GENERAL HISTORY ON ARLINGTON CEMETERY

    Arlington Cemetery is America’s “most revered” burial ground and was established when the Arlington House was confiscated by the Federal Government in 1863 from its owner, Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

    The real start of the cemetery was when Private William Christman (of the 67th Pennsylvania Infantry) was the first person to be buried on these grounds.

    A total of 2,111 Civil War Unknowns were buried in a memorial just outside of Arlington House in 1866. This tomb is now known as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and is placed under a 24-hour honor guard in 1937.

    In 1882, the Supreme Court declared the United States Federal Government a trespasser on the Arlington grounds and ordered the lands returned to the Lee family. With over 10,000 grave sites already there, George Washington Custis Lee sold the land to the U.S. Government for $150,000.

    Many influential people from the Nation's Capital were buried at Arlington National Cemetery, such as the designer of the city, Pierre L'Enfant and Robert Todd Lincoln, the son of President Abraham Lincoln.

    William Howard Taft became the first of only two presidents to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

    Arlington National Cemetery is the final resting place for over 220,000 Americans.

 The Tomb of the Unknown soldier with guard.

SOURCES
http://www.visitingdc.com/virginia/arlington-cemetery-history.htm
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/historical_information/arlington_house.html

General Arlington History---1950s

1) In 1950 Arlington was a part of multiple improvement plans, which aimed to relieve pressures that originated in WWII. There were capital improvement plans to develop important public facilities and services the county needed. Soon after the capita improvement plan was initiated the County also put into place two other programs that provided for the capital and fiscal improvement projections. The programs, which were put into place in the 1950s, were the foundation for the master improvement projects, which followed in the 1960s. The 1950s was an era when the community really began to change and develop. The programs in place in the 1950s changed the County in a physical way but they also changed the makeup of its population. In 1956 the Arlington’s League of Women Voters along with the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) and many other organizations directed the effort to desegregate the schools in Arlington County. On February 2, 1959, four African American students attended Stafford Junior High School (now Hoffman-Boston Woodlawn Alternative Program.) Patrick Henry elementary school and Washington-Lee high school would follow suit the fall of 1959.

2) This is a picture of the Clarendon circle in 1950. It looks very different from today. There are a lot less people. The actual Clarendon circle in this picture does not exits anymore it has been modified into five intersecting streets. Today Clarendon is the social highlight of Arlington County but what is in this picture is very opposite. There are very few cars on the street and even less people walking around. Today it is hard to walk down the sidewalk without running into people. In the past 60 years Clarendon and all of Arlington has become more populated and a lot more urban.

3) This is picture of all the Hot Shoppe restaurants in 1955. This was a chain much like McDonalds is today. The food would be brought to you and you would eat out of your car. This type of fast food has disappeared and the times reflect it. In 1955 people had time to sit and eat even if it was a hamburger. The way the food was served in 1955 also reflects on the times. The people would come to you and you would have an actual interaction with them. Today because nobody has enough time and actual interaction with people are not important to us anymore, this is reflected in the service we get. The food is handed out to us through a window and we drive off. People do not have time to just sit and eat food. When you are ordering one has to speak into a speaker, there is no need for interaction like that if we have technology.

Sources:

1) http://www.arlingtonhistoricalsociety.org/learn/snapshots/urban_arlington_county.html

2) http://www.flickr.com/photos/arlib/5238388925/in/set-72157624778848169/

3) http://www.flickr.com/photos/arlib/4888252793/in/set-72157624778642991/

General Arlington History

In 1801 Washington DC was split across the Potomac and Alexandria County was formed to the east of the Potomac. For political reasons Alexandria returned to Virginia in 1847 and changed its name to Arlington County in 1920 to avoid confusion with the town of Alexandria.

Arlington County’s name comes from Arlington National Cemetery in the backyard of Robert E Lee’s House withing Arlington County.

Arlington contains important sites and monuments such as Arlington National Cemetery, The Pentagon, Fort Myer, The Air Force Memorial, and the Marine Corps Memorial.

http://www.arlingtoncounty.com/Arlington_County_Virginia_local_history_facts_archive_about_records_museum_exhibit_VA.html (acccessed 5/31/2011)

Elanor Lee Templeman, Arlington Heritage No. 72, Clarendon’s Farming Fraternity, no date.

Kim McGuire, Washington Post; Neighborhood Report, Washington Boulevard, no date.

General Arlington History

Arlington County, Virginia originated from neighboring City of Alexandria, Virginia. It all started in 1669 with John Alexander, a surveyor, justice of the peace, sheriff, and captain of the Stafford County militia in Stafford County, Virginia. His greatest accomplishment in his life was the purchase of the Howson Patent. The land purchased in the Howson Patent was bought from the English captain Robert Howson on October 21, 1669. The land, consisting of over 6,000 acres, extended along the Potomac River from Hunting Creek to Little Falls. The area was originally a part of Stafford County before becoming a part of Prince William County in 1731. The land later became a part of Fairfax County in 1741.

John Alexander distributed some of the 6,000 acres of land to many of his children and grandchildren, including over 60 acres given to his grandsons Robert and Philip Alexander. Robert and Philip Alexander rented out their land to tenant farmers. Members of the Ohio Company, which was a company established within the Ohio Country (which, for the most part, makes up the current state of Ohio), and other Virginian entrepreneurs wanted a town along the Potomac River that would encourage Western development in the British colonies in America and that would also serve as a mercantile center for Northern Virginia. The likes of Lawrence Washington, Nathaniel Chapman, John Carlyle, Hugh West, Augustine Washington, George William Fairfax, and others were able to create a town called Alexandria in July 1749 which was named after the owners of the land, Philip and Robert Alexander. During this time, John Alexander's great grandson, Gerard Alexander, was the first member of the Alexander family to actually settle on the land bought in the Howson Patent. In 1722, Gerard Alexander built a mansion overlooking the Potomac River, a house he called Abingdon, establishing himself as one of the first permanent residents of Alexandria.

With the creation of the District of Columbia in 1791 came the split of the town of Alexandria. A portion of Alexandria was separated from the town to form Alexandria County. Alexandria County, coming from Virginia, and Washington County, coming from Maryland, joined together to form the District of Columbia. However, because of economic decline, abolition disagreements among DC residents, and issues with congressional representation, Alexandria County was returned back to the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1847. In 1920, to avoid confusion with the City of Alexandria (formerly known as the town of Alexandria), Alexandria County was renamed Arlington County after Henry Bennet, Earl of Arlington, who was one of many prominent Englishmen given land grants from King Charles II in 1673 while colonizing the British colonies in America.

Sources:

http://www.johnalexandernsdar.org/bio.html

http://www.helloarlington.com/history.cfm

"Arlington County, Virginia": Columbia Encyclopedia

"Gale US History in Context" by Patricia D. Netzley

General Arlington History

The name Arlington comes from the Arlington House, arguably one of the county's oldest and most recognizable landmarks. Arlington House was built by George W.P. Custis, the grandson of first lady Martha Washington. It is most famous for serving as the home of Confederate general Robert E. Lee for the thirty years prior to the Civil War. Eventually, Arlington House and Arlington Plantation became the location of the world renowned Arlington National Cemetery. Arlington House used to serve as the cemetary headquarters.

Before being discovered by Captain John Smith in 1608, Arlington was home to many Native Americans who lived along Four Mile Run and the Potomac River. Smith sailed up the Potomac from the English settlement at Jamestown, beginning Arlington's recorded colonial history. Permanent settlement of Arlington began in the 18th century after the Iroquois Indians ceded the land below the Potomac River to colonial Virginia.

In 1791 George Washington surveyed a 10 square mile piece of land to be used by the federal government as their capital city. This square of land became the District of Columbia, and the present day Arlington was included in this land. Citizens of Alexandria were upset that they had no representation in Congress, and conflicting sentiments over the issue of slavery caused conflicts in a city that was an active slave market. Almost fifty years after joining the nation's capital, Alexandria County retroceded from DC in 1847 because of the impending expense of a canal project and became its own county in Virginia. Arlington county was renamed in 1920 to distinguish between the city of Alexandria and Alexandria County.





Sources





Arlington Historical Society website


Arlingtoncounty.com


Arlington Heritage: Vignettes of a Virginia County

General Arlington History

The region that is now know as Arlington has been occupied by various people for approximately 4000 years. The earliest people, prehistoric Native Americans, mostly the Iroquois and Powhatan, had approximately 11 historic sites within the present borders of Arlington.

In July of 1706, John Smith, the famous leader of Jamestown, took fourteen Englishmen to the Potomac, which he called Nameroughquend. The Algonquin Indians there were indifferent to the Europeans. In 1722 the Iroquois ceded all their land South of the Potomac East to the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Virginia colony. 114 years later, the first effective and permanent settlement in Northern Virgina was established. In 1732, there were finally enough settlers North of Occoquan to warrant the construction of a tobacco inspection warehouse. In 1733, Falls Church was established, and in 1742 Fairfax was established.

Arlington was previously part of Northumberland County (1645), Westmoreland County (1663), Stafford County (1664), and Prince William County (1731). In 1749 Alexandria was founded, and in 1791 the federal square of Washington, DC was established. In 1847, the land of the federal square south of the Potomac was ceded to Virginia. This land was Alexandria (founded in 1801), and in 1864 Arlington was created a separate entity and its own county. It is still the smallest self-governing county in the country. In 1920, the county was named as Arlington, after the Earl of Arlington who had a plantation on the Eastern shore. National Cemetery was created after the Civil War when Robert E. Lee’s land was seized, which is where the cemetery now sits. The lost town of Potomac was once located within the boundaries of Arlington, but by 1930 had become lost as the county was simply known as Arlington.

All of the land within the county was owned by gentlemen, and the land was their private farms. They owned large sections of property, usually upwards of 100 acres each. Most owned slaves, grew tobacco and raised cows.

Unlike most counties, Arlington has no cities within it, and the 26 square miles are simply known as Arlington County. Arlington is well-known for its “smart-growth” plans, that include mixed-use buildings and land centering high-density population around metro stations; the Ballston-Rosslyn Corridor. Arlington is a highly educated, well-paid, liberal county, with a population over 200,000 people.

http://www.arlingtonva.us/departments/CPHD/ons/pdf/file71854.pdf

Lane, Anne Belle. “Boulevard Manor and Spy Hill Subdivision” from “Arlington Historical Magazine” ed. Phyllis w. Johnson. Arlington Historical Society: 1987. Volume 8 no.3 p.14-27

Arlington General History: Civil War

In the 1860’s what is now Arlington County was called “Alexandria County.” Almost immediately following the outbreak of the Civil War, “Alexandria County” was occupied by Union soldiers. To give an idea of how quickly “Alexandria County” was taken by Union soldiers, here are some dates of historical importance: On April 14th, 1861 Fort Sumter falls. In mid-April Virginia secedes from the Union. On April 18th Robert E. Lee is offered command of the Union army. He declines the command and leaves his home, Arlington Hall, on the 22nd.

Only a month later, on May 24, 1861, multiple Union regiments crossed Aqueduct Bridge (located where Key Bridge now stands) in the early hours of the morning. The encountered little resistance and took few casualties. The resistance was composed mainly of confederate volunteers who took no casualties, retreated, and ultimately surrendered. The Union troops immediately setup headquarters in Robert E. Lee’s old home. The Union would later defile Lee’s home by burying their dead in his lawn.

The Confederacy never made an attempt to retake “Alexandria County.” From the Union takeover until the end of the Civil War, Arlington was a relatively boring place to be. The more devoted Confederates had cleared out of Arlington and headed South before the Union troops got there. Union troops dug trenches, built 22 forts, and created artillery emplacements to create a defensive perimeter around Washington D.C.

These defenses were never used. Arlington ended up serving as the beginning of a road to the south. Almost 100,000 troops could be in Arlington County at any time. This meant that enormous resources were required to shelter and feed them. As a result, local trees were felled for timber, livestock was confiscated, and citizen’s home were confiscated to shelter troops. By the end of the war, most of Arlington’s residents had disappeared.

One notable event was the establishment of Freedman’s Village, an all black community. As the Union took more of the south, more slaves were taken from their southern masters as “contraband”. This meant they would not be returned to their owners. The large number of blacks being brought to D.C. had potential to create an overcrowding problem, so the Quartermaster of the D.C. military district chose this site for their housing and education.

Sources:
http://www.arlingtonhistoricalsociety.org/learn/snapshots/civil_war_history.html
http://www.civilwartraveler.com/EAST/VA/va-north/north1.html
Map: http://www.historicmapsrestored.com/civilwar/virginia-seat-of-war.html

General Arlington History

The county was founded on February 27, 1801 with the name of Alexandria county, because of the District of Columbia Organic Act, which divided the District of Columbia (D.C.) into two territories: Washington county and Alexandria County. In 1847, the county was returned to the Commonwealth of Virginia. In 1920, the name was changed to Arlington county to avoid confusion with Alexandria the city. The area where the county was founded was contained in the land defined by the British grants for the Colony of Virginia (1607-1776). The land was, at that time, called the Northern Neck of Virginia. One of the more notable land grants was one in 1673 from King Charles II to Henry Bennet, the Earl of Arlington (which is where the name Arlington originated).

Arlington county’s oldest structure (that has not collapsed) is the Moses Ball log house in Glencarlyn, a neighborhood in Arlington. In 1960, the population was 163,401. The population today is 217,483 (from a poll taken in July of 2009). One of the reasons for the county’s growth is its dedication to smart growth- the attempt to create the best usage for the land owned and makes a city setting more comfortable. Arlington county has won awards for its smart growth development patterns.

Sources:

http://library.arlingtonva.us/departments/libraries/history/LibrariesHistoryPichist.aspx

http://library.arlingtonva.us/departments/libraries/history/librarieshistorylocalhistory.aspx

http://www.arlingtonva.us/departments/AVN/programs/page69227.aspx

http://www.arlingtonhistoricalsociety.org/learn/index.html

http://www.google.com/publicdata?ds=uspopulation&met_y=population&idim=county:51013&dl=en&hl=en&q=population+of+arlington,+va

General Arlington History

Arlington was once part of Fairfax, the area that contains Arlington County was ceded to the new U.S. government by the Commonwealth of Virginia.

This is the general boundaries of Arlington County. The Potomac River is one of the side boundaries of Arlington also along the Potomac is the GW Memorial PKWY

Arlington County is surrounded by Fairfax County on the North West. Alexandria borders it to the south. It is located at 38°52′49″N 77°06′30″W / 38.88028°N 77.10833°W / 38.88028; -77.10833Coordinates: 38°52′49″N 77°06′30″W / 38.88028°N 77.10833°W / 38.88028; -77.10833.[26] It is adjacent along its southwest and southern borders to the cities of Falls Church and of Alexandria; and along the Potomac River north.[27] Included in the county are several neighborhoods, or "urban villages" such as Crystal City, Rosslyn, Ballston, Clarendon, Virginia Square, Westover, and Shirlington.

Durring the civil war, though Virginia was part of the confederacy it did not extent to northern Virginia or Arlington

Sources:

https://www.seabeehf.org/admin/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/ArlingtonDistMap.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlington_County,_Virginia#Boundaries_and_jurisdictions

http://gsa.arlingtonva.us/search?q=arlington+boundaries&site=default_collection&output=xml_no_dtd&proxystylesheet=ACG_Site&client=ACG_Site&proxyreload=1

Arlington During the Civil War Era

During the period from 1861 to 1865, the area of Arlington, then known as Alexandria County, was part of the Confederacy but occupied by Union soldiers defending the District of Columbia.

Colonel Robert E. Lee was an Arlington resistant; he was offered to be a Union commander, but, refusing to support his hometown, he declined and became a Confederate commander. On April 22, 1861, Robert E. Lee left his home at Arlington House and headed towards Richmond.

Union troops took control of Arlington (Alexandria County) on May 24, 1861. The 100,000 Union troops, stationed at 22 forts and encampments throughout Arlington, built rifle trenches all over the country in protection of the nation’s capital. Property was taken with little acknowledgement to the rights of the owners of the land.

In 1860, Alexandria Country had a population of 12,652 people, 1,386 of which were slaves.

Specifically during the Civil War, almost no battle ever took place in Arlington as one soldier told, “...with the exception of drilling, guard mounting and inspection of knapsacks, we had but little to do...” Some Union soldiers stationed in Arlington were used as reinforcements for General Grant’s army headed towards Richmond. Several locations across Arlington were used as hospitals for Union soldiers.
Lacking battles throughout the war, Arlington was a place for technological development; for example, the manned balloon was developed and used to spy military movements of the Confederacy in 1861.

Sources

Primary:
"Historical Census Browser." University of Virginia Library. Available from http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/php/county.php. Internet; accessed 24 May 2011.

Secondary:
"The Civil War in Arlington." Arlington Historical Society. Available from http://www.arlingtonhistoricalsociety.org/learn/snapshots/civil_war_history.html. Internet; accessed 24 May 2011.
"Arlington County, Virginia." Wikipedia. Available from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlington_County,_Virginia. Internet; accessed 24 May 2011.