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Throwback Thursday

Biochemist and Nobel Prize Winner: Gertrude Elion

Gertrude Elion (1918-1999)

This week we're honoring the health care and public health people working tirelessly to protect our communities in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis.

Biochemist and pharmacologist Gertrude Elion was a trailblazer of modern medicine, and her work has shaped the way professionals today create new and life-saving pharmaceuticals. Elion was crucial in the development of multiple new medications, and in 1988 she was awarded for her work with the Nobel Prize.

Gertrude Elion, image courtesy of the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

Elion was born in 1918 in New York City to immigrant parents. She grew up in Manhattan and the Bronx and from an early age showed a talent for academic work. She described herself as “a child with an insatiable thirst for knowledge and remember enjoying all of my courses almost equally.” At age 15, Elion attended Hunter College, graduating with high honors in chemistry at 19. Elion was inspired to enter the medical field from a young age, motivated by her grandfather’s death from stomach cancer.

After graduation from college Elion had difficulty getting work in a laboratory, as most did not hire female chemists. Finding only part-time employment as a lab assistant and substitute teacher, she entered New York University to pursue her master’s degree. She was the only woman in her graduate classes, and of this time in her life said: “I hadn’t been aware that any doors were closed to me until I started knocking on them.”

Gertrude Elion in laboratory circa 1950s. Image courtesy of GlaxoSmithKline Heritage Center, via the Jewish Women’s Archive.

The start of World War II drastically changed the job field for American women, offering up more opportunities as many men were called to the war cause. During this time, Elion began working fully in the pharmaceutical field, starting out at Burroughs-Wellcome in nucleic acid research in 1944. This position was the start of her 40-year collaboration with Dr. George Hitchings, who would become her scientific partner in developing new solutions to diseases.

Elion and Hitchings took an innovative approach in creating medicine, focusing on the study of the chemical composition of diseased cells. This was in contrast to the more mainstream process used in their industry, which involved reliance on trial-and-error methods. The pair instead analyzed the differences in biochemistry between normal cells and pathogens to create medications that would block viral infections. This method was known as “rational drug design,” and allowed for successful interference with cell growth.

Over the course of her career, Elion registered 45 patents in medicine, published 225 papers on her medical findings, and helped develop numerous medicines. Among them were effective drugs for treating leukemia, AIDS, gout, malaria, herpes, and treatments related to kidney transplants.

Gertrude Elion and George Hitchings in a laboratory, 1948. Image courtesy of GlaxoSmithKline and Jon Elion, via the Science History Institute.

Gertrude Elion and George Hitchings 1988. Wikimedia Commons.

In 1983, Elion officially retired, but remained active in her field, continuing as a consultant and an adviser for the World Health Organization and American Association for Cancer Research.

In 1988 she was awarded the Nobel Prize along with Hitchings and Sir James Black, “for discoveries of important principles for drug treatment.” In 1991, she became the first woman inducted to the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Elion passed away in 1999.

Gertrude Elion, image courtesy of the Nobel Prize Foundation.

Learn More

The Jewish Women’s Archive has an exhibit on Gertrude Elion as part of their “Women of Valor” series.

The Nobel Prize Foundation featured Gertrude Elion as part of their “Women who changed science” series. The Foundation also has a short autobiography from Gertrude Elion that describes her life in her own words.

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“The Lady with the Lamp” – Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale (1820-1910)

This week we're honoring the health care and public health people working tirelessly to protect our communities in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis.

Florence Nightingale is one of the pioneers of modern medicine. She is known particularly for the role she played in improving hospital sanitation, promoting social reform and founding the modern nursing profession.

Florence Nightingale, date unknown. Image from the Library of Congress.

Early Years

Nightingale was born on May 12, 1820, in Florence, Italy to English parents. The Nightingale family was very well-off, and Florence was homeschooled by her father, who was under the assumption that she would eventually marry a similarly wealthy man.

This plan went by the wayside when, as a teenager, Nightingale received a religious calling to help the poor and sick. From a young age, she had been active in philanthropy, serving the ill in the village neighboring her family’s home.

Though her parents disapproved of Nightingale's vision, they eventually agreed to send her to Germany to study. From there, she went on to train in Paris with the Sisters of Mercy before returning to England. This led her to take on a nursing job in the early 1850s at a Harley Street hospital for ailing “gentlewomen.” She excelled in this role and was eventually promoted to the hospital superintendent. During this time, she also volunteered at a hospital in Middlesex, where a cholera outbreak was exacerbated by unsanitary conditions. Nightingale instituted new hygiene practices there, which significantly lowered the death rate of the hospital.

Florence Nightingale, 1854. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

The Kingdom of Hell

In 1853, England entered the Crimean War. After a series of scandals and complaints around battlefield medical care, the Secretary of War called on Nightingale to manage a group of nurses that would treat soldiers on site. She began her appointment on November 4, 1854, when she and 38 other nurses sailed to a British camp near Constantinople. The conditions they found shocked Nightingale, who dubbed it, “the kingdom of Hell.” The military hospital was set up on top of a large cesspool, which had tainted the water supplies, and the place was incredibly overcrowded. Patients were strewn about in disarray, and the most basic supplies and cleanliness protocols were absent. More soldiers were ill from infectious diseases than from injuries sustained on the battlefield.

The male doctors there initially resisted the all-female nursing team, as there had been no female nurses stationed in the Crimea up until this point, and refused to allow them to work. However, they eventually accepted the women into the fold as the number of patients began to overwhelm them.

The team of nurses transformed the military hospital under Nightingale’s leadership, bringing supplies, sanitary practices, and individualized care to their patients. In addition to improving the cleanliness of the hospital, they also established a proper hospital kitchen, laundry room, and classroom for the soldiers. Among Nightingale’s innovations was her insistence that the hospital have proper ventilation, which has influenced hospital design into the modern-day.

After arriving, the nurses brought the death rate at the hospital down from 40 percent to 2 percent. This period was also the origin of Nightingale’s nickname “the lady with the lamp” – she was known for carrying a lamp in the evenings to check on the conditions of the soldiers in her care.

The Florence Nightingale Hospital near Constantinople. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Beyond the Battlefield

Nightingale’s role in public health did not end when the war did, however. Upon returning to England, in 1856 she presented her wartime experiences and medical data to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, which resulted in the formation of a Royal Commission to improve the health of the British Army. She then went on to establish the Army Medical College in 1859, and opened the Nightingale Training School at St. Thomas’ Hospital the following year.

During her career, Nightingale penned many books and pamphlets on the subject of nursing and managing safe hospital environments, such as “Notes on Nursing: What it is, and What it is Not.” She was also the first female member of the Royal Statistical Society, elected in 1858.

Nightingale’s impact also extended to the United States, where she was frequently consulted on how to best manage field hospitals during the Civil War, influencing medical volunteers such as Clara Barton.

“Grave of Florence Nightingale near Ramsey, England. American Red Cross workers place wreath,” September 9, 1919. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Legacy

Florence Nightingale died on August 13, 1910. Her work shaped modern nursing practices and set a precedent for medical treatment and policies today.

“The Lady with the Lamp's” legacy lives on in many forms, as a key figure in the development of public health practices, and a figure of inspiration: in 1936, a play based on her life, "The White Angel," was performed at the State Theatre in Falls Church.

Newspaper 2

Advertisements for a 1936 performance of “The White Angel,” a play based on Florence Nightingale’s life, held at the State Theatre in Falls Church. From The Northern Virginia Sun, August 13, 1936.

Learn More

The Library has numerous books about Florence Nightingale available on OverDrive:

“Florence Nightingale: The Angel of the Crimea, a Story for Young People,” by Laura E. Richards

“Florence Nightingale,” from the Famous People Great Events series, by Emma Fischel

“Nursing: What it is, and What it is Not,” by Florence Nightingale.

The Florence Nightingale Museum has a variety of online exhibits about Nightingale’s life and work.

The United Kingdom’s National Archives has a series of lesson plans that focus on Florence Nightingale’s legacy.

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The Old Bay-Eva Castle of Arlington

Arlington is home to many examples of interesting architecture, but the Bay-Eva Castle (also known as Jacobs Castle) stands as one of the most dramatic buildings to grace the County’s landscape.

Overlooking the Potomac on a bluff of the Palisades near Rosslyn, in an area near what is now the Fort Bennett Park and Palisades Trail, the 9,200-square-foot fortress became well-known throughout the region.

The building was the home of obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. J. Bay Jacobs and his wife, Eva Harris Jacobs. Dr. Jacobs was a well-known physician and worked at the Georgetown and Arlington Hospitals. The location of the castle, halfway between those two localities, was perfect for the demands of his career and for access to the city. Eva Jacobs was also involved in the Arlington community as President of the Business and Professional Women’s Club and as the author of the historical novel “Feather on the Dart.”

The castle was designed after a trip the couple took to Bavaria in the 1930s, drawing inspiration from the sweeping turrets and stonework found in Bavaria's historic buildings. When the couple returned, they began construction in 1938, with ongoing additions and improvements being added into the 1950s.

The property the castle was built on was part of the former Thomas B. Dawson Estate, 81 acres that also included the Dawson Bailey House (now maintained by the County as part of the Dawson Terrace Community Center). The Jacobs family then bought 4 acres - what was called the “Spring lot” - from Thomas Dawson’s daughter Bessie Dawson in 1936.

According to the Historical Marker Database, Mrs. Jacobs drew out the design for the home while sitting outside on a tree stump in the rain, sheltered by an umbrella. The outside of the castle took three months to cover with stone, and in some places, the stone walls were 18 inches thick. It was also constructed with a slate roof, copper gutters, and oak flooring.

The abode included an indoor tiled fish pond, as well as a wrought iron staircase in the castle’s 35-foot turret, and flooring in the first-floor living room with a motif of carved butterflies in the shape of a bowtie. The turret also included an additional room that Eva Jacobs used as a studio space.

After the death of Eva Jacobs in 1979 and Dr. J. Bay Jacobs in 1988, the castle was deeded to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the antique furnishings were sold at auction. The property was later sold by the College to a developer, who had planned on developing the land into a community center. However, before these plans were realized, they went bankrupt and the property was foreclosed on.

According to The Arlingtonian, in the early nineties the castle was used as a collective house for a group of recent college graduates, who paid $1,000 in rent for the entire structure.

The castle was razed and demolished in November 1994.

Many Arlington residents remember the castle as it stood, with many commenting on its “eerie” presence. In keeping with this reputation, when demolition workers were going through the house, the body of a baby was found in a small boarded passageway. This was explained to be one of the preserved bodies of stillborn babies Dr. Jacobs used in his teaching as an obstetrician, and no criminal charges were filed.

Today, a historical marker and a stone column bearing the Bay-Eva Castle name are the last remnants of the grand building that once stood on the bluff.

Resources

The Historical Marker Database

The Arlingtonian

To learn more about Arlington's history, visit the Center for Local History on the first floor of the Central Library.

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Writer, Suffragist, Feminist Icon: Louisa May Alcott

Celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment with stories about the people and events that led to the passage of women’s suffrage in the United States.

Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888)

Author of the internationally renowned “Little Women,” Louisa May Alcott blazed a path for female authors and thinkers to follow. She was also a dedicated abolitionist, suffragist, and nurse.

“Louisa May Alcott, writer, abolitionist, and Civil War nurse,” ca. 1870. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Early Life

Louisa May Alcott was born on November 29, 1832, in Germantown, Pennsylvania. Alcott and her three sisters – who would go on to inspire the central quartet of “Little Women” – spent their childhood in Concord, Massachusetts, where they were educated by their father, Bronson Alcott.

The Alcott’s had a somewhat unique childhood, growing up in part on a transcendentalist commune. The family held strong political convictions that influenced Louisa Alcott’s life in great measures, such as when she helped her parents hide escaped slaves traveling north on the Underground Railroad. The Concord community was also filled with radical thinkers who made up the Alcott’s social circles, including Margaret Fuller, Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Writing became an early passion for Alcott, who augmented her education with poetry writing, visits to Emerson’s library, nature excursions with Thoreau (about whom she also wrote the poem “Thoreau’s Flute”), and staged plays in the barn at Hillside House in Concord (now known as the Wayside).

Orchard House, the childhood home of Louisa May Alcott and her sisters in Concord, Massachusetts. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

When Louisa was a teenager, the Alcott family faced years of poverty that worked their way into the stories of “Little Women.” This period encouraged Alcott to take matters into her own hands in a world that offered little to no fiscal opportunity for women outside of marriage.

Before publishing her own works, Alcott worked as a teacher, seamstress, governess, and household servant to make ends meet. Alcott then vowed: “I will make a battering-ram of my head and make my way through this rough and tumble world.”

Flower Fables and Other Early Works

Alcott began her career with the publication of poetry and short stories. Some of these early works were signed “A.M. Barnard” and were categorized as “potboilers,” often lurid and violent tales – but they always featured female characters who were strong and independent. At age 22, Alcott achieved a major milestone with the publication of her first book, “Flower Fables.”

Cover and inscription of an 1898 edition of Louisa May Alcott’s first book, “Flower Fables.”  The book was dedicated to Ellen Emerson, daughter of Alcott’s friend Ralph Waldo Emerson. Images courtesy of the Library of Congress, where a fully scanned version of the text is also available.

Throughout her life, Alcott was involved with causes such as women’s suffrage and abolition, influenced by the many intellectuals who shared her home community. Alcott and her mother canvassed door-to-door in their community to encourage women to vote, and in 1879 Louisa was registered as the first woman to vote in the Concord school committee election.

As an adult, she also socialized with Frederick Douglass and Julia Howe, leaders in their respective causes. In 1861, after the start of the Civil War, Alcott enlisted as a nurse in a Union Hospital in Georgetown in Washington, D.C. Though she had to leave her assignment early due to typhoid fever, the time proved to be immensely influential. In 1863, she published “Hospital Sketches,” a memoir detailing her time as a nurse, inspired by the letters she wrote to her family during this time.

Little Women

Well into her career, at age 35, Alcott’s publisher asked her to pivot and write a “girls’ story.” This directive led Alcott to write her magnum opus, “Little Women,” which stands the test of time as a seminal American text. The 492 pages of “Little Women, Part I” were written in three months at the desk her father built for her at her childhood home of Orchard House.

The book became an instant hit, resonating with stories of domestic life and realistic depictions of women not typically seen in contemporary fiction.

Listen to Arlington Public Library’s Big Book Club Podcast podcast episode on "Little Women," in which librarians Deborah and Megan talk with Pete about their personal experience of reading the book, the history of its publication, and why it is still worth talking about today.

Alcott published 30 books over the course of her life, cementing her in the pantheon of great American writers. She died on March 6, 1888, and is buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord.

“The Late Louisa May Alcott,” wood engraving after photo, 1888. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Additional Resources

  • Read “Little Women,” available online at the Library.
  • Explore Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House virtually.
  • Watch the 1994 or 2019 film adaptations of “Little Women,” available on streaming sites.

2020 marks the centennial of women’s suffrage in the United States. Learn how Arlington County is commemorating this milestone of civil rights on the Arlington County website.

Angel of the Battlefield: Humanitarian Clara Barton

Clara Barton (1821-1912)

Celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment with stories about women who have used their voices and their votes to better their communities and help shape the United States.

“Union Nurse Clara Burton,” photograph by C.R. Claflin, ca. 1865. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress. 

Clara Barton is an enduring symbol of humanitarianism for her work during the American Civil War, where she played a fundamental role in distributing much needed provisions and medical supplies to the Union Army. She was also renowned as an educator, nurse and a founder of the American Red Cross.

Barton was born on December 25, 1821, in Oxford, Massachusetts, the youngest of five children. She had her first experience in nursing while caring for her brother David and later became a teacher at age 18.

Early Career

At 24, she founded a school for children on the site of her brother’s mill and in 1852 she established the first free school in Bordentown, New Jersey. Barton resigned from her teaching position upon discovery that the school had hired a man at twice her salary. She left the post on the principle that she would never work for less than a man.

Following her teaching career, Barton began working as a recording clerk for the U.S. Patent Office in Washington, D.C., making her the first woman to hold the position. In line with her beliefs on the fundamental equality of women, she was paid $1,400 as a salary – the same as her male colleagues. After this milestone, however, she faced backlash. The then-Secretary of the Interior Robert McClelland opposed women serving in the government and demoted her to a copyist position at a lower salary.

February 13, 1860, Letter from Clara Barton to her nephew Bernard Vassall, which discusses women’s oppression. Part of the Clara Barton Papers at the Library of Congress.

American Civil War

In 1861, like all Americans, Barton’s life changed with the start of the Civil War. She quit her post in government and dedicated herself to bringing supplies to Union soldiers in need. She started by taking supplies to the men of the 6th Massachusetts Infantry housed in the unfinished Capitol building, some of whom had been her students and her peers growing up.

Barton collected relief articles including clothing, assorted foods, and supplies for sick and wounded soldiers, and appealed to the public to garner more donations. She also read to soldiers in the camps, wrote letters and prayed with them.

Soldiers of the 6th Regiment Massachusetts volunteer militia, one of the groups that Clara Barton helped bring supplies during the Civil War. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

In 1862, she received official permission to transport supplies to battlefields and was present at every major battle in Maryland, Virginia and South Carolina. After the battle of Cedar Mountain in August 1862, Barton brought in a wagon load of supplies drawn by a four-mule team to the field hospital. Upon her arrival, the surgeon on duty commented: “I thought that night if heaven ever sent out a[n] … angel, she must be one – her assistance was so timely.” This led to Barton gaining the nickname “Angel of the Battlefield.”

Of her time on the battlefield, Barton said: “I may be compelled to face danger, but never fear it, and while our soldiers can stand and fight, I can stand and feed and nurse them."

Though she had no formal medical training, in 1864 she was named head nurse for one of General Benjamin Butler’s units. In the aftermath of the war, Barton was also involved in helping prepare former enslaved people for freedom, as well as marking graves, testifying to Congress about her experience in the war, and helping locate missing soldiers. To help the latter cause, she established the Office of Correspondence with Friends of the Missing Men, which she operated out of her home on 7th Street in Washington, D.C. The Office received and answered over 63,000 letters and identified over 22,000 missing men during its four years of operation. A tracing service similar to this operation would eventually become a crucial part of the operations of the Red Cross.

“Clara Barton. A wartime photograph by Brady,” ca. 1890-1910. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Red Cross

After the war, Barton continued to serve her nation. After a visit to Europe, she was inspired by the Red Cross in Geneva, Switzerland, and lobbied to establish a branch in the United States. On May 21, 1881, the American Association of the Red Cross was formed, built up by Barton’s work writing pamphlets, lecturing and meeting with President Rutherford B. Hayes on the topic of support for the organization.

Barton was elected the group’s first president, and in 1882, the United States joined the International Red Cross. As its leader, Barton oversaw relief work for victims of the Johnstown Flood in 1889 and the Galveston Flood in 1900, among other events. She remained with the Red Cross until 1904, and that same year established the National First Aid Association of America.

Clara Barton, ca. 1911. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Later Years

Barton was also involved in civic causes including education, prison reform, women’s suffrage, and civil rights.

Barton died on April 12, 1912. Since her death, Barton has frequently been turned to as an example and reminder of American heroism, as in this newspaper article from May 31, 1940, written by The Northern Virginia Sun in the days leading up to World War II:

The Consumer Brewery

In celebration of Arlington's 100th Anniversary and New District's small-batch Arlington 100 lager, we are republishing our "Consumer Brewery" post, originally published December 3, 2010.

The small-batch Arlington 100 lager will be available in the New District taproom on Saturday, March 14 beginning at 2 p.m., where County Board Chair Libby Garvey is scheduled to act as honorary barkeep and pull the Arlington 100 tap for the first time.

Arlington's Brewery of Note

View of Rosslyn and the Aqueduct Bridge from Georgetown, c.1900. Consumer brewery and the smokestack is in the upper right section of the image.

Built in 1896 in Rosslyn under the direction of noted local architect Albert Goenner, the Consumer Brewery building was located above the site of the old Aqueduct Bridge. Rosslyn at this time was a notorious area, home of many taverns, gambling establishments and brothels. Local breweries like the Consumer Brewery were important to their communities because they gave tavern owners and other customers another, convenient source of beer, besides relying exclusively on larger commercial breweries.

The building itself was a distinctive red brick structure with turrets on the ends, a clock tower in the center, and a large smokestack at the back. Goenner was also responsible for building the original Arlington County Courthouse.

Around 1904, the brewery business was reorganized and William McGuire became president, changing the name to the Arlington Brewery. It continued operations until 1920 when Prohibition went into effect.

The building subsequently served as a lithographic print shop and warehouse until its demolition in 1958, when the property was used for the construction of a Marriott motel.

Consumer Brewery bottles

Arlington Brewery bottles

Bottle photos used courtesy of Washington DC Area Beer & Soda Bottles collector, Chosi.

To learn more about Arlington's history, visit the Center for Local History on the first floor of the Central Library.

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A Fight for Educational Equality: Civil Rights Activist Dorothy Hamm

Dorothy Hamm (1919-2004)

Celebrate Black History Month and the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment with stories about women who have used their voices and their votes to better their communities and help shape the United States.

For decades, Dorothy Hamm was at the forefront of the civil rights movement in Arlington, working tirelessly to bring equality to the County. She lead the charge to successfully desegregate Arlington’s schools and theaters, and was involved in numerous community organizations and leadership positions.

Early Life

Dorothy Hamm was born in 1919 in Caroline County, Virginia, in a family of seven children. The only school that accepted African-American students was six miles away from their home, so in 1926 the family moved to Fairfax County where the children could attend elementary school.

However, Virginia was still a segregated state, and when Hamm graduated from primary school the family found that there was no junior high or high school for African-American students within a thirty-five-mile radius. Instead, because her mother was a government employee, Dorothy was able to attend secondary schools in Washington, D.C. She went on to enroll in Miner Teacher’s College, also in D.C.. She also attended classes at the Cortez Peters School of Business and George Washington University.

Image courtesy of Carmela Hamm, from the Library of Virginia.

Hamm married Edward Leslie Hamm, Sr., in 1942 and the couple moved to Arlington in 1950, where they would raise their three children. During this time, Hamm worked in numerous government positions, including as an administrator in the Army Surgeon General’s Office, where she worked until 1963.

The catalyst for Hamm’s involvement in the civil rights movement came in the form of the 1954 Supreme Court decision that ruled segregation illegal in public schools.

Arlington Public Schools

In 1956, Hamm, along with her husband, became plaintiffs in the first civil action case filed to integrate the Arlington Public School system. When no action towards integration had been taken a year after the suit was filed, Hamm and her husband took their oldest son, Edward Leslie Jr., to enroll at Stratford Junior High School. They, and other African-American students who attempted to enroll in the still segregated Arlington schools, were denied admission that year. In September 1957, a few days after the opening of the school year, crosses were burned on the lawns of two Arlington families, and at the Calloway United Methodist Church, a central location for organizers in the effort to desegregate the schools, and a site of workshops held by ministers, lawyers and educators preparing parents and students for school integration.

Over the course of this process, Hamm recalled in interviews many experiences with discrimination and intimidation.

Frontpage of The Northern Virginia Sun, February 2, 1959.

Page 2 of The Northern Virginia Sun, February 2, 1959.

On January 19, 1959, Senator Harry F. Byrd’s statewide policy of “massive resistance” to the Supreme Court ruling was outlawed by the Virginia Supreme Court.

On February 2, Ronald Deskins, Michael Jones, Lance Newman, and Gloria Thompson were enrolled as the first black students at Stratford Junior High, making Arlington the first county in Virginia to integrate its schools. Hamm’s sons would enter Stratford later that year.

In 1960 Dorothy Hamm was a plaintiff in another case, a court action to eliminate the pupil placement form, which was used to exclusively assign African-American students to certain schools as a means to get around the Supreme Court’s ruling on desegregation.

In 1961, Hamm was again a plaintiff in a court action to integrate the athletic program of the Arlington Public Schools, after Hamm’s son had been barred from participating in Stratford’s wrestling program because of the physical contact between Black and white students. As a result of the court action, discrimination in Arlington athletic programs was declared to be illegal.

From left to right, Lance Newman, 13, Ronald Deskins, 12, Michael Jones, 12, and Gloria Thompson, 12, enter Stratford Junior High School on February 2, 1959. Image courtesy of AP Photo from Arlington County.

Civic Life

In 1963, Hamm was the plaintiff in a civil action case to eliminate the poll tax and remove the race designation from public forms and voting records in Arlington County. (Read "If you Don't Vote, You Don't Count", our story from August 15, 2019, about the history of the poll tax in Arlington County, to learn more.)

The same year, Hamm also became involved in the fight to desegregate Arlington’s theaters. She initiated another civil court suit and helped to organize what would become a year of picketing efforts in protest of segregation. Along with four other protesters, Hamm was arrested for picketing at the Glebe Theater. The theater owner then struck a deal with the protesters that if they ceased picketing for thirty days, he would admit African-American patrons to the theater. This was successful, and Hamm and her son Edward Leslie Jr., became the first African-American customers to be admitted.

Hamm and her husband also participated in the 1963 March on Washington, helping to organize bus transportation to take Arlington residents into the city to take part in the March. In 1968, they also participated in the Poor People’s March on Washington, and helped to provide food and housing for fellow marchers.

Hamm continued her political activism as a delegate to Arlington County and Virginia State conventions in 1964 and was appointed Assistant Registrar and Chief Election Officer in Arlington’s Woodlawn precinct. She also worked with the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE) as they organized in Arlington and served as an officer of elections in Arlington for more than twenty-seven years.

Writing

Dorothy Hamm was also known for her work as a poet and playwright.

In 1976, her play “Our Heritage: Slavery to Freedom 1776-1976” was designated as an official bicentennial event in Arlington County. In 1984, she wrote and directed the play “Our Struggle for Equality,” which was performed by the drama club of Calloway United Methodist Church and later developed into a documentary for television.

Description of Dorothy Hamm’s 1976 play “Our Heritage: Slavery to Freedom 1776-1976,” which was performed as part of Arlington’s bicentennial celebrations. Part of the Dorothy Hamm Papers.

Legacy

Dorothy Hamm died in 2004, but her legacy and mark on Arlington live on. On March 1, 2002, the Virginia Legislature’s House Joint Resolution No. 458 was enacted commending Hamm and her efforts in the civil rights movement.  And in 2019, the Dorothy Hamm Middle School began its first year named in her honor (in the building that formerly was the site of Stratford Junior High and the H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program).

In her autobiography, Hamm wrote about her response to the question of why she fought so hard for equal education and other equal opportunities. She writes:

“Even now, I am asked the same questions. There are many reasons, but one of the most important was my determination to answer the “Why can’t I?” question raised by our eight-year-old son, Bernard Caldwell Hamm. … Finally, I had to truthfully answer his ‘Why can’t I?’ question and explain to him that Stratford was for White children and he could not attend because he was a colored boy. I knew then that with the help of others, I had to fight to help change the ‘Separate but Equal Laws.’”

Dorothy Hamm Middle School, which was named in Hamm’s honor in 2019. Image courtesy of Arlington Public Schools.

Learn More

“Notable Women of Arlington: Third Series,” published by the Arlington County Commission on the Status of Women.

“Integration of Arlington County Schools: My Story,” by Dorothy Hamm.

Interview Dorothy M. Hamm, conducted in 1986, VA 975.5295 A7243oh ser.3 no.58.

The Dorothy M. Hamm Papers, 1937-1977, VA/ARCH RG 349.

Unbought and Unbossed: U.S. Representative Shirley Chisholm

Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm (1924-2005)

Celebrate Black History Month and the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment with stories about women who have used their voices and their votes to better their communities and help shape the United States.

In 1968, Shirley Chisholm made history as the first African-American woman to be elected to Congress. She also broke barriers as the first woman to seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 1972.

Throughout her life, Shirley Chisholm became one of the most influential and iconic policymakers and activists in the United States, and a tireless advocate for women and minority groups.

Shirley Chisholm was born in 1924 in Brooklyn, New York, to immigrant parents from Guyana and Barbados. She graduated cum laude from Brooklyn College in 1946, where she was also a top member of the debate team. After college, she worked as a nursery school teacher and went on to receive a master’s degree from Columbia University in early childhood education. She continued to excel in her field and later served as a consultant to the New York City Division of Day Care.

Shirley Chisholm at the Black Caucus State of the Union event, 1973. Courtesy of the Library of Congress

As her career progressed, Chisholm was also politically active and participated in many groups that sought to combat racial and gender inequality, including the League of Women Voters, the NAACP, the Urban League, and the Democratic Party Club. In 1964, she was elected to the New York State Legislature, making her the second African-American person to do so. Four years later, in 1968, she ran for and was elected to Congress. After her historic win, considered an upset in her district, she aptly declared: “Just wait, there may be some fireworks.”

Chisholm’s time in Congress was one of prolific work and steadfast determination, marked by her slogan “unbought and unbossed.” Nicknamed “Fighting Shirley,” she focused on causes including racial and gender equality, helping the poor, and putting an end to the Vietnam War. During her time in office, she introduced more than 50 pieces of legislation and continued to achieve milestones, including becoming the first Black woman and the second woman ever to serve on the House Rules Committee in 1977. Chisholm was also one of the co-founders of the National Women’s Political Caucus, which sought to broaden women’s political participation.

Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm announces her candidacy for the presidential nomination, January 25, 1972. L-R, Shirley Chisholm, Parren Mitchell, Charles Rangel, Bella Abzug. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

In 1972, Chisholm trailblazed into yet another region of the political realm when she sought the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, the first woman to do so. Due to discrimination, numerous obstacles were placed in her way: she received little establishment support, and was blocked from taking part in televised primary debates, only making one speech after seeking legal intervention. And while the nomination ultimately went to George McGovern, Chisholm entered 12 primaries and was able to gain 10 percent of the total vote.

Shirley Chisholm presidential campaign poster, 1972. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Shirley Chisholm speaks at the third session of the Democratic National Convention in Miami Beach, July 12, 1972. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Chisholm retired from Congress in 1983 but continued to be politically active, co-founding the National Political Congress of Black Women and teaching at Mount Holyoke College.

After a life on the forefront of trailblazing politics, she reflected on her life:

“I’d like them to say that Shirley Chisholm had guts. That’s how I’d like to be remembered.”

Learn more about Shirley Chisholm in her autobiography, "Unbought and Unbossed," available at the Library.

Valentine’s Day Postcards

The price of a stamp to mail a postcard in the early 1900s was just one penny. 

Postcard sent from Morgantown. WV, February 14, 1913

Postcard sent from Annapolis, MD, February 12, 1909

These Valentine's Day postcards, part of a collection sent from around the region to Miss Irene Andris, have postmarks ranging from 1906 through 1913. Some include personal messages, but many are simply addressed to the recipient.

Irene Andris was the grandmother of a Library employee, who donated the collection to the Center for Local History.

Postcard sent from Morgantown. WV, date stamp illegible.

Postcard sent from Morgantown. WV, February 14, 10 a.m., no year.

The Center for Local History has a large collection of holiday-themed postcards from the early-to-mid 20th Century. There are also postcards for birthdays, New Year’s, Christmas, Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day, and the Fourth of July. 

The first American postcard was pressed in 1873. Postcards quickly became an inexpensive form of communication, growing in popularity throughout the 19th and 20th Centuries. The study and collection of postcards, which you've just learned a little bit about by reading this, is called Deltiology.

To see more of the postcard collection, 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.

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Question for the Archives: Where Was My School?

Last week the Center for Local History was contacted by a patron looking for the name of an Arlington school he attended for one year as a child.

1952 Arlington property map

The man was able to give us the following information: He lived on North Richmond Street, in North Arlington, and the bus ride to the unknown school was short. He mentioned the school was older and made of brick. And when Taylor Elementary School opened the following year in 1953, he switched schools.

After looking at our maps and checking on when specific schools were built, archivist Heather determined that it’s most likely that the patron went to Woodmont Elementary School in the 1952-53 school year. Woodmont was built in 1926, with a few later additions. The other candidate that was farther away, Nottingham, was built in 1952, so it wouldn’t have that “old” feel the patron mentioned. Woodmont is also close enough to North Richmond Street to be considered a short bus ride in 1952.

1952 Arlington property map

To see more items like these, 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.

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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.

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