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.
Two brothers born into slavery in the 1820s have been honored with new “stumbling stone” historical markers on Columbia Pike.
The bronze emblems, embedded into the sidewalk at the intersection of the Pike and S. Ode Street, honor the lives of Thornton and Daniel Check.
Arlington leaders on Tuesday (May 13) honored the legacy of a once-vibrant community wiped off the map to make way for construction around the Pentagon.
Board members also expressed regret at how those residents were treated by county leaders eight decades ago.
Fire Station #8’s dedication ceremony on Saturday included equal nods to the past, present and future.
“It symbolizes struggle, determination, progress,” Arlington Fire Chief David Povlitz said at the formal opening of the four-bay, three-level, 20,000-square-foot facility that is expected to serve until at least the mid-2070s.
The lives of Margaret Hyson and her children George and Charlotte — three people enslaved in the Yorktown neighborhood in the 1800s — had previously been unknown to all but their descendants.
But now, this family will have their stories told to a broader community.
Facing ongoing gentrification issues, Arlington’s historically Black communities are trying to preserve the social cohesiveness that helped residents triumph over past struggles.
“It used to be [that] when something happened, the community coalesced. It’s not what it used to be — some people don’t want to be bothered,” said Wilma Jones, who has written extensively about her Halls Hill/High View Park community.
Arlington’s Ethiopian community works hard to successfully integrate into the broader community while retaining and celebrating its traditions.
That was the view of panelists as a Black History Month program convened Thursday (Feb. 13) by the Arlington Historical Society.
Wax sculptures celebrating Black History Month and other pieces of art are on display in two new exhibits at Pentagon City’s mall.
The limited-time installations at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City showcase notable Black figures from throughout U.S. history, as well as artwork from the Arlington Artists Alliance.
A history-making Black female leader retired Friday after a 30-year career at the Arlington County Fire Department.
Tiffanye Wesley — the department’s first Black female lieutenant, captain, battalion chief and deputy chief — celebrated her last day at the agency surrounded by dozens of friends and fellow firefighters.
Construction of the Pentagon’s road network in the early 1940s was responsible for the mass displacement of an African-American neighborhood in South Arlington.
A new historical marker aims to bring the history of that community — Queen City — and its residents to future generations.
The Arlington County Board has approved several new investments in projects involving local history.
Officials signed off on a total of $65,000 in funding on Saturday for operational costs at the Black Heritage Museum of Arlington, facility improvements at the Arlington Historical Museum and the installation of 30 markers indicating where people were enslaved in Arlington.
As the much-anticipated Missing Middle trial began this week, the Arlington NAACP is arguing that the case has wide-ranging implications for racial equity.
In a 55-page amicus brief filed in advance of opening statements on Monday, the local NAACP chapter argued that single-family zoning has racist origins and that undoing Missing Middle would be a step backward for racial progress.
