Throwback Thursday

Shirlington’s Cinematic Past

Shirlington has long been a bustling shopping center in Arlington, and is home to the AMC Shirlington Cinema 7, one of four movie theaters in Arlington County.

The existing cinema at 2772 South Randolph Street is the second major theater to serve Shirlington’s movie-loving population, which began with the Shirlington Theatre nearby at 2800 South Randolph Street.

The Shirlington Theatre opened on January 31, 1946, and at the time was the County’s largest theater (and also was touted as possessing “the South’s largest screen”). The 980-seat cinema debuted with the film “Love Letters” and featured a pre-show performance by local composer Leon Brusiloff’s string ensemble.

Advertisement from the January 30, 1946, edition of the Evening Star announcing the debut of the Shirlington Theatre. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress

The theater was operated by the Alexandria Amusement Company and was part of a larger complex known as the “Shirlington Theatre Building,” which was home to other businesses including the Shirlington Radio Shop and various medical offices. In 1948, a notable addition to the Theatre Building was the Fairlington Library, which later became the Shirlington Library.

The Theatre Building was in turn part of the larger Shirlington Business Center, which until the 1960s was essentially segregated: Black patrons were allowed to shop, but were denied access to services such as eating at lunch counters or using leisure facilities like theaters. In June 1960, activists held a series of sit-ins at lunch counters around the County, including Lansburgh’s Colonial Room and Woolworth’s lunch counter in Shirlington. On June 22, Lansburgh's became the first Arlington lunch counter to desegregate, followed that same day by a number of other local restaurants. Arlington's theaters would not be desegregated until 1963, following protests led by civil rights leader Dorothy Hamm.

The Shirlington Theatre closed in 1957 and the building was demolished the following year to make way for the construction of a 150,000-square-foot Lansburgh’s department store, which operated in Arlington until the company went defunct in 1973.

Notice in the January 9, 1948, edition of the Sun about the opening of the Fairlington Library, which was located in the Shirlington Theater building. Image courtesy of Virginia Chronicle.

A July 8, 1947, article in the Arlington Daily shows local firefighters using the Shirlington Theatre as a training location.
Seven acres of land in the adjacent County Property Yard mentioned here were sold to the corporation for parking purposes after the theater was demolished. Image courtesy of Virginia Chronicle.

Shirlington Cinema 7 opened on December 18, 1987, once again bringing film to the South Arlington area. The 6-screen theater was operated by Circle Theatres, a popular local cinema chain that had been founded in 1957 by two law students at George Washington University.

The same year the Shirlington Cinema opened, Circle Cinemas was bought out by Cineplex Odeon, which later managed the Shirlington location. Subsequent mergers led to the theater being referred to as the “Shirlington Loews Cinema” and in 2006 it formally became an AMC theater.

Shirlington movie theater, advertising Jane Eyre, Flirting with Disaster, Fargo, Sense and Sensibility, and the Postman. 1996, 1 negative, b&w, 35mm.

Shirlington Cinema 7 at 2772 South Randolph Street in 1996.

AMC Shirlington Cinema 7 in 2021.

In 2015, the theater underwent a major renovation that included an expansion of its concessions and a reduction of its seating capacity in favor of the reclining chairs now popular in today’s cinemas. The theater is pictured here in 1996, with films including “Sense and Sensibility” and “Fargo” displayed on the marquee.

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Arlington’s Courthouse: A Tale in Three Acts

A Central Landmark of Local Government

Arlington’s Courthouse has served the community in many ways for over 170 years.

Arlington’s first courthouse was technically not even in Arlington: from 1847 to 1920, Arlington was a part of Alexandria, and the Alexandria Courthouse (which served what is now the Arlington area) was located at North Columbus Street and Queen Street.

However, due to the long distances people would have to travel from the present-day-Arlington area to get to that courthouse, a new site for a County courthouse was selected in Fort Myer Heights, on the Civil War site of Fort Woodbury.

Arlington County Courthouse, date unknown.

This building, which was designed by Albert Goenner, debuted for public use in 1898. The Victorian-style structure was instantly recognizable with its imposing 75-foot clocktower (though a clock was never installed).

Electricity was added around 1913 and adjoining wings were gradually constructed as Arlington’s population grew in the early decades of the 20th century.

The original Arlington County Courthouse, circa 1898, the year it was built.

A bird's-eye view of the Courthouse, featuring one of the later additions to the building.

Due to increasing demands as Arlington continued to grow, the 1898 building was torn down in 1960 and replaced by a more modern building. The seven-story tower was dedicated the following year and joined the existing additions and renovated wings, but the original Victorian-style edifice was fully replaced.

In 1990, a fire broke out in the Courthouse, causing damage and exposing asbestos in the facilities. After decontamination, the 1960s-era building served the County until 1995, when the present-day Courthouse building was completed at a site across the street at 1425 North Courthouse Road (pictured in 2021 in slide three).

The façade of Arlington's second Courthouse, pictured in 1972.

The current County Courthouse at 1425 North Courthouse Road., pictured in 2021

The old courthouse location was used by the fire department for training exercises until 1997, when it was demolished in a controlled implosion. That site is now a parking lot adjacent from the current Courthouse and detention center facility.

You can learn more about the Arlington Courthouse in these articles from the Arlington Historical Magazine, published by the Arlington Historical Society:

A History of the Arlington County Courthouse, by Jeanne Rose
Albert Goenner: The Forgotten Architect of Arlington's First Courthouse, by Willard J. Webb
Symbols of Justice from the Three Courthouses of Arlington, by George W. Dodge

Washington Golf and Country Club

The Washington Golf and Country Club is considered the oldest golf club in Virginia, and its course now comprises 88 acres of land just off of Glebe Road in North Arlington.

The Washington Golf and Country Club, taken in the late 1930s. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

The club was incorporated in 1894 by members of the Metropolitan Club, though evidence exists that it was first organized in 1892. The Club was a social and literary group founded by employees of the Treasury Department and whose members were of the elite echelons of Washington society, including Senators, ambassadors, and other men in high government positions.

This was around the time when golf was becoming a major recreational craze. The 9-hole golf course was built on a 165-acre tract leased from the Hoover family, just north of Rosslyn. The Hoover family home became the de facto clubhouse for the golfers. It was noted that a man named Jackson also lived and worked on the property that became the golf course. Jackson had been enslaved by the Hoover family and later became their servant and then a servant at the golf club.

The Washington Golf Club in the 1920s at the Rixey property.

The golf club adhered to a strict set of rules, including regulation dress and a ban on gambling on the premises. An annual fee was between $15-$20, and by 1897 there were nearly 200 members. About 30 women had joined the club by 1898, though they would play on “ladies’ links.”

The club was disbanded in 1907 when the property owners decided to develop the land, and the following year it was incorporated under a new name, the Washington Country Club. Between 1908 and 1920 the club and a now-18-hole course were located at the property of Admiral Rixey, the then-United States Surgeon General.

This property also included tennis courts. Theodore Roosevelt and Howard Taft were honorary members, and Woodrow Wilson was also an active member, leading it to be known as the “Playground of Presidents.”

A man identified as A.W. Howard plays at the Washington Golf Club, circa 1925. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

In 1915 the club’s name was changed to its current iteration as the Washington Golf and Country Club. In 1936 a fire destroyed the clubhouse and the club’s records, though it was rebuilt on the same foundations by 1937. In 1958, another new clubhouse was built, and the current clubhouse was completed in 2006.

Want to learn more about golf history in the region? Check out Golf and Civil Rights in Washington, DC.

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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An (Un)familiar Tune: Arlington’s Song

Though many may not know the words to this reverential tune, Arlington has had an official song for more than 50 years.

The County Song Debuts

“Arlington,” the County’s official song, was adopted unanimously in October 1970 by the County Board. The musical occasion was marked with a performance of the tune from a chorus of the Masons’ International Order of Job’s Daughters, who were dressed in 18^th-century period costume. 10,000 copies of the sheet music and lyrics were later distributed by the Chamber of Commerce throughout the County.

Agenda for the October 3, 1970, debut of the Arlington song (see item No. 3). From the October 1, 1970, issue of the Northern Virginia Sun.

The song was composed by the Reverend Ernest K. Emurian (1912-2004), who from 1962 to 1981 was minister of the Cherrydale Methodist Church. In addition to his ecclesiastical duties, Emurian was also known for being a musician, poet, and writer, and wrote geographically inspired tunes about the Virginia cities of Portsmouth and Lynchburg in addition to Arlington, and penned multiple books about national songs and hymns. He was quoted as saying “If a place is worth living in, it’s worth writing a song about.”

Read: The 2015 County article “Official ‘Arlington’: Song Sung Blue and White at 45” delves further in detail about the 1970 Arlington song and Reverend Emurian.

Sheet music and lyrics for the 1970 song “Arlington,” by Ernest Emurian.

The song caught a second wind in the 20^th century when in 2000, the County Board reintroduced the tune with a performance featuring some of the daughters of the original Daughters chorus who had performed the 1970 debut of the song. And what might be called a third resurrection occurred in 2016, when Arlington TV recorded and aired a performance with some of the members of the original 1970 chorus.

Watch: The 2016 performance of “Arlington.”

A Prequel Tune

Possibly even more obscure than the official song is a precursor to that 1970 tune written in 1938, though this version was never formally adopted as a piece of official County music. In August 1938, members of the local Hoffman family orchestra presented their song, “Arlington,” to the Chamber of Commerce. The tune was composed by Theodore G. Hoffman, who wrote the song with the intention for it to be used to “’ promote the public interest in and welfare of Arlington County.’”

Hoffman was a German immigrant who performed with his three sons, and who had also composed songs used by the U.S. Army during World War II along with other patriotic compositions throughout his career. A 1938 article describes the song as a march, with the lyrics paying homage to “businessmen, the neighborly spirit of the homeowners, the healthy climate, the atmosphere of happiness and the beauty of Arlington scenery.”

Photo from August 5, 1948, Northern Virginia Sun article by Margaret Troxell about T.G. Hoffman, who composed an early song for and about Arlington.

Modern Songs About Arlington

A few mainstream songs from recent years also reference Arlington, such as the Foo Fighters’ “Weenie Beenie,” named after the beloved County eatery, or “Arlington” by Fairfax-based band Emmet Swimming off of its 1996 album Arlington to Boston. However, neither of those tunes quite capture the detail and charming local specificity of the County’s official song.

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The History of Arlington’s Logo and Seal

Arlington is currently in the process of changing its iconography. Let's take a look back at the previous versions of the Arlington Logo as the County begins the process of updating its visual identity.

Arlington County was formally designated in 1920, changing its name from Alexandria County in order to distinguish itself from the nearby City of Alexandria. The County initially used the Virginia state seal in official documents, which depicts the Roman goddess Virtus conquering Tyranny. It is accompanied by Virginia's state motto, “Sic Semper Tyrannis,” or “Thus Always to Tyrants.”

Example of usage of the Virginia state seal in County documents, circa 1958.

Arlington House

Around the mid-1960s, Arlington began using an unofficial County seal. However, the Commonwealth’s Attorney decided that the County Board did not have the authority to adopt a seal. The County Board subsequently authorized the use of a visual signature on documentation, but in 1969 declined to make it a seal based on this legal guidance. Because of this designation, then-County Manager Vernon Ford described the seal as a “decorative medallion.”

The unofficial seal featured Arlington House and the date 1801 in later versions. This was contested by Arlington history expert Eleanor Templeman. The date was chosen to represent the formal establishment of the County of Alexandria, but Templeman argued that it could be incorrectly interpreted as the date of construction of Arlington House, which commenced in 1802. The 1801 date prevailed, however, remaining on the County seal into the 1980s.

The main image on the seal, Arlington House, was the longtime home of Robert E. Lee, leader of the Confederate Army. The building was constructed by slave labor for George Washington Parke Custis, who was George Washington’s step-grandson and Lee’s father-in-law. After the start of the Civil War, the Lee family fled and the property was used by Union troops as a burial site, and the location would eventually become part of Arlington National Cemetery.

Since 1972, the site has formally been known as “Arlington House, the Robert E. Lee Memorial,” reinstating its ties to the Confederate leader. In 2020, legislation was proposed to remove Lee’s name from the historical site, citing the erasure of Black Americans who lived in slavery on the property.

Examples of use of the state seal and unofficial County seal, from 1974 and 1976.

The "A" Logo

In 1976, the County began using an unofficial logo in the form of a stylized “A,” with Arlington House also appearing on this image. The logo was designed by Susan Neighbors, a professional illustrator from Arlington, who produced five designs based on County guidance. These options were then voted on by the public at ballot boxes placed at the County libraries, and the “A” logo won the contest.

Example of the “A” logo used by the County starting in 1976. Image circa 1979 and 1983.

County Flag Design

In September 1982, the County set out to adopt an official design for the County flag, and the County Board adopted a resolution for a flag design competition and a Flag Selection Panel to choose the design. In March of 1983, the County released a call for entries for the design of the flag to the public. Design requirements included the use of blue and white colors, and the words “Arlington County, Virginia,” as well as “1920.”

One hundred and ten people submitted designs for the contest, and Harvey J. Wilcox was selected as the winner in April of 1983. Wilcox, a deputy general counsel for the Navy, had no formal design experience and came up with the design while homebound with the flu. His imagery reflected the County’s unofficial logo and seal with a depiction of Arlington House, accompanied by a white ring and sprays of dogwoods underneath. Yellow was chosen as the background color for the flag.

Harvey Wilcox’s winning entry for the 1983 design contest.

After consulting with the Virginia Attorney General, who issued a different opinion than the one about 20 years prior, the County’s authority to have a flag was dependent on the County having a seal. So, Wilcox’s design then became the County seal, which would subsequently be presented on the County flag.

The inclusion of “1920” from the original design rules was also dropped for the final iteration, due in part to the issues that were raised by Templeman decades before. One of the issues was Arlington had multiple dates in its history that could be considered as equally significant in its history. The County seal and flag were officially adopted on June 18, 1983.

Examples of the new County seal on official documents and letterhead. Images from 1994 and the late 1990s.

The Future of the Logo

The next major step in Arlington’s formal iconography was when the County created and adopted an official logo in 2004. The logo came along with a redesign of the County website that same year and was designed by the D.C. office of Gensler Studio 585. Focus groups were held with design professionals, members of the business community, and members of the general public.

The resulting design was adopted in the summer of 2004, and, like the County seal, included a stylized representation of Arlington House, but the design drew some criticism. In a public poll of more than 1,000 responses conducted by the Arlington Sun Gazette, 81 percent opposed the new design, 15 percent supported it and 3 percent voted, 'it's OK, I guess.’ In October 2004, a petition was circulated calling for the removal of the logo, and it “even inspired a piece of folk art by an artist, who rendered the new logo in dead cicada shells."

Arlington County’s logo, adopted in 2004.

The County seal and logo were then used concurrently, but for different outlined purposes. In general, the seal is used for items relating to the County Board and for more permanent items (such as the County flag, permanent signage, and certificates).

The logo is considered a marketing sign and is used on departmental materials (such as County vehicles and general correspondence). In 2007, the County sought public comment and issued an update to the seal due to persistent inconsistencies in its rendering. The update kept the same imagery on the seal, but restored the original “Arlington blue” and refined it for online use.

In September 2020, the County announced that it would adopt a process to develop a new logo and seal, moving away from imagery related to Arlington House in County iconography. In January 2021, a Logo Review Panel was assembled to review concept submissions from the community, and in April announced five options selected from a pool of more than 250 ideas.

Stay tuned to the County’s homepage to submit your art for the next round of logo design submissions.

A pre-2007 graphic file of the County seal and the updated version, which is still in use today.

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Cycling Through Arlington’s History

May is National Biking Month, and to celebrate, let’s take a look at Arlington’s decades-long history of bicycle enthusiasm!

1939

The County Sheriff’s department and a local chapter of the VFW team up to form a bicycle safety club for youth in Arlington. According to a February 24, 1939 news article, the “bicycle rage of the [18]90s” was on the upswing, and conditions for cycling were hazardous on the local roads.

1941

The County issues a set of rules for regulating bicycle use.

Cyclists were required to carry a license and tag, and bicycles were not to be ridden “faster than is reasonable and proper.”

Notice about bicycle laws from the October 17, 1941 issue of the Northern Virginia Sun. Image courtesy of Virginia Chronicle.

1950s

Bicycling remains a popular recreational activity in Arlington, though largely regulated to neighborhood street cycling alongside pedestrians.

1967

Arlington paves its first bicycle facility: a multi-use trail made of crushed limestone of about three miles along Four Mile Run. The trail opening included a ceremony at Bluemont Park, a performance by the Navy band, and cycling exhibitions.

This was also the first bicycle trail in the nation to be built with federal funds.

Program from the opening of Arlington’s first bike trail. Image courtesy of the VA State Department of Conservation and Recreation via BikeArlington.

A crowd gathers on bikes for a conservation event at Four Mile Run, circa the late 1960s. (214-9205)

1972

The Washington Area Bicyclists Association is formed, drawing members from the DMV region and advocating for improved bicycle facilities.

1973

The County completes its first commuter bikeway, connecting to the Spout Run Parkway and providing access to Rosslyn. Additionally, an eleven-member Bicycle Advisory Committee is established to advise on cycling-related issues and development.

Children line up for bicycle safety inspection, run by the Arlington County Police Department, 1969.

1974

Arlington’s Master Bikeway plan is released, which calls for an 80-mile network of trails for commuter and recreational use.

1977

Metro stations debut in Arlington, which shapes the County’s transportation plan to include a bike trail along the route of I-66 and bicycle parking at the new stations.

1982

Custis Trail is completed, adding 8.5 miles of trail to the area.

Map of County bike trails, 1977.

Bike underpass at Wilson Boulevard and Four Mile Run. Date unknown. (210-0103)

1994

The Arlington Bicycle Transportation plan is adopted, and $7.3 million is eventually allocated to develop new bike trails, bicycle lanes, and bicycle parking.

2008

The County adopts the Bicycle Element, a new planning document focused on continuing bicycle development.

2010

Arlington launches Capital Bikeshare in partnership with the District of Columbia.

First generation Capital Bikeshare bicycles, February 2012 at Central Library.

Sources

Active Living and Biking: Tracing the Evolution of a Biking System in Arlington, Virginia, by Royce Hanson and Garry Young

Baseline Report – The State of Bicycling in Arlington, County publication

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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Arlington’s Signature Soda: Cherry Smash

Did you know that Arlington was once home to one of the country’s most popular sodas?

A one-gallon Cherry Smash syrup jug, from the Rosslyn bottling location (left). A Cherry Smash logo, noting the Rosslyn location (right). Images courtesy of Washington, D.C., Area Beer and Soda Bottles collector, Chosi.

Cherry Smash soda was founded in 1901 by John E. Fowler in Richmond, Virginia. The company produced a cherry-flavored syrup that could be added to carbonated water or ice cream, and the drink gained early popularity amidst the rise of the soda fountain, earning the nickname of “Our nation’s beverage.” Throughout the early 1900s, there was even a Cherry Smash-sponsored amateur baseball team in the Richmond League.

The soda came to Arlington right around the time Prohibition went into effect. With a plan to move the company’s headquarters from Richmond to Arlington, Fowler purchased the Arlington Brewery in 1920 for $125,000 and converted it into a Cherry Smash plant (also referred to as the “Fowler Building”).

Arlington Brewing Company, which became known as the Fowler Brewery after purchase by John Fowler (left). Dated between 1910 and 1926. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress. Fowler Brewery Letterhead, date unknown (right).

The site was initially known as the Consumer Brewery and was built in 1896 by Albert Goenner, a local architect who also oversaw the construction of the original County courthouse. Located near what was the old Aqueduct Bridge, it was a major purveyor of alcohol in the region during a time when Rosslyn was known for being a hotbed of criminality. From the 1880s to the early 1900s, people from the District and the greater Capital region would come over Arlington’s bridges to gamble and drink, most notably in Rosslyn’s saloons.

In 1904, however, nearly 50 of the saloons, bordellos, and gambling houses were shut down by Virginia Commonwealth Attorney Crandall Mackey, and Rosslyn’s salacious reputation began to wane. The same year, the Consumer Brewery reorganized and was renamed the Arlington Brewing Company and continued to produce beer for out-of-state sale until production was banned in 1918.

View from Georgetown of the Rosslyn area across the Aqueduct Bridge, circa 1900. The then-Consumer Brewery can be seen at the top right corner.

When the Cherry Smash company set up shop in Arlington in 1920, the soda was one of the largest soda brands in the country, second only to Coca-Cola. As Cherry Smash ingratiated itself into the Arlington landscape, Fowler also became a prominent member of Arlington’s business community, advocating for business development in Rosslyn in the 1920s and serving as chairman of the Arlington Trust Company Bank from 1925 until his death in 1960.

Cherry Smash continued to be manufactured and bottled at the Rosslyn site until around the 1950s. Numerous other operations also took place on or adjacent to the Cherry Smash property, including a lithographing company, a laundry facility, a hardware warehouse, a millwork facility, and a tree surgery company. In 1943, part of the Cherry Smash plant was used to manufacture and bottle wine, connecting the location back to its pre-Prohibition roots.

In 1940, J. Willard Marriott opened a Hot Shoppe next to the Cherry Smash facilities, which had become a highly successful local restaurant chain since the first location debuted in D.C. in 1927. In 1958, Marriott demolished the soda plant to construct a “Hot Shoppe’s Motel,” which in 1959 debuted as the “Marriott Motor Hotel,” and was later called the Key Bridge Marriot.

An early Cherry Smash syrup dispenser that would have been used at a soda fountain. This particular style was called a ball dispenser. Image courtesy of Lancaster County News.

In the 1950s, Washington A-list investor C. Wyatt Dickerson purchased the company, and Robert Pond (who later founded the still-existing Pond Roofing) served as president during this era. Cherry Smash continued to be manufactured in Arlington into the 1960s at a new location at 601 North Randolph Street in the Ballston area, where it was bottled and sold in gallon form.

Cherry Smash’s legacy lives on in Arlington through artifacts at the Arlington Historical Society and through throwbacks such as New District Brewery’s Sour Cherry Smash beer.

Excerpt from the “Year of Bargaining Accomplished” advertising section of the 1962 “Blue and Gray” yearbook from Washington-Lee High School (now Washington-Liberty High School).

Excerpt from the “Reflections through Enterprise” advertising section of the 1963 “Blue and Gray” yearbook from Washington-Lee High School (now Washington-Liberty High School).

View of the old Marriott Hotel near the Key Bridge, on the site of what was formerly the Cherry Smash factory. Photo was taken in December 1962.

Learn more:

For more information about the area’s history with brewing, check out Capital Beer: A Heady History of Brewing in Washington, D.C., available at the Library.

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.

Roberta Flack’s Arlington Roots

Roberta Flack is known worldwide for her voice, songwriting and overall musical ability, for which she has won multiple Grammys. Flack has performed on stages across the world, and her roots are here in her hometown of Arlington.

Early Life

Flack was born near Asheville, North Carolina, in 1937, and moved to the Green Valley (formerly referred to as Nauck) neighborhood in Arlington when she was five years old. Musical from an early age, Flack began playing the organ and piano around age 9 and performed at local churches including Macedonia Baptist Church and Lomax AME Zion.

Roberta Flack photographed by Anthony Barboza, 1971. Image courtesy of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Flack grew up playing Chopin, Schumann, Bach, and Beethoven, and at 13, won a statewide contest by performing a Scarlatti sonata. One of her piano teachers was Lottie B. Bellamy, an Arlington resident and longtime organist at Macedonia Baptist Church. Flack’s mother, Irene Flack, was also a prominent community member, serving as the longtime chief baker at Wakefield High School and as an organist at Lomax AME Zion.

Flack attended Hoffman-Boston High School – then the only school available for African American children in Arlington – until age 15, when she was awarded a full music scholarship to Howard University. After graduating at 19, she went on to become a music teacher in Farmville, North Carolina, teaching about 1,300 students at all grade levels in the city’s segregated school system.

In Roberta Flack’s 1953 senior yearbook at Hoffman-Boston, she was listed as “most musical” in the class superlatives, and in the “Class Prophecy,” her classmates predicted she would play piano at Carnegie Hall. This prediction eventually came true when Flack performed there in 1971 (and again in 1981).

Starting Her Career

Flack's music career took off in D.C., where she also continued to work as a teacher at the Rabaut and Brown junior high schools in the D.C. public school system. She began performing in the evenings at locations such as the Tivoli Theater and Mr. Henry’s in the District. At the Tivoli, she also worked as a backing pianist for opera singers, and her spark as a solo performer came with a rendition of “Jingle Bell Rock” performed at the restaurant, where Flack said it was her "cue that people would listen to [her] as a singer.”

Mr. Henry’s became one of her regular venues, and the club’s owner, Henry Yaffe, even turned the apartment above the club into the “Roberta Flack Room” for her performances – adding in church pews and a Mason & Hamlin piano to create a more intimate energy than the more raucous main stage. She started off playing Sunday brunch sets for $20 a week, initially with a folk-inspired repertoire. However, as her fame and success as a performer quickly grew, she began to consider pursuing it full-time. Of this time in her life, she said:

"It took courage to leave my classroom job because I was a Black person who had grown up in Arlington, Virginia, through the ‘50s and ‘60s; now I’m teaching school in the late ‘60s and I decide I want to sing. These days, there’s lots of things that you can go for, but in those days you had to have a lot of heart and a strong desire to do that.”

Watercolor portraits of Roberta Flack, Harry Nilsson, Carole King, and Ian Anderson (starting clockwise from top right), circa 1973. Image courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery.

Legacy

In 1969, she recorded her first album, First Take, with Atlantic Records. Aptly recorded in only 10 hours, the song’s discography was informed by pieces she had developed at Mr. Henry’s. Flack continued to return to the venue as her career took off, using it as a home base during her other performances in the District.

One of her first big hits was from that first album when in 1973 Clint Eastwood featured her song “The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face” (a folk ballad Flack had taught to her students in school glee clubs) in the film “Play Misty for Me.” Flack collaborated with many artists over the course of her career, including Donny Hathaway, Peabo Bryson, and for her album Oasis, Flack collaborated with longtime friend Maya Angelou on four songs, including “And So It Goes.”

Flack has continued to make music well into the 21^st century, and in 2020, was the recipient of the Grammy’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Roberta Flack photographed by Anthony Barboza, 1971. Image courtesy of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Poster from “Roberta Flack Human Kindness Day” on April 22, 1972, in Washington, D.C., to celebrate Flack. Image by Lloyd McNeill & Lou Stovall, courtesy of Di and Lou Stovall from the “What's Going Around: Lou Stovall and the Community Poster, 1967–1976” exhibit at the Columbus Museum.

Learn More

“Cover Me: The Stories Behind the Greatest Cover Songs of All Time” features a section discussing the history of Roberta Flack’s cover of “Killing Me Softly,” and the subsequent Fugees rendition.

Arlington’s First Black Legislators

On March 30, 1870, the 15th Amendment was ratified, extending the right to vote to all male citizens - regardless of race or if they had previously been enslaved. All of the nation, African-Americans took to the polls, and many became engaged in the political process as elected officials at all levels of government.

Arlington – which until 1920 was known as Alexandria County – was included in this political renaissance, and had a number of prominent Black politicians who won elected office and served as leaders following the Civil War.

However, African-American political organization in the County predates Reconstruction. Freedman’s Village was an epicenter of politics starting in 1865, when community members held a mass meeting that petitioned the military governor to guarantee equal rights. Months later, a group at Freedman’s Village held the first statewide political convention for African-Americans.

Freedman’s Village, pictured above in 1862, was a center of political activity in Arlington both before and after the Civil War. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

George Lewis Seaton

In 1869, George Lewis Seaton was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates representing Alexandria.

According to the records of the House, Seaton was the first African American person to hold this position in Alexandria. While in office, Seaton voted to ratify both the 14^th and 15^th amendments. He was also one of six African American men appointed to the grand jury of the United States Circuit Court for Virginia – likely the first interracial jury in the state. This group indicted several Confederate officials for high treason.

Prior to holding office, Seaton worked as a carpenter and also helped establish a local branch of the Freedman’s Savings Bank and Trust Company.

The George Lewis Seaton House on South Royal Street in Alexandria. Image courtesy of Encyclopedia Virginia.

In the May 19, 1868, edition of the Alexandria Gazette, George Seaton advertised his carpentry business. Image courtesy of Virginia Chronicle.

John B. Syphax

John B. Syphax was another Black legislator in Alexandria County. The son of Charles and Maria Syphax, he was born a free person on the Parke-Custis Estate in 1835.

Syphax served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1874 to 1875, as the County’s treasurer from 1875 to 1879, and as a justice of the peace and county clerk.

John B. Syphax, date unknown. Image from “Arlington County, Virginia: A History,” by C.B. Rose.

Alfred William Harris

At the age of only 20, Alfred William Harris was elected to the Alexandria common council. Born enslaved in Fairfax County, Harris later moved to Alexandria and attended a school organized by the Freedman’s Bureau.

After holding office in Alexandria, Harris went on to serve four consecutive terms in the Virginia House of Delegates, representing Dinwiddie County. His accomplishments while there included introducing the bill that chartered what is now Virginia State University.

Alfred W. Harris, date unknown.

Alfred W. Harris photo caption reads: “House of Delegates 1881-1888, Author of the House Bill to establish the Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute, Able Debater in Defense of his Race, Faithful Worker in the Readjuster Party.” Image courtesy of the Virginia General Assembly.

Learn more: The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Commission of the Virginia General Assembly has compiled a database of all the African American legislators elected to the General Assembly during the 20^th and 21^st centuries.

The Long Post-Reconstruction and Jim Crow Era

Black residents of Alexandria/Arlington County eventually held council seats and offices including treasurer, clerk, commissioner of revenue, sheriff, superintendent of roads, and overseer of the poor. H. L. Holmes was one notable officeholder, serving as commissioner of revenue from 1875 to 1903.

But following the initial prominence of Black legislators following the Civil War, for most of the 20^th century, Arlington’s government was dominated by white legislators as many of the post-war resources and promises of equality quickly fell by the wayside nationwide. Reconstruction, which lasted from 1866-1877, was the Congressional attempt to reorganize the Southern states and offer support to formerly enslaved individuals. During this time, there was a brief period where African Americans were protected in their right to vote and participate in the political process. This progress was reflected nationally: at one point, there was an African American majority in the South Carolina government, and several African American men were elected to the Senate.

But even during Reconstruction, there were attempts by opponents to undermine support given to African Americans and undo the progress that had been made. Jim Crow law and “black codes” began to emerge during this time – discriminatory laws at the state and local level that systematically denied Black individuals from public accommodations suppressed their right to vote and prevented them from holding public office. Jim Crow laws could be seen in the County as early as 1868 when the Washington and Alexandria Railroad established segregated seating. Groups resembling the Ku Klux Klan also emerged in Northern Virginia during this time, and measures such as the poll tax and dual registration were implemented as early as 1876 in the County to disenfranchise African American voters.

When Reconstruction formally ended in 1877, all of these measures amounted to a systemic suppression of Black Americans’ right to vote and limitation on political power that would last well into the 20^th century.

Leaders in the 20th Century & Judge William T. Newman, Jr.

In 1932, Arlington adopted a new form of County government with a County Manager and County Board members elected at large. According to research conducted by Wilma Jones, Dr. Edward T. Morton was one of the Black community members to run for office under this new system of government. Dr. Morton was a longtime Hall’s Hill resident and the community’s first Black physician, operating a practice on Lee Highway. He ran for a County Board seat in 1931, and while he lost the election, he remained active in the community and civic life.

Learn more: "My Hall’s Hill Family," by Wilma Jones; Washington Post article announcing Dr. Edward T. Morton’s candidacy.

In 1987, William T. Newman, Jr., became the first Black member of the Arlington County Board. On the Board, one of his signature policies was establishing the County’s Human Rights Commission, and he was known for advocating for public safety and resources for drug abuse. In 1990, he was elected as Chairman of the County Board, becoming the first Black person to hold the position in the 20^th century.

Newman grew up in the Nauck community of Arlington and attended Hoffman-Boston until the school closed in 1964 following desegregation. He trained and worked as both a lawyer and an actor, and has performed in soap operas, film, and theater performances. In 1993, Newman was appointed as a judge in the 17^th judicial circuit court, covering Arlington County and the city of Falls Church. In 2003, he became chief judge of the County Circuit Court, where he continues to serve today.

Since Newman’s tenure, there have been two African American members of the County Board. Charles P. Monroe was elected to the Board in 1999 and served until his death in 2003. He had begun his first turn as Board chair at the time of his death. Christian Dorsey was elected to the County Board in 2015 and is currently serving his second term in office. He served as Board chair in 2019.

Chief Judge William T. Newman, Jr., performs in the 14^th Annual Arena Stage Benefit for Community Engagement in “The Pundit Whodunit: The Case of the Political Puzzle,” on March 6, 2006. Image courtesy of C-SPAN.

Note: This article features only a sampling of the many African American community members who have held positions at the local level and who engaged in civic life. If you know of African-American individuals who have run for or held office in Arlington, and who should be included in this article, please let us know using the form below.

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.

Notes on the Arlington Symphony

Between 1945 and 2005, Arlington County was home to the renowned Arlington Symphony, organized and maintained as a volunteer effort by members of the community.

Over its 60-year run, the symphony performed a wide variety of music across the County and was one of Arlington's first, and longest-running, arts organizations.

Excerpt from the Washington Post’s 40th-anniversary feature on the Arlington Symphony. Image courtesy of the Washington Post.

First Movement

The Arlington Symphony was organized in the years following World War II, providing a source of respite from the turmoil of the wartime years.

Van Lier Lanning – an Arlington resident – was the leader of these initial organizing efforts. Lanning had also organized and directed the War Production Board orchestra during WWII. Lanning’s vision was to establish a suburban orchestra. This dream materialized in late 1945 as local citizens began to sign on to establish what was called a “civic orchestra.”

A volunteer group of Arlingtonians formed a Steering Committee and recruited players, who also chipped in $10 apiece for the purchase of sheet music. Ellis Chasens, former concertmaster of the War Production Board Orchestra, signed on as the Arlington Symphony’s first concertmaster.

Opening Night

Program excerpts from the Arlington Symphony’s first concert on April 3, 1946.

The premiere concert took place on Friday, April 3, 1946, at Washington-Lee High School (now Washington-Liberty). This opening night featured baritone soloist Paul Hume, who went on to serve as the Washington Post’s music critic. The evening was a resounding success, and a second performance followed the next evening. Another performance in June followed, and by fall 1946, plans for a full program were underway.

A program of eight concerts was approved for the following year: four of them would be evening, adults-only, concerts and four would be Sunday afternoon children’s concerts, followed by performances of a youth orchestra. This set the pattern for the orchestra’s early schedules.

Tickets in this first program year were 75 cents for the adult concerts and 30 cents for the children’s concerts. From 1951-1968, programming was free, but tickets were reinstated in later years to accommodate for budgeting gaps.

Numerous conductors served in these early years, but by the 1954-1955 season, the position went unoccupied due to insufficient funds for the part-time work. Later that year, John Wigent signed on to the job. Wigent, a trained clarinetist and double bassist, had previously served as Harry Truman’s pianist and as an organ player at the Arlington Temple in Rosslyn. Karl Rucht signed on as the next director, where he served for more than 15 years. Rucht was known for his drama, flare, and “spectaculars” – including full concert versions of operas, special soloists, and concerts with more than 300 performers on stage.

Karl Rucht, the Arlington Symphony’s Music Director from 1960-1985.

Style and Substance

One of the Symphony’s signature elements was solo performers, who were featured in the hundreds over the course of the symphony’s seasons. The soloist program was not only a chance to highlight talent, but it also broadened the scope of the Symphony, as they included performers from across the nation and abroad. One of the Symphony’s most popular soloists was Evelyn Swartout, who performed four consecutive years in a row.

The soloist program was also a way to incorporate younger members of the Arlington community, who were sometimes selected from the Association’s scholarship program. In the 1940s, public education in music was limited, and the Symphony filled this gap with its musical programming, even as the move toward public music courses increased in later decades.

Organization and Funding

The Symphony Association, County government, and other civic and social groups often worked together to help support the group’s artistic efforts. Spaces for rehearsals and concerts were provided by the School Board for no or reduced fees, and in 1966, members of the Association met with County Manager Bert Johnson, who provided $3,600 in funding from the County budget. This arrangement lasted for much of the symphony’s lifetime, increasing over the years due to inflation. Other fees were supplemented by Association fundraising and external grants.

The Association’s Board of Directors was incorporated in 1966 and consisted of 26 to 30 members. The group was augmented and supported by a Women’s Committee for the Symphony, as well, which consisted of 114 members by 1980.

Music preference poll sent out by the Arlington Civic Symphony Association in April 1961.

In 1980, March was designated as “Arlington Symphony Month” by the Arlington County Board.

In 1985, the Arlington Symphony celebrated its 40th anniversary – among its members that season was a 40-year veteran of the symphony, Caurine Easterling. A write-up on the event in the Washington Post notes the symphony’s range of ages – from teenagers to octogenarians – and also notes that this was the final season Karl Rucht served as musical director.

Photo of the Arlington Symphony, from “The Story of the Arlington Symphony Association: Trials and Triumphs of a Volunteer Effort,” published in 1980.

Final Act

The Arlington Symphony came to a close in 2005 after declaring bankruptcy. Its final music director was Ruben Vartanyan, who served with the symphony for 13 years. In 2006, a group of former Symphony members joined together as the Arlington Philharmonic, and Vartanyan directed the new group’s inaugural concert, leading a performance of Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings, Op. 48.

Arlington is still home to the Arlington Philharmonic, as well as the Arlington Concert Band and many other classically-focused musical groups and other musical organizations.

Program for a 1983 Youth Scholarship Concert held by the Arlington Symphony.

Advertisement for the Arlington Symphony’s 1999 “Swing into Summer” benefit concert.

Want to learn more? Arlington’s Center for Local History holds records of the Arlington Symphony in RG 54, and documents related to the Arlington Symphony are also available in RG 57, the personal papers of Hugh Johnson, who served as one of the Symphony’s presidents.

CLH also has an oral history interview in its collections with Theodore and Jean Taylor, where the couple describes the early days of the symphony and their involvement in the group, including Jean Taylor’s role as president of the Women’s Committee.

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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Throwback Thursday

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A Central Landmark of Local Government

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The County Song Debuts

A Prequel Tune

Modern Songs About Arlington

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Arlington House

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Early Life

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Poster from “Roberta Flack Human Kindness Day” on April 22, 1972, in Washington, D.C., to celebrate Flack. Image by Lloyd McNeill & Lou Stovall, courtesy of Di and Lou Stovall from the “What's Going Around: Lou Stovall and the Community Poster, 1967–1976” exhibit at the Columbus Museum.

George Lewis Seaton

John B. Syphax

Alfred William Harris

The Long Post-Reconstruction and Jim Crow Era

Leaders in the 20th Century & Judge William T. Newman, Jr.

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First Movement

Opening Night

Style and Substance

Organization and Funding

Final Act

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