Williamsburg Neighborhood History

The Williamsburg neighborhood is in northwestern Arlington right on the border line of Falls Church. I live about one block away from the county line. Some points of interest in my neighborhood are Williamsburg Middle School (built in 1954), Nottingham Elementary School, Tuckahoe Elementary (built in 1953), Bishop O'Connell High School (completed in 1956), Little Falls Church, and the Williamsburg Shopping Center. Minor Hill, the highest point in Arlington at 460 feet, is also in the Williamsburg neighborhood.

Little Falls Road and George Mason Drive used to be an Indian trail from villages at Four Mile Run to Potomac River fisheries. There was a wagon road from Falls Church settlement (near Williamsburg neighborhood) to Thomas Lee's landing at Pimmet Run.

Minor Hill, between Williamsburg Boulevard and Powhatan Street has a fascinating history attached to it. The hill was named after George Minor and his family, who lived by the hill during the American Revolution. Many people liked appealed to the idea of living on Minor Hill because of its location and saftety. The hill is mostly known, however, for its role during the Civil War. Virginia, especially Alexandria County (Arlington) was a powerful asset to have because it was located right on the hinge between the Union and the Confederacy. In the fall of 1861, Minor Hill was a Confederate outpost. Confederate snipers shot at Union soldiers while atop the hill around the time of the Bull Run battles. Eventually the Union took over Minor Hill and turned it into their own outpost and signal station, quartering their soldiers and weapons in the hill's flanks.

Sources:
Arlington Heritage: Vignettes of a Virginia County
Arlington Historical Society