On this day in Arlington history, December 1, 1843 The Alexandria Canal, which connected the Alexandria seaport to what is now the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, opened to traffic and linked to the Potomac River.
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On this day in Arlington history, November 30, 1893: Monte Carlo, the notorious gambling house at Jackson City at the Virginia end of the Long Bridge, went up in flames.
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On this day in Arlington history, November 29, 1940: All official activity ends at the Arlington Experimental Farm. The Arlington Experimental Farm, located on a portion of the Arlington estate close to the Potomac River, had been the main research facility for the US Department of Agriculture in the Washington area since 1900.
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On this day in Arlington history, November 28, 1972: Quarters 1, Fort Myer is named to the National Register of Historic Places.
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On this day in Arlington history, November 27, 1754, John Parke Custis is born. He was a Virginia planter, the son of Martha Washington and stepson of George Washington. He bought Abingdon plantation in what was then Fairfax County (now Arlington County) and settled there in 1778 with his wife, Eleanor Calvert, granddaughter of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore.
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On This Day in Arlington (and US) History, November 26, 1941 President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the modern Thanksgiving holiday by signing a bill officially establishing the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day.
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Students are learning not only about high-tech engraving but also the local history of enslavement.
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On this day in Arlington history, November 25, 1884 James Elwood Donaldson was born. This Donaldson was a fifth generation descendant of ensign John Ball who fought in the Revolutionary War and whose father was Moses Ball (a very early settler of Arlington’s Glencarlyn neighborhood).
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On this day in Arlington history, November 24, 1921, the Washington Times reports that a raid by prohibition officers has spurred threats from Arlington’s “back country” men.
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On this day in Arlington history, November 23, 1903: The final edition of the Barcroft News is published. The Barcroft News began publication on June 7, 1903. Its four pages were 4″ wide by 5 3/4″ long and it served a community of 20 houses.
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