Cultural Heritage Archives - Arlington Historical Society

Cornelia B. Rose Jr.

February 22, 2026

A dedicated researcher, writer, and civic leader, Rose helped preserve the county’s story at a time when rapid development threatened to overshadow its past.

In 1791, Pierre Charles L'Enfant unveiled his ambitious plan for a new federal city along the Potomac River. He envisioned wide avenues, expansive vistas, and grand public spaces. His design for Washington, D.C., was never fully realized. Its monumental landscape developed incrementally - through pauses, revisions, debates, and renewed commitments.

Arlington’s Bicentennial Celebration

February 20, 2026

The county’s Bicentennial parade—hailed as the largest in Northern Virginia—featured 107 entrants. It stepped off at 10 a.m. along North George Mason Drive, led by police motorcycles and closed by sheriff’s deputies on horseback. Bands, veterans, civic groups, and neighborhood organizations filled the route, turning the morning into a vivid display of community pride.

Always Collecting

November 11, 2025

Each year, we add new artifacts, photographs, and documents that help tell the many stories of life in Arlington.

Family Tea House

October 3, 2025

Today Chinese restaurants are very common in Arlington county. But what is considered the “first” Chinese restaurant in Arlington county? Early 1950s newspapers and ads reference a Family Tea House in Cherrydale, established by Jim Wing and his family. Newspapers called the Family Tea House a “landmark” and the first Chinese restaurant in the county.

Lafayette

August 3, 2024

During the American Revolution, the Marquis de Lafayette volunteered from France to help America win its independence from England. He served as an aide to George Washington and was later promoted to general. In 1824, he began a 13-month tour of the 24 United States. At Arlington House, George Washington Parke Custis hosted the Marquis, then the last remaining Revolutionary War general and an advocate for human rights for the enslaved, for religious freedom, and for equality for women.