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.
The fire broke out at about 11:30 at night in James Wells’ one-story wooden frame on the west side of the road lined on both sides with wooden frame buildings. These gambling dens, bordellos, and saloons were occupied by “free and easy” owners and patrons. Before the flames could be checked almost the entire row was destroyed.
Though it was sleazy for most of its existence, Jackson City founders were motivated by a grand vision. Gradually, over years of inactivity though, a few buildings, including a tavern, went up and a settlement took hold. But gambling didn’t really take hold until after the Civil War. When Congress started restricting gambling in the District in the 1870s, Jackson City got its big break. Washington gamblers set up shop on the Virginia bank of the Potomac River transforming it from a place with a tavern, and a few saloons into a booming shanty town. By the late 1880s, thousands of gamblers streamed into town every day.
The area soon earned a reputation for crime where gamblers were often robbed, beaten, and left for dead. Efforts to arrest owners failed to put them in jail long enough to discourage them. As the County began to develop into a community, the authorities and concerned citizens started to enforce the law. Finally, Commonwealth Attorney Crandal Mackey hit upon the best way to shut it all down. He got a bill passed that required every business to apply for a liquor license. Once they started being denied their liquor license, the fun was gone as it gave authorities more reason to close them down, not just when they sold liquor illegally on Sunday.
