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Arlington County Public Library Resources

Holdings concerning county history are concentrated in the Charlie Clark Center for Local History (CCCLH).   You can search the library’s on-line catalog by clicking on this link: https://libcat.arlingtonva.us/Search/ and entering a search term such as “Arlington County history.”

While CCCLH materials are for on-site use only, many books are also among the lending library collections.
The books listed below are among those that provide county-wide history.

• Arlington County Manager, A History of the Boundaries of Arlington County, Virginia (Arlington, VA: Office of the County Manager:  1967)
• Clark, Charles S., Arlington County Chronicles (Charleston, SC: The History Press:  2014)
• Clark, Charles S., Hidden History of Arlington County (Charleston, SC: The History Press:  2017
• Clark, Charles S., Lost Arlington County (Charleston, SC: The History Press:  2021)
• Dunham, Dorothy Lee, A History of Arlington County, Virginia (Richmond, VA: Dietz Press, Inc.:  1946)
• Pratt, Sherman W., Arlington County Virginia, a Modern History (Arlington, VA: Pratt:  1997)
• Rose, C.B. Jr., Arlington County, Virginia: A History (Baltimore, MD: Arlington Historical Society, Inc.:  1976)
• Suydam, Martin J., Walks With Charley: Sniffing Arlington History and Mystery, 3rd ed.,
  (Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/Walks-Charley-Sniffing-Arlington-History/dp/B09LZZKN5Z, 2021)
• Suydam, Martin J., Walk Four Mile Run: A Chain of Parks, 2nd ed.,
  (Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/Walk-Four-Mile-Run-Chain/dp/B0BTKZW36T, 2022)
• Suydam, Martin J., Walks With The Rambler, A Scrapbook of Arlington, Alexandria, & Fairfax, Virginia 1907-1927, (Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/Walks-Rambler-Scrapbook-Arlington-1907-1927/dp/B0DF546TQ9, 2024)
• Templeman, Eleanor Lee, Arlington Heritage: Vignettes of a Virginia County (Arlington, VA:  L. Templeman:  1959)

Books featuring historical photographs of Arlington include these:

• Arlington Historical Society, Images of America: Arlington (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Press:  2000)
• Gilmore, Matthew, Historic Photos of Arlington County (Nashville, TN: Turner Publishing Company:  2007)
• Gilmore, Matthew, Remembering Arlington (Nashville, TN: Turner Publishing Company:  2010)
• Netherton, Nan, Arlington County in Virginia: a Pictorial History (Boulder, CO: Donner Press:  1987)

If your interests are more specific—for example, a specific time period, event, or topic such as public health or school desegregation, simply refine your search of the library’s catalog.

Arlington County Government Resources

• A brief overview of county history, with links to more specific information, can be found at https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Topics/Arlington-Welcome-Kit/History-of-Arlington
• A statistical history of Arlington’s first century, “Arlington 1920 – 2020” can be found at https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Topics/Census-2020/1920-2020.
• A list of Arlington county sites—including buildings, parks, roads and bridges, cemeteries, schools, and places of worship—that are of national historic significance can be found at https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Projects/Plans-Studies/Historic-Preservation/National-Historic-Places
• Arlington has placed historical markers at numerous sites across the county.  A listing can be found at https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Projects/Plans-Studies/Historic-Preservation/Historical-Markers

Other Resources

• The Library of Virginia is, among other things, a repository of county-specific information.  To search the online catalog, go to https://lva.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?vid=01LVA_INST:01LVA&lang=en and enter the search term “Arlington County.”
• The Library of Congress houses Arlington-related photographs, prints, and drawings; maps; books, newspapers and periodicals; manuscripts and more.  To search the online catalog, go to https://search.catalog.loc.gov/search and enter the search term “Arlington County, Virginia.”
• The DC History Center’s Kiplinger Research Library has numerous Arlington images (photographs, prints and drawings), as well as maps, books, and publications. While some materials duplicate those of Arlington County Library, others are unique. To search the online catalog, go to https://dchistory.catalogaccess.com/search and enter the search term “Arlington.”
• Further historical information is available about specific aspects of the county, including its churches, schools, parks, and waterways. While not comprehensive, the list below contains links for further sources of information about each topic.

Businesses TBD*

Churches/religious communities

Cemeteries TBD*

Fire stations TBD*

Mills TBD*

Parks

Schools

Street Names TBD*

Waterways

• TBD – To Be Developed

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