Sitting on the reference stacks at the Charlie Clark Center for Local History at Arlington Central Library are five thick, blue, nearly 50-year-old bound editions.
They are the archives of the Arlington County Bicentennial Commission, which, from 1974 through the end of 1976, was tasked with overseeing local efforts to celebrate the nation’s 200th birthday.
The records include meeting minutes, press releases, memoranda and correspondence. There are even invoices tracking the cost of the commission’s operations, down to a 37-cent purchase of thumbtacks.
Documentation also includes the final report to the County Board and the public, which laid out the successes and, at times, the challenges of putting on the biggest birthday party the county had ever seen.
Along with newspaper clippings and ephemera in the library system, the documents provide a tangible link to the past as Arlington and the nation begin to gear up for celebrating the United States’ 250th birthday in 2026.
The historical tidbits below are not a comprehensive list of how Arlington planned for and celebrated the nation’s birthday bash of 1976, but give a flavor of the events.
An early, early start: The Sept. 10, 1971 meeting of the Arlington Historical Society included a presentation on early planning for the Bicentennial, led by Dr. John Sellers of the Revolutionary War Office at the Library of Congress.
His talk focused primarily on planning at the national level. But Sellers did have a request of the historical society: Could they attempt to create a listing of those who were known to have been living locally in 1776?
The first federal census was in 1790, he noted, and documentation prior to that was spotty, Sellers said. Any efforts at the local level would be appreciated, he said.
At the time of the Revolution, the 26 square miles of today’s Arlington were a part of Fairfax County. It was incorporated into the District of Columbia in 1801, returned to Virginia in 1847 and broke off from the town (now city) of Alexandria in the 1870s to become an independent jurisdiction.
Ancestors sought, ancestors found! That request of 1971 to find Arlingtonians with Revolutionary War kin resulted in a genealogical effort that the Powhatan Springs Women’s Club spearheaded.
Research uncovered 150 county residents whose ancestors had been in Arlington at least as far back as 1876. Several dozen local families had traced their roots back to the Civil War and a few to the Revolution or before, with ancestors living in some part of Northern Virginia at the time.
The results were reported via a “Heritage Census Honor Roll” in the July 2, 1976, edition of the Northern Virginia Sun.
Mrs. Vernon Pierce of 1030 N. Taylor Street had her roots traced as far back as the 17th century. She was a 12th-generation descendant of Col. Joseph Ball, making her a relation, albeit somewhat distant, of George Washington (a grandson of the colonel).
Also having Washington ties was Archie Syphax. His family tree could be traced back to the illicit relationship between George Washington Parke Custis and a woman he enslaved.
Custis, the owner of the Arlington House plantation, was the grandson of Martha Washington through her first marriage.
The Syphaxes would become one of Arlington’s most illustrious African-American families. Archie Syphax’s wife Evelyn Reid Syphax served on the county’s Bicentennial commission.
Their sons Craig and the Rev. Douglas Syphax remain active in Arlington civic life today, and can count themselves as great-great-great-great-grandsons of Martha Washington and step-great-great-great-great-grandsons of George Washington.
Who was on the Bicentennial Commission? For most of its relatively brief but impactful history, the Arlington County Bicentennial Commission consisted of 12 members: Margarite Syphax, Marjorie Melnick, Evelyn Syphax, Eleanor Lee Templeman, Dean Allard, J. Elwood Clements, Herman Obermayer, Allen Kitchens, Donald Wise, Edward Sayle, Richard Rhoads and Donald Orth.
A chair comes and goes: The initial chair of the county’s Bicentennial committee was former state legislator Harrison Mann. But Mann’s tenure was brief.
He departed in September 1974 to serve as a co-chair with Nadine Clift, of the reelection bid of Rep. Joel Broyhill. Harrison was a Democrat-turned-independent, while Broyhill was a Republican who had served the 10th District since its creation in 1952.
The year 1974 was a tough one for Republicans, and Democratic County Board member Joseph Fisher upended Broyhill’s re-election bid.
In Mann’s place: To succeed Mann as commission chair, the County Board appointed Edward Sayle, a retired curator for the CIA. Sayle would serve through the remainder of the commission’s existence. He died in 1989.
Doing it on the cheap? In remarks as the celebration neared, commission chair Sayle acknowledged that Arlington had been accused of “brown-bagging it” by not expending significant financial resources on Bicentennial activities.
A challenging economy was cited as one reason for county leaders not appropriating substantial funds.
Sayle said the committee was not ashamed of the paucity of funding.
“Arlington’s efforts in the commemoration rely on its greatest asset: its citizens,” he said. “In Arlington, the Bicentennial is not something you watch. It’s something you do!”
Staffing help: County Board members in December 1973 appropriated $4,100 to provide for six months of a salary for a part-time coordinator of local Bicentennial efforts, as well as office costs.
Rudy Richardson was hired to fill the role, continuing through the Bicentennial celebration.
The countdown begins in earnest: The Bicentennial commission issued its first “Bicentennial Newsletter” in August 1974.
Getting a logo: The county government put out a call for student submissions in a competition to create a local Bicentennial logo. The winner was 16-year-old Karen Rusch, a student at Woodlawn High School (which evolved into H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program) and the Arlington Career Center. She pocketed a $100 prize.
Putting the Spirit of 1776 into words: Paula Jean Richardson and Stephanie Kozinski were declared winners of the community’s “What the Bicentennial Means to Me” essay contest. Each received a TV set for their participation.
A daily radio update: Arthur Arundel, the owner of radio station WAVA, agreed to provide airtime without charge for a series of daily “newscasts” of events exactly 200 years before each day. They began airing on Jan. 1, 1975.
Written by Peggy Teeters, the scripts were underwritten by Virginia National Bank. After they aired, copies were made available to local schools for instructional purposes.
John Warner stops by: John Warner, who in 1978 would be elected to the U.S. Senate from Virginia, was tapped in 1974 to serve as director of the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration. On Oct. 10 of that year, he dropped by Arlington to present an official Bicentennial flag to County Board Chair Joseph Wholey.
Setting the mood: The first Bicentennial-connected public event in Arlington came in November 1974, when The Arlington Players presented the musical “1776” at Thomas Jefferson Middle School.
For those who wanted a guidebook: The Bicentennial commission agreed to reissue a 40-page booklet on Arlington historic sites — 52 in all — that had been authored by Ludwell Lee Montague in 1968. Points of interest ranged from Native American sites to eventful areas of the 20th century.
In addition, the historical society and the Arlington Police Beneficiary Association teamed up to sponsor a guide to Arlington’s trails, written by Marshall Michener, in commemoration of the Bicentennial.
For those who wanted a modern-day map: One of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce’s main contributions to the effort was a Bicentennial-themed street map with a press run of 100,000.
A winter-of-1976 kickoff: The Arlington Chamber of Commerce and Arlington branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) hosted a “Bicentennial Salute” at the Knights of Columbus on Feb. 8, 1976. The goal was to get the public into the Spirit of 1776 mood.
The main speaker, Rep. Joseph Fisher, encouraged Arlingtonians to “participate in the Bicentennial celebration your own way.”
Civic Federation does its part: Joseph Pelton served as president of the Arlington County Civic Federation in 1975-76, and asked member organizations to develop their own plans while promoting countywide efforts like a parade and beautification.
On April 22, 1976, the Civic Federation held a Bicentennial-themed dinner at Marymount University. Guests who paid $6.50 received dinner and heard from Dr. Josephine Pacheco of George Mason University speak on “The Meaning of the Bicentennial for Our Nation.”
Schools play a role: Arlington Public Schools issued a “Bicentennial handbook” and a host of newsletters offering ideas for schools in their planning for the holiday.
Among the events: The astronomy club at Washington Lee (now Washington-Liberty) High School presented “Time 200,” a music/light extravaganza.
Private schools also presented events.
At the collegiate level, Marymount College (now Marymount University) beautified its campus with red-white-and-blue plantings, and presented new research on the history of the Rixey Mansion on the N. Glebe Road campus.
George Mason University focused on the contributions of its namesake, while institutions of higher education across the region presented two series of “Revolutionary Roundtables” connecting the past to the present.
Honoring Black history: The history and contributions of Arlington’s, and the nation’s, African-American communities were not left out of the commemoration.
Two Arlington Baptist churches — Mount Zion and Macedonia — researched their histories. The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Teen Center in Green Valley held a number of events, as did members of the Zeta Chi Omega chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
Mount Olive Baptist Church also hosted “A Bicentennial Celebration in Recognition of Black Artistic Expression,” while Calloway United Methodist Church combined the Bicentennial with the celebration of its own 110th anniversary.
The Nauck (now Green Valley) Civic Association sponsored research of its community history, combining the Bicentennial with the association’s 50th anniversary.
Additional religious-organization events: As part of the Bicentennial, the county’s Episcopal churches held an Appalachian craft fair, while the Arlington-Fairfax Jewish Congregation sponsored research into the history of Jewish Arlington residents.
Performing-arts groups add their efforts: In addition to the Arlington Players’ production of “1776,” several other local arts organizations contributed to the Bicentennial celebration.
The Waldo Workshop Opera introduced a new production, called “Light-Horse Harry Lee,” in collaboration with the historical society. Ars Colonia presented a concert of Revolutionary music, as did the Sweet Adelines and Arlingtones.
Celebrating centenarians: Among those honored at a reception held during the summer of 1976 were five county residents who, having been born in 1876, had lived through exactly half the nation’s entire existence: Vernon Anderson, Katheryn Folger, Robert Bowyer, Clarence Moore and Mary Alice Boyle Morscher.
Restoration efforts: The Powhatan Springs Women’s Club and Dominion Hills Recreation Association worked in tandem to restore Powhatan Springs as part of the Bicentennial effort. At a ceremony honoring the achievement, state Del. Jack Melnick spoke on environmental conservation efforts at the state and local levels.
Preserving history: Among its many contributions to the Bicentennial effort, the Arlington Historical Society opened to the public the Ball-Sellers House, which it had acquired in 1975. Located in Glencarlyn, it is the oldest residential structure in Arlington, with the original portion of the home providing an opportunity to see what a family of moderate means lived like in the 18th century.
Welcoming foreign travelers: The Bicentennial was expected to bring a host of travelers from all over the world to the D.C. area. Working to welcome them to Arlington was a collaborative effort involving the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, Sears, American Host Foundation, Arlington Extension Homemakers Council and AAUW’s Arlington branch.
Was the region ready or not? The Committee of 100 (now Advance Arlington) on June 3, 1975 hosted a program called “The Bicentennial: Opportunity or Nightmare?”
A speaker looked at the expected number of visitors to the D.C. area in 1976, and concluded that the region was “grossly ill-prepared” to meet a crush of tourists from both across the nation and around the world.
When the final totals were tallied in 1977, it was estimated that the region had received 16 million visitors in the Bicentennial year — a figure demographers termed “manageable” for regional leaders. It was up 13% from 1975 visitor figures, but below early estimates that had ranged from 17.2 million to a whopping 60 million.
Writer doesn’t live to see the day: The Arlington Historical Society commissioned Cornelia B. Rose, Jr. to write a definitive history of the county in hardback-book form as its prime contribution (among many) to the Bicentennial celebration.
Rose had lived in Arlington since 1934, when she and her husband Leszlo Ecker-Racz moved from New York. From 1950-65, she worked as the research assistant in the office of the county manager, and during that time authored “Indians of Arlington” about the native peoples who were in the region before and after colonists arrived.
“I always feel that people who know something about the community they live in … are much better citizens,” she said in a 1976 Northern Virginia Sun article.
Rose completed her history of Arlington in February 1976, but died of cancer on July 1 that year.
In an article prepared for in advance of her death but published the day after, Rose was philosophical about living with a cancer diagnosis, as she had for several years.
“Every day is a bonus,” she said.
Rose’s book went on sale in September 1976 at a cost of $7.28 including tax. Nearly 50 years after first publication, “Arlington County, Virginia: A History” is available for purchase for $20 from the historical society.
Freedom Train, Wagon Train make appearances: The Bicentennial Freedom Train made an appearance in Arlington/Alexandria during the Bicentennial, being visited by thousands, while the Bicentennial Wagon Train also stopped in the county.
Everybody loves a parade! Because July 4 fell on a Sunday in 1976, many activities across the nation were planned for Saturday, July 3. That allowed Sunday to be used as a day of reflection.
The county’s Bicentennial parade, with 107 entrants, was described as the largest in Northern Virginia. Police motorcycles led the way, and sheriff’s deputies on horseback brought up the rear.
The parade stepped off at 10 a.m., running on N. George Mason Drive from Washington Blvd to Wilson Blvd.
The awards ceremony and festivities, including consumption of a massive Bicentennial cake, occurred at Bon Air Park.
How many calories is that? The birthday cake baked for the county’s Bicentennial celebration was six feet square, roughly 300 pounds and could serve up to 2,500 people. Ellen Bozman, serving as County Board chair for 1976, cut the first slice.
According to a June 1976 preview article by Susan Flinner of the Arlington News newspaper, the cake was the work of John Bonham, a culinary instructor at the Arlington Career Center, and six of his students.
It was to be a vanilla cake with red-white-and-blue buttercream icing and intricate brown-sugar decorations highlighting the Declaration of Independence, Flinner wrote in the preview.
Ingredients were expected to cost $600 and included 175 pounds of both flour and granulated sugar, 100 pounds of powdered sugar, up to 120 pounds of butter, 30 dozen eggs and a gallon of vanilla, the reporter noted. Baking time was expected to total 36 hours.
Residents were asked to pay a quarter per slice to help recoup costs. But Flinner, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America whose previous experience included stints with the Walt Disney Co. and Marriott, said he probably wouldn’t be among those taking a slice.
“I never want to eat what I’ve made,” he told the newspaper. “I’ll probably watch everyone else eat it and never have a bite.”
Nazis allowed to march: Arlington at the time was home to the American Nazi Party, although the group had been somewhat adrift since the murder of founder George Lincoln Rockwell in 1967.
Leaders of the party, more formally known as the National Socialist White People’s Party, submitted an application to march in the county’s Bicentennial parade. Parade organizers wanted to turn them down, but the county attorney overruled them, fearing a lawsuit.
A Northern Virginia Sun editorial blasted the Nazi Party, but defended the group’s right to march. “Because we live in a democracy, we must be tolerant of all ideas,” the newspaper said.
Take the bus, but not the subway: Big crowds were expected to descend on the National Mall for the July 4 fireworks, but those headed to see them could not use the new Metrorail service.
The first portion of the rail system had opened on March 27, 1976 with Red Line stations totaling 4.6 miles, all within D.C. Initial fares were 55 cents during rush hour, 40 cents other times, with exact change required as farecard technology was not yet in place.
That first year, Metrorail did not operate on weekends or holidays, and the transit agency held firm to this rule on July 3, 4 and 5.
Instead, those seeking to use mass transit were encouraged to use Metrobus, which was adding additional service to get the public around during the holiday weekend.
When planning for the Bicentennial began in the early 1970s, it was hoped that the first Metrorail service in Virginia would be in place by mid-1976. But it would not be until July 1977 that the Blue line opened with Virginia stations at Rosslyn, Arlington National Cemetery, the Pentagon, Pentagon City and National Airport.
Wrapping up events on July 5: Because July 4 fell on a Sunday, the national celebration continued into Monday, July 5. In Arlington, that included more fun and festivities at Bon Air Park, ending with a fireworks celebration in the evening.
Leaving a permanent mark: As part of 1976’s activities, 18 historical markers, conceived by the Arlington Historical Commission and erected by the county government, were placed at key sites across the county.
In addition, in anticipation of the Bicentennial, the County Board had created a historic-preservation ordinance.
Celebrating civic engagement: As part of the celebration, the commission awarded more than 100 individuals, groups and businesses certificates of recognition.
Among those honored for their efforts, in addition to those listed above, were John Lyon Post 3150 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars; Arlington Red Cross; American Legion Post 193 and Auxiliary; the Nature Conservancy; the Arlington Steering Committee for Services to Old Persons; and Glencarlyn Citizens Association.
Other organizations that contributed to the effort included the League of Women Voters; Women’s Club of Ashton Heights; Arlington-Fairfax Elks Lodge; Women’s Club of Lyon Village; the Arlington County Department of Human Resources, Department of Parks and Recreation and Department of Libraries; Arlington Red Cross; Williamsburg Women’s Club; and Dawson Terrace Recreation Center.
Thanks to the Charlie Clark Center for Local History at Arlington Central Library for assistance with this article.
