Arlington Public Library

Center for Local History Blog

Dedicated to collecting, preserving and sharing the history of the community.

The Flying Machine

In 1908, Orville Wright arrived in Arlington to show his “flying machine” to military officers at Fort Myer.

The army had requested bids for a plane that could hold two men and fly for at least one hour for observation and reconnaissance purposes. Orville and his brother Wilbur built the machine and Orville brought it to Fort Myer for a demonstration. Orville made several flights in the first two weeks of September, setting new endurance records and impressing his audience, which included interested members of the public. However, on his last flight on the 17th, the plane crashed. Wright was injured and Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge was killed. The Selfridge Gate of Arlington National Cemetery now stands near the crash site.

Despite the crash, the US Army was interested in Wright’s machine. The brothers made improvements to the plane when it was repaired, and did a new round of flights at Fort Myer during the summer of 1909. The new machine was bought by the Army and called Signal Corps Airplane No. 1.

Silent film footage of a 1908 flight have been recently found at Fort Myer. The Virginia Room holds maps and reports documenting Fort Myer at the start of the 20th century.

What About You?

Were you or a family member stationed at Fort Meyer? Did you ever attend one of their public events? Let us know what you remember!

 

Ready, Set, GO!!!!!

The Optimist Club

For many years after its inception in 1946, the Optimist Club of Arlington sponsored a kids coaster car race in the summer.

The race pictured shown here took place on August 19, 1950. All the participants received a t-shirt, and many went home with ribbons, but it is unknown if the boys built their own cars, or where exactly the race took place.

Optimist Clubs are local groups under the mantle of Optimist International that serve youth by providing scholarships and activities that promote good citizenship and good character. Today, the Arlington Optimist Club holds essay and oratorical contests, has a large Christmas tree sale, and sponsors many youth sports teams.

The photograph above comes from a collection put together for a 50th anniversary publication. Many photos of the Arlington Optimist Club’s membership and activities, as well as newsletters, directories and other archival material, can be found in the Arlington Community Archives. Finding aids to the collection can be found in the Virginia Room.

What About You?

Are you or a family member an Optimist? Did you participate or attend in any Optimist Club-sponsored activities, such as the coaster car race? Let us know what you remember!

 

Floating Repairs

 

The photograph above shows members of Arlington’s Department of Public Works repairing the Chain Bridge water main in 1987.

Today, the Department of Environmental Services (DES) would be doing these repairs. DES looks after the county’s transportation system, its environment, and its capital investment, providing maintenance and daily operations. This organizational change took place in 2004.

There are four water mains in the Chain Bridge area. Three pipes, built in the 1920s and the 1940s, are attached to the bridge itself. A fourth pipe, 48″ in diameter and made of pre-stressed concrete, was built underneath the Potomac river bottom in 1967. This pipe is probably what is being repaired in the photograph. The Chain Bridge mains provide water for a large portion of the County. When a newly replaced above-ground main burst on March 12, 2006, over 100,000 residents were affected.

The Virginia Room holds many photographs depicting the day-to-day work of Arlington employees. It also holds some water and sewage records from the old Department of Public Works, dating from the 1920s to the 1980s.

What About You?
Do you remember losing your water in March 2006? How about losing water or electricity at other times? How did Arlington employees help you? Let us know what you remember!

 

The Virginia Room Needs Help!

The Virginia Rooms holds dozens of photographs with unidentified people and places…

This photo is just one.

Taken probably in the late 1970s or 1980s, it is of several homes along an unknown street in Arlington. There are clues that the houses could be located in the Courtlands or Colonial Terrace neighborhoods, but we are not sure. If the homes in this photograph are familiar to you, please contact the Virginia Room.

What About You?

Do you recognize anything in this photograph? What do you remember about the Courtlands and Colonial Terrace neighborhoods? Let us know what you remember!

 

Arlington Gardens: the 1930s

Oral History with Barbara Ball Savage

Eggplant

A young winner at the 1986 Arlington County fair, photographed by County Photographer Debbie Ernst.

Barbara Ball Savage grew up at the Glebe House (listed on the National Register of Historic Places).

Her father was Frank Ball, Sr., who served as both Commonwealth Attorney and State Senator for many years. This quote is from her oral history. The recording and transcription are available in the Virginia Room.

The 1930s

“Oh, Daddy always had a big vegetable garden and then he would get in some contest with somebody down at the courthouse, who was going to have the first tomato by the 4th of July, who was going to have the first ear of corn. And this kidding went on all the time over the garden. But it sure tasted good. And he would tell Mother to get the kettle boiling and then he’d go out and pull the corn. There wasn’t five minutes between the time it was pulled and it was in the water. Which kept the sweetness. Oh, we had a big vegetable garden. I can remember my brother Frank talking about how they used dynamite to break up the soil — it was such hard clay there – to plant the trees in the orchard. And in the summer, I never had applesauce that wasn’t homemade applesauce until I was married. . . I make damson preserves because that’s what my mother and grandmother made. And they used to go out to Vienna to get the Damsons. They’d send Frank out on the little train, the trolley that went out to Vienna. And he’d come home with two buckets of Damsons and then my mother would make Damson preserves for the winter.”

The 1980s

The Arlington County Fair, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2006, gives awards for exemplary flowers, fruits and vegetables grown in home gardens. The photograph above, taken by County Photographer Debbie Ernst, shows a young winner at the 1986 fair. Gardening is alive and well in Arlington!

What About You?

Did you cultivate a garden in your yard? Where did you and your family go to get fresh produce? Let us know!

 

The Weenie Beenie

Did you know that the Weenie Beenie hotdog stand, located at the intersection of Shirlington Road and S. Four Mile Run Drive, was originally owned by pool hustler William "Weenie Beenie" Staton, who died in 2006?

Bill Staton was a world-renowned pool player and an inaugural member of the One Pocket Hall of Fame. The start-up money for the purchase of the first hotdog stand was the result of a gambling trip to Arkansas. In 1960, Staton won $27,000, which in turn became the seed money for this Arlington institution. Originally one of several, the Arlington site is the only one remaining. The stand was notable enough to be the title of a song by the Foo Fighters, fronted by Dave Grohl, who recorded his first solo album “Pocketwatch” in Arlington in 1990-91 and later completed 2 Foo Fighters songs at Geoff Turner’s WGNS Arlington recording studio in 1997.

Staton performed trick shots in several movies, including "The Color of Money," and is also credited with giving "Minnesota Fats" his name. When he appeared on the television show "I've Got a Secret" his secret was that he could sink all balls on the table with one shot, considered quite a feat in the early 1960s. Staton also started Jack & Jill Cue Clubs, family-oriented pool establishments, one of which operated 24 hours a day in Arlington for 14 years until Bill retired to Myrtle Beach, SC in 1981.

What About You?

What do you remember about going to the Weenie Beenie at Shirlington Road? Do you remember the other locations? How about playing pool in Arlington, especially at the Jack& Jill Cue Club? If you remember, let us know!

A Generous Donation

The Virginia Room recently received a wonderful donation of two 1936 Sanborn atlases of Arlington.

Thanks to the generosity of Eric Dobson and two other anonymous donors, these maps are now available to visitors to the Virginia Room:

Sanborn maps are greatly prized by researchers.

As they were originally designed for fire insurance assessment, they are color-coded and relate the location and use of buildings, as well as the materials employed in their construction. In addition, they indicate which city/county utilities, such as water and fire service, were available, the width and names of streets, and house and block numbers. As such they are a wonderful source of information regarding the structure and use of buildings in American communities.

The Virginia Room is greatly indebted to these three generous benefactors!

To see these as well as numerous other maps: topographic, street, survey, neighborhood, etc. visit the Virginia Room at the Central Library.

What About You?

Do you or any of your family members own old maps of Arlington? Do you remember when your house got new utilities, or if you changed addresses without moving your home? If you do, let us know!

 

Riding Shoot the Chutes at Luna Park

Luna Park was an amusement park that opened in Arlington (then known as Alexandria County) in 1906.

It was situated along Four Mile Run at South Glebe Road and South Eads St., where the county’s water pollution plant is now located. Brochures described it as “A Fairyland of Amusement Overlooking the Beautiful Potomac” and “an architectural fashion plate.” It offered many attractions, including rides, a “shoot the chutes,” a ballroom, band stand, a Temple of Mystery, moving picture theater, and even slot machines!

The exact date the park closed is not known, but some years later a fire did extensive damage to the park, and the owner dismantled it around 1915.

The Virginia Room owns a Sanborn fire insurance map (see detail above) of Luna Park, which shows the locations and sizes of its buildings. There are also several photographs in the Community Archives of Luna Park’s attractions.

 

What About You?

What kinds of fairs and amusement parks have you attended in Arlington? Has a family member ever told you about their trip to Luna Park? If so, let us know!

 



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