treatment Plant, run by the Washington Aqueduct.
Read more about the Arlington County Water & Utilities Department and the water system:
- Arlington County Water Distribution System Master Plan, adopted September 2014
- Arlington County 26th Street North - Old Dominion Drive Site Master Planning Task Force DRAFT Report - Jan. 2, 2019
- Arlington County Water & Utilities
To learn more about Arlington's history, visit the Center for Local History on the first floor of the Central Library.
Do you have a question about this story, or a personal experience to share?
Use this form to send a message to the Center for Local History.
Hoover Airport
Arlington has had congested traffic conditions for almost 100 years...
Cars driving on Military Road as a small plane flies in to land at Hoover Airfield, mid-1930s
In 1925, Thomas Mitten, head of the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company, sought to begin daily passenger flights between Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. as part of the 150th celebration of the Declaration of Independence.
Finding no appropriate airfield in the District, Mitten selected a new site in Arlington to build an airfield, at the present-day site of the Pentagon. The land was just large enough for a single runway and a small hangar.
Plane flying over Military Road to land, 1935
On July 16, 1926, 150 years after the signing of the Declaration, the airfield was christened Hoover Field (after then Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover) and started passenger and mail air services.
Herbert Hoover (4th from left), Secretary of Commerce, at the opening of Hoover Field with one of the three Fokker Planes of PRT Flights to Philadelphia Sesquicentennial Expo, July 16, 1926.
Hoover Field quickly became known as one of the most dangerous airfields in the country. Multiple problems plagued the field including a major road—Military Road— that ran along the east side of the field, poor visibility from the nearby landfill that burned trash, and a site that was too small to viably hold an airfield.
Fokker F-VII Trimotor "Wilbur," operated by the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Air Service between Philadelphia, Washington, and Norfolk, VA for transportation of mail, freight, and passengers at Hoover Field, 1926.
In 1927 a second airfield named Washington Airport opened on land directly adjacent to Hoover Field. The two airfields operated jointly for a time and in 1933 they merged under the name Washington-Hoover Airport.
Washington-Hoover Airport did not yield better safety results than Hoover Field, as they had a reputation of having the poorest aviation ground facilities of any major city in the United States.
Military Road now ran between the two airfields, so airport management attempted to stop traffic on the road to allow planes to land and take off, but were fined by county officials for obstructing traffic. It took a congressional act to allow the airport to install traffic lights, but even with these lights, the road caused dangerous and confusing conditions for both pilots and drivers as seen in the first photograph.
Eventually Military Road was rerouted around the airport.
Washington-Hoover Airport remained open until 1941. With the opening of the much larger Washington National Airport (now known as Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport), Washington-Hoover was no longer needed. The land was purchased by the United States Department of War, and became part of The Pentagon’s grounds.
Hoover Airport (lower right) with Blimp Hangar and two plane hangars; Washington Airport (center lower left); Military Road bisects the two fields, mid-1930s.
To learn more about Arlington's history, visit the Center for Local History on the first floor of the Central Library.
Do you have a question about this story, or a personal experience to share?
Use this form to send a message to the Center for Local History.
Remembering September 11: Cards for Firefighters
Eighteen years ago, children from around the country showed their support for Arlington's first responders with homemade cards filled with drawings and words of encouragement.
Drawing of a red firetruck with heart on the side; child's card from the Center for Local History Community Archives.
On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked a west coast-bound plane taking off from nearby Dulles Airport and crashed it into the Pentagon. Within minutes of the attack, firefighters and first responders from Arlington County, Fort Myer, and Reagan National Airport arrived at the scene. Arlington County Fire Department took the lead, establishing an Incident Command System (ICS) across the Washington-metro region to respond to the emergency. Firefighters managed to get the fire under control on the first day, but it took three days to fully extinguish the fire, and reach, as Arlington County Fire Chief Edward Plaugher described it, “the heart of the crash site.”
In total, 189 people died in the attack on the Pentagon, including the 64 passengers and crew on Flight 77.
These attacks devastated our community, but support flowed in to Arlington from around the nation. Children from across the country—from as far as Washington state to as close as Arlington, VA—sent homemade thank you cards to the Arlington County Fire Department in appreciation of their efforts to fight the fire and rescue survivors.
Drawing of firefighter using a water-hose from firetruck to put out a fire from a burning building; child's card from the Center for Local History Community Archives.
The card pictured below, from a child not named, features an American flag and a firefighter putting out a fire. The child thanks the firefighters for saving lives and being there for the people at the Pentagon. This is a theme for almost all of the cards.
Child's card from the Center for Local History Community Archives.
Zack Barrett made a pop-up card thanking the firefighters for keeping our nation running.
5th grader Ryan drew a picture of a firefighter on top of a building, and thanked them for risking their lives.
Children's cards from the Center for Local History Community Archives.
These, and the hundreds of other unsolicited drawings and letters sent to the Arlington County Fire Department, are preserved in the Community Archive at the Center for Local History.
Some of the young artists and writers no doubt have children of their own today, but the emotions remain as fresh and powerful as the day they were put on paper and mailed from places like Renton, WA, Toledo, OH, Clarksdale, MS - and more locally Ashburn, VA and Washington DC.
Child's card with two yellow stars and an exclamation point that says "Stand tall America! Thank you for helping." From the Center for Local History Community Archives.
Read a detailed account of the Arlington County Fire Department emergency response to the attack on the Pentagon in the blog post, "Attack on the Pentagon - Sept. 11, 2001," published Friday, March 18, 2005 by Arlington Fire Journal & Metro D.C. Fire History.
Listen to oral history interviews with first responders and Arlingtonians about their experiences on Sept. 11, 2001, and the days that followed.
To see more of the Children's Cards, or to learn more about Arlington's history, visit the Center for Local History on the first floor of the Central Library.
Do you have a question about this story, or a personal experience to share?
Use this form to send a message to the Center for Local History.
Brittany Root: Paintings
On exhibit at the Connection: Crystal City Pop-Up Library September 7 - November 1, 2019.
Statement:
I incorporate my own observations of the natural world in an attempt to draw a parallel between ourselves and the larger environments we inhabit. In my abstract work I explore the relationship between imagery and memory through color, texture, and pattern. I am naturally drawn to bold and exuberant patterns and colors, which play a significant role in how I recall my own important memories. I work primarily in acrylic and oil paint on a variety of surfaces. Occasionally I will incorporate other materials or objects into my work to achieve a specific textural effect.
Biography:
Brittany Root is a visual artist who trained in oil painting but through her larger commissioned works retrained in acrylic painting techniques. She enjoys working in a variety of mediums including oil, pastel, acrylic, and pen and ink. Ms. Root creates artwork on commission for private homes and commercial enterprises.
She is currently the lead researcher on the Otto H. Bacher Catalog Raisonné Project and teaches cartooning at Art House 7 in Arlington, VA. She serves on the board of directors for McLean Project for the Arts (MPA) organizing exhibition auctions, and assisting with programming for adult art education. Ms. Root has a passion for arts education and working with children of all ages to realize their creative potential.
Ms. Root earned an MAM (Master of Arts Management) from Carnegie Mellon University; BA from Georgetown University with a double major in History and Studio Art. She lives in Arlington, VA with her husband, three kids, and cat.
Want to buy something you see on our walls?
Artists contribute 20% of sales made during their exhibit to the Friends of the Arlington County Public Library, to help support Library programming.
The Jefferson School
Have you driven or walked past the Army Navy Country Club in South Arlington? The Jefferson School opened on that same ground in 1870, to educate African-American students.
Jefferson School Main Building, 1932
The school was named after the "Jefferson district," where it was located. Arlington, then part of Alexandria County, was split into three districts: Jefferson, Arlington, and Washington. The Jefferson School was the first African-American school in the Jefferson district, and one of two schools for African Americans in Alexandria County.
Attendance could be spotty when the school began due to many families needing older children to help with planting and harvesting; in 1872, the school had just ten students. With the help from a local trustee, the Jefferson school got a new building and attendance began to rise. In 1889, the school trustees purchased a new property on Johnson's Hill (at the far eastern end of Columbia Pike). By 1895, attendance had swelled to over 120 students, necessitating the addition of a second story to the building on Johnson Hill, and a second teacher.
Jefferson School Annex, date unknown.
On June 29, 1912, residents of the Jefferson District petitioned the school board to construct a new school building to replace the two-room school house on Johnson’s Hill. The Board agreed to the petition and purchased a three-acre property from the South Arlington Cemetery Corporation in 1914. One year later, the 4-room school house opened, serving African American students from first to ninth grade.
[History timeline note: Alexandria County was renamed Arlington County in 1920]
By 1930, enrollment exceeded the school’s capacity and Arlington County officials started planning an addition. The addition, which was completed in 1931, doubled the size of the school. One year later, Superintendent Fletcher Kemp renamed the Jefferson School as Hoffman-Boston Junior Colored High School, after Edward C. Hoffman, former principal of the Jefferson School, and Ella M. Boston, former principal of Kemper (another African-American school in Arlington).
Hoffman-Boston became the first African American high school in the county; the first senior class graduated in 1942.
Edward Hoffman, 1866-1926.
Possibly born at Freedman's Village, and raised in Arlington County, Edward Hoffman attended Howard University, enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1887, and was Principal of Jefferson School by 1896 until 1926.
Hoffman-Boston High School closed in 1964 as Arlington County integrated its schools. Today the building houses Hoffman-Boston Elementary School, located on South Queen Street.
Sources
"A Guide to the African American Heritage of Arlington County, Virginia," pages 49-51, produced by the Arlington County Historic Preservation Program in 2016, available in print at the Library.
"A Guide to the African American Heritage of Arlington County, Virginia," is also available as a downloadable PDF.
To learn more about Arlington's history, visit the Center for Local History on the first floor of the Central Library.
Do you have a question about this story, or a personal experience to share?
Use this form to send a message to the Center for Local History.
Chica Brunsvold: Paintings
On exhibit at the Columbia Pike Branch Library, September 3, 2019 - October 29, 2019.
Artist Statement
Originally an Abstract Expressionist, I now delight in discovering and developing images within my paintings. Some remain abstract but many evolve into florals or into whimsical animalscapes, my trademarked Zooillogicals®. They are my attempt to inject light-hearted humor into the serious field of art. They are also my metaphor for the peace and harmony so often lacking in real life.
About the Artist
A native of Ann Arbor, MI, Chica Brunsvold graduated from the University of Michigan with a BS in Design and an MA in Art. She was an Illustrator General for the CIA and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces before becoming a full time award-winning artist. She has earned Signature Membership in both the American and National Watercolor Societies as well as Alabama, Baltimore, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Northwest Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, Taos and Virginia Watercolor Societies. She’s been in over 200 national water-media exhibitions, won over 4 dozen awards and has had over 25 solo shows both locally and throughout the US in art museums, art centers, universities and hospitals.
Three times she was on the faculty of “Stretching the Boundaries of Creativity” in Ohio. She has given numerous watercolor programs, demonstrations and workshops. She has juried and judged many art shows in VA, and also in West Virginia and Delaware. Three of her Zooillogicals® were part of the US Arts in Embassies program in Rangoon. Her work is the permanent collections of The Art Station at Stone Mountain, GA, Fairfax INOVA Hospital in Fairfax, VA, Paine Art Center & Gardens in Oshkosh, WI and many more. She is represented by Gallery Underground in Crystal City.
Listed in Who’s Who of American Art, her work is published in 8 art books. She has 3 paintings and an article in: “Say it with Flowers” in the June, 2014 issue of Watercolor Artist. She has also been featured 7 other times in nationally published watercolor magazines.
Learn more at www.chicabrunsvold.com
Want to buy something you see on our walls?
Artists contribute 20% of sales made during their exhibit to the Friends of the Arlington County Public Library, to help support Library programming.
Bob Peck Chevrolet
If you've driven down Glebe Road in Ballston over the past few years, you might have noticed the diamond-shaped design on the facade of a new office building at 800 N. Glebe Rd.
The diamond shape was chosen to commemorate Bob Peck Chevrolet, which stood at the same location from 1964 until 2008.
Peck Chevrolet, 1991
In 1939, Bob Peck, along with his business partner Lawrence Kenyon, opened Kenyon-Peck Chevrolet in Clarendon. But in 1942, with the onset of World War II, the federal government ordered automobile manufacturers to cease production and instead turn their attention to making military vehicles and other essential military items. Peck and Kenyon survived the declining new car business by selling used cars and servicing vehicles.
Peck and Kenyon ran the business together until the early 1950’s when Kenyon left the business, at which point Peck changed the name to Peck Chevrolet.
Bob Peck Chevrolet Body Shop, Danville & Wilson Blvd., 1993
In 1964, Bob Peck opened a showroom in Ballston at the corner of North Glebe Road and Wilson Boulevard.
This location—designed by local architect Anthony Musolino—instantly became an iconic Arlington landmark. The dealership featured a transparent circular showroom made of glass with a butterfly roofline of the diamond-shaped, blue panels spelling “Chevrolet.”
Although Peck Chevrolet was demolished in 2008, a replica of the distinctive blue and diamond roofline, along with a Bob Peck historical marker, now welcome visitors to the office building that took its place.
To see more photos of Peck Chevrolet, or to learn more about Arlington's history, visit the Center for Local History on the first floor of the Central Library.
Do you have a question about this story, or a personal experience to share?
Use this form to send a message to the Center for Local History.
