Opinion

“I have a problem with ‘Jefferson Davis,'” Zimmerman said of the former Confederate president. “I don’t believe Jefferson Davis has a historic connection to anything in Arlington… He wasn’t from Virginia. I don’t really see why we need to honor him.”

Though last week’s vote may be a victory for the anti-Jefferson Davis crowd, it only renames a narrow, pothole-ridden backroad that connects Crystal City with a future county park. The much larger and more heavily-traveled State Route 1 will continue to be known as Jefferson Davis Highway.


Around Town

Thanks to its key strategic location across the Potomac from the District, Arlington County was home to 22 Union forts during the Civil War. In order to see an approaching enemy, soldiers often cut down 1-2 miles of trees around each fort.

The photo, left, illustrates just that. Fort C.F. Smith, now a county park along the George Washington Parkway in North Arlington, was surrounded by a denuded landscape that allowed soldiers to mount an effective, fortified defense against any Confederate force that might have tried to invade attack Washington.


News

Civil War ‘History Mobile’ Coming to Arlington — A tractor trailer turned mobile history museum will be visiting Arlington several times this summer, as part of commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. The History Mobile’s exhibits “look at the war through the eyes of civilians, slaves and soldiers.” [Sun Gazette]

ART Contractor Wins Safety Award — The contractor that operates Arlington Transit (ART) buses won a top safety award on Sunday. The company, Forsythe Transportation, helped reduce safety complaints on ART by 58 percent in one year, according to a county press release. [Arlington County]


Events

With the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War upon us, events are planned in Arlington to mark that dark time in our nation’s history.

On Thursday, Warren Nelson, chair of the of the Arlington County Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Committee, will speak at the Arlington Career Center on what the county is doing to preserve the history of the civil war.


News

Aurora Hills Roof Replacement — The Aurora Hills library and senior center is getting a new roof. The $240,000 project is set to begin on Thursday, Nov. 18. It will take about two months to complete, but the facilities will remain open — work will be done performed in the morning. More from the Library Blog.

Emergency Winter Shelter is Open — Arlington’s emergency winter shelter has opened for those in need of warmth, food and a roof over their head. The Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network is seeking volunteers 18 years or older to work at the shelter, at 2049 North 15th Street in Courthouse. More from ASPAN.