State Senator Frank L. Ball, Sr. played the pivotal role in bringing together the citizens who founded the Arlington Historical Society. While he was not the Society’s first president, he was its principal organizer and host, using both his influence and his historic home, The Glebe, to launch what became one of Arlington County’s most enduring civic organizations.
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Jones joined Senator Frank L. Ball, Sr., C. Harrison Mann, Jr., Robert Nelson Anderson, Jr., Cornelia B. Rose, Jr., and other civic leaders in establishing the Arlington Historical Society. At the Society’s organizational meeting on September 14, 1956, held at the home of Laszlo Ecker-Racz and Cornelia B. Rose, Jr., Jones was elected one of its first officers.
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In 1953, Arlington voters elected Mann to the Virginia House of Delegates, where he served from 1954 until 1970. During his sixteen years in the General Assembly, he earned a reputation as one of Virginia’s most productive legislators. He championed public education, transportation improvements, highway safety, judicial reform, and expanded services for older Virginians. His practical approach and willingness to work across political lines made him one of Arlington’s most respected public officials.
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In 1975, Marian Sellers donated the house to the Arlington Historical Society. Her gift provided the Society with its first permanent historic property and ensured the preservation of one of the county’s most important colonial structures. In recognition of both its original builder and its benefactor, the Society named it the Ball-Sellers House.
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Gannett needed a large block of office space for the new venture and chose six floors in a brand new silver office building at 1000 Wilson Boulevard, the tallest skyscraper in Rosslyn at the time. In October 1981, the USA Today planners moved their operation to Arlington. Two months later, Neuharth announced publicly that the first edition of USA Today would appear on September 15, 1982.
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Ayers traces its roots to 1948, when John W. Ayers opened J. W. Ayers Five and Ten Cents Store in the growing Westover shopping district. Arlington was expanding rapidly after World War II, and Westover was emerging as one of the county’s most vibrant neighborhoods. The new store quickly became a cornerstone of the community.
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The area surrounding Arlington House, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington Memorial Bridge, and the Lincoln Memorial forms one of the most important historic landscapes in the United States. Completed in the early twentieth century, Arlington Memorial Bridge was designed as a symbol of national reconciliation following the Civil War. Linking the National Mall with Arlington National Cemetery, it serves as both a transportation corridor and a memorial to unity, remembrance, and shared sacrifice.
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Through partnerships with sponsors and community organizations such as the Arlington Historical Society, VA250 has supported history-focused events across Virginia in the lead-up to this July 4th.
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The Arlington Historical Society launched a new oral history initiative, Arlington Stories, during HistoryFest on May 9, 2026.
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