Chapter 1

A Virginia VILLAGE

Reprinted by the Centennial Committee of the Falls Church Village Preservation and Improvement Society

April 1985.

"_Celebrating Our Centennial Year_"

1885-1985

_President_ Sue Bachtel

_Vice President_ Rowland Bowers

_Treasurer_ Delores Cannon

_Recording Secretary_ June Douglas

_Corresponding Secretary_ Vivian Norfleet

_Immediate Past President_ Col. Merl M. Moore

_Elected Directors_ Louis & Sue Olom Mary Bowers Charles A. Hobbie Howard & Betty Hughes Melton Robert & Susan Wayland B.J. & Judith Segel Harry Cannon Florence Murphy Dick & Betty Allan Jerry Blystone Kenneth & Melena Huffman Harold & Ida Silverstein Raymond & Marie Stewart Martha Vinograd James M. Boren

_Honorary Life Members_ Ruby and Mel Bolster Leath B. Bracken Mrs. Edgar D. Brooke Mrs. Meres G. Brown Major General and Mrs. William Carter Elizabeth Graham (Mrs. John A.) Miss Helen MacGregor Mrs. Charles G. Manly Mrs. Paul Schlager Louise Shepard (Mrs. Ernest) Mrs. Calvin W. Smith Lorraine Williams (Mrs. Fonda) Pat Wollenberg (Mrs. Roger)

Falls Church Village Preservation & Improvement Society

Dear Friends,

The Falls Church Village Preservation and Improvement Society (VPIS) is pleased to be able to reprint _A Virginia Village_ by Charles A. Stewart as part of its Centennial observance in 1985. We are especially grateful to the Mary Riley Styles Public Library of Falls Church for permission to use their copy of _A Virginia Village_ for the reproduction.

_A Virginia Village_ provides a snapshot of Falls Church at the turn of the century, at a time when the predecessor of VPIS, the Village Improvement Society (VIS) (pp. 16-18), was in full swing. Thus it is a fitting backdrop to our year of special activities.

As you will note, many of the buildings and settings in the 1904 edition have been lost or altered in the past 80 years. To make the book more useful and enjoyable to current readers, we have added a Foreword, Comments on the Structures Pictured, a Name and Street Index, and a biographical sketch and photograph of the author. The new information is not all inclusive and we invite you to cross-reference your reading with the other sources listed in the Foreword.

The Society is indebted to several of its members who worked long and hard to made this edition possible. In particular, we would like to thank the chairman of the project, Colonel Merl M. Moore (a former VPIS President); Mr. Edmund F. Becker, who wrote the Foreword; Mr. Henry H. Douglas, who as usual is an indispensable resource on the history of Falls Church; and Mr. Richard T. Allan, whose editing skills were invaluable.

We hope this 1985 edition will become a cherished reminder of The Society's 100th anniversary and a valuable edition to your personal library. Sincerely,

_President_

Rowland Bowers _Vice President_

Harold Silverstein _Chairman, Centennial Committee_

ABOUT THE FALLS CHURCH VILLAGE PRESERVATION AND IMPROVEMENT SOCIETY

In 1985, its Centennial Year, the Falls Church Village Preservation and Improvement Society comprises over 750 citizens and businesses dedicated to improving the quality of life in Falls Church.

The Society recognizes that it is the inheritor of the civic purposes and activities of the Village Improvement Society (VIS) of Falls Church established in 1885 and which group was modeled after the famous Laurel Hill Association of Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and that VPIS' purposes, objectives and activities represent a continuum of the earlier organized and volunteer civic organization and effort to improve and preserve the historic tradition, residential character, quality of life and appearance of Falls Church, Virginia.

The values articulated by the founders in 1885 have not changed to the present:

to preserve the historic and predominantly single family detached residential and village character of Falls Church;

to preserve its historic structures and landmarks;

to promote architectural harmony and aesthetic values;

to beautify the community by planting trees, flowers, and shrubs; and

to work with governmental bodies and community groups to promote and fulfill these goals.

Archives of the Society may be found in the Virginia Room of the Mary Riley Styles Library, Falls Church, Virginia.

FOREWORD

Charles A. Stewart's _A Virginia Village_ is a charming depiction of the early days of Falls Church. It is the earliest attempt to put on paper the story of the Falls Church area. In addition to interesting stories about people and organizations and life generally in the small town of 80 years ago, the book contains photographs of 107 Falls Church houses, stores, and churches then standing. Reading it is a trip into nostalgia for old-timers--but the book is more than nostalgia. It pictures many elements which we associate with the community's lovely historic character and interest, and which intrigues newcomers and older residents alike.

Charles A. Stewart produced the book with the help of friends, including M.M. Ogden, who wrote the preface, and Pickering Dodge, who took the photographs. Joseph H. Newell printed it in a small backyard shop owned by his father, which was located on what is today North Washington Street next to the Columbia Baptist Church.

Not all of the structures standing in the town of Falls Church in 1904 are pictured in _A Virginia Village_. Some owners perhaps were not asked, or they did not wish to pay the two-dollar fee, or they declined for other reasons. A number of these absent structures were well-known features of the community, including the two W.&O.D. railway stations (East and West Falls Church, now gone), Mt. Hope, Shadow Lawn (or Whitehall), Tallwood, Jefferson School (no longer standing) and the old I.O.O.F. Hall (also gone). _Falls Church--By Fence and Fireside_, published in 1964 by the Rev. Melvin Steadman, mentions many others, such as Big Chimneys, which was still standing in 1904.

Of the 107 structures pictured, 24 were located near the present City, particularly in what was then known as the "East End" or East Falls Church. This former part of the town of Falls Church was returned to Alexandria County (now Arlington) in 1936. A large number of homes, stores, and other business establishments which constituted East Falls Church disappeared with the building of I-66, especially that part of the highway that lies between Westmoreland and Sycamore Streets in Arlington County. East Falls Church extended from the present City/County line down Lee Highway, and thus was located on both the north and south sides of I-66.

A review of the available records and the recollections of older residents indicates that 57 of the buildings shown are no longer standing; of the some 50 not pictured, 14 are no longer standing. Thus, of at least 157 buildings known to have been standing in town in 1904, 71 are known to have been lost (almost half).

The sources consulted (other than the book itself) include extensive notes made about 1970 by Mrs. John C. (Frances Butterworth) Cline, who died in 1979; _Falls Church--Places and People_, by Henry H. Douglas, published by the Falls Church Historical Commission in 1981 (still available in paperback); Rev. Melvin Steadman's _Falls Church--By Fence and Fireside_, published in 1964 (out of print); Henry H. Douglas' _Falls Church Historical News and Notes_, published between May 1970 and October 1972; Henry H. Douglas himself, who has made a hobby of Falls Church history; Mel and Ruby Bolster, charter members of VPIS; and many others.

While the City has lost much of its rural village character and charm, and has meanwhile acquired some ugly modernity in spots, the City's preservation ordinance, adopted in 1984, throws a protective cloak against further demolition around structures built as residences prior to 1911. Other buildings, such as churches and historic sites, are also protected by the ordinance, subject to certification by the Historical Commission to a Register. In addition, the Falls Church Village Preservation and Improvement Society and others continually seek ways to restore what aesthetic features have been lost.

Much additional information about houses, people and events in and around Falls Church will be found in the publications mentioned above and in other publications and documents making up the Falls Church Local Historical Collection in the Virginia Room of the Mary Riley Styles Public Library. The Collection is a veritable treasure-house of historical information waiting to be explored, and anyone looking for more information concerning any of the persons or places mentioned in this book is urged to consult the Collection in the Virginia Room.

Edmund F. Becker, 517 Meridian St., Falls Church, Va.

CHARLES ALEXANDER STEWART

Charles Alexander Stewart (1860-1950), who is best remembered in Falls Church for his estimable little book, _A Virginia Village_, which was published in 1904, was born at "Beechwood," the Stewart family farm at the intersection of the Dismal Swamp and Northwest Canals. He was the fourth in a family of five. His father, William Charles Stewart (1810-1865), died at "Beechwood."

In 1887 Charles A. Stewart married Mary Isabella Tabb (1866-1939), daughter of Dr. Robert Bruce Tabb (1833-1906) and Elizabeth Anne (Warden) Tabb (1837-1891). Elizabeth Tabb Stewart, born in 1890, was the eldest of ten children and lived in the family home in East Falls Church from 1894 until 1971.

Mr. Stewart had a distinguished career in the United States Treasury Department where he became chief clerk in the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and was a bank examiner when he retired in 1930. He was active in many community affairs. He was a vestryman of The Falls Church, was chairman of the Falls Church School Board continuously from 1910 to 1927, was active in the creation of Madison School and, while he was still living, the Charles A. Stewart Elementary School, on Underwood Street, was named for him. He was a trustee of Oakwood Cemetery in 1918, and was assistant secretary of the Arlington/Fairfax Savings and Loan from 1933 to 1940.

(From _Falls Church Historical News & Notes_, October 1972.)

COMMENTS ON THE STRUCTURES PICTURED

These comments provide information on the present status of the 107 structures pictured. They are arranged in sequence by item numbers, which correspond to the page numbers in the original book, and repeat the names exactly as given. The people named were the owners of the structures pictured. Present street addresses are given when the building is still standing. In the case of the 57 buildings now gone (they are marked by asterisks), the former or present street address is usually not known, and in such instances the approximate location is given. When the date of destruction is known, it is given; when a destruction date is not given, it presumably was some time prior to 1969, when the City's Architectural Inventory was prepared. Construction dates and other interesting details are provided when known, in capsule form.

[Sidenote: Front] _The Lawton House._ 203 Lawton St. Also known as Lawton Manor and Home Hill. Built in 1859 but renovated many times. Once headquarters of Confederate Gen. James Longstreet and later the home of Gen. Henry Ware Lawton. Formerly housed Mattie Gundry's "Gun-Well" school. Yard formerly used by Louise and Ernest Shepard to hold the first VPIS Attic Treasures sales. Threat to house stimulated formation of VPIS in 1965. Owners: Donald Rice and Elizabeth Loker.

[Sidenote: Front] _Mr. A.M. Lothrop._ Still standing at McKinley St. and Wilson Blvd. in Arlington. Beautiful estate known as "Fair Mount." Owner: Randolph Rouse.

[Sidenote: *4] _Mr. E.T. Fenwick._ Was on Washington Blvd., East Falls Church, at the end of 24th Street.

[Sidenote: 5] _Presbyterian Church._ 225 E. Broad St. Built in 1884 with stone from the Tripps/Sisler quarry on S. Washington St., but the stone trim was transported from Seneca Maryland via the C.&O. Canal. Additions were built in 1968 from stone salvaged from the demolished old Columbia Baptist Church, thanks to architect and member, Kenton D. Hamaker, who died in 1982.

[Sidenote: *6] _Mr. W.M. Ellison._ Is the house built in 1852 by Wm. Henry Ellison and later left to his son, Wm. McElfresh Ellison, who in turn left it to his daughter, Fannie May, who married Carroll Shreve. Once housed the Falls Church library. Was torn down in 1955 to make way for the present Sunoco Gas Station on W. Broad and West St. (934 W. Broad). Ellison owned at least four structures in the area, and Ellison Street no doubt is named for him.

[Sidenote: 7] _Mr. George G. Crossman._ Built 1892. Located on part of the former large Isaac Crossman farm near Lee Highway and Little Falls St. at 2501 Underwood St. in Arlington. Plaque on house describes it as the Crossman-Grey House. Home of Stephen B. Grey.

[Sidenote: *8] _Virginia Training School, Miss M. Gundry, Principal._ Was at 309 W. Broad St., immediately west of the present Post Office. On the present site of the Winter Hill subdivision, formerly Tyler Gardens. Formerly the Schuyler Duryee House. Its large metal outside conduits, providing quick fire escapes for the mentally-handicapped inmates, attracted the attention of curious passersby.

[Sidenote: *9] _Dr. J.B. Gould._ 120 E. Broad St.

[Sidenote: 10] _Mr. W.H. Nowlan._ 114 E. Columbia St. near the Crossman Methodist Church. Built 1885. Now owned by the City, which converted it for handicapped adults in 1981.

[Sidenote: 11] Mr. G.W. Poole. On N. Washington Blvd. in Arlington County just behind what is now the First Virginia Bank, 6745 Lee Highway.

[Sidenote: *12] _Mr. G.F. McInturff._ Was on N. Maple Ave. on the present site of Garden Court Townhouses, adjacent to the George Stambaugh house, which was located on Great Falls St. (See item 61.)

[Sidenote: *13] _Mr. M.E. Church._ Had a real estate and insurance office and drug store on W. Broad St. facing the present Brown's Hardware at 100 W. Broad St. Note windmill. On site of the George Mason Square complex, now under construction. (See p. 89 for more details about Mr. Church.)

[Sidenote: *14] _Mr. J.W. Brown Store and Residence._ Old store and residence gone, torn down in 1959. Was on the N. corner of N. Washington and W. Broad Sts., next door to the "new" Brown's store. Business recently celebrated its 100th anniversary.

[Sidenote: 15] _Mr. Geo. L. Erwin._ 300 W. Great Falls St., on corner of Little Falls and Great Falls Sts. A good example of what Falls Church was like at the turn of the century. Owners: Polly and Adrian Richey. Built 1893.

[Sidenote: 16] _Mrs. Emma Garner._ 211 E. Columbia St. Built 1894. Home of David M. Garner, son of J.W. Garner. (See item 46.)

[Sidenote: *17] _Mr. E.C. Hough._ Was on E. Jefferson St. next to 215 E. Jefferson on the left. E.C. Hough built this house in 1900. Parcel owned by L.F. Jennings.

[Sidenote: *18] _Major M.S. Hopkins. Arringdon Hall_, as this impressive house was known, was on N. Washington St. next door to the Village House Motel, razed in 1984 to make way for the Kaiser-Permanente Medical Center, now under constructions on N. Washington between Park and W. Great Falls St. _Arringdon Hall_ was demolished in the mid-60s.

[Sidenote: *19] _Mr. S.H. Thornburg._ Was next door to the right of present Nowlan/Pendleton House at 114 E. Columbia St. on the present site of the Crossman Methodist Church parking lot (See item 10).

[Sidenote: *20] _Mr. Nathan Banks._ Was on the site of a present condominium apartment house on the North side of the 6800 block of Washington Blvd. in East Falls Church, Arlington.

[Sidenote: *21] _James A. Dickinson, M.D._ Was at 351 N. Washington St. Demolished in 1963 to make way for the Columbia Baptist Church parking lot. The owners were Mr. and Mrs. John H. (Frances Butterworth) Cline. Their daughter, Elizabeth Hughes Cline (Mrs. Howard Melton) and her husband are currently members of the VPIS Board.

[Sidenote: 22] _Dr. Geo. B. Fadeley._ 260 W. Broad St., corner of Little Falls St. opposite the Post Office. Was his office and residence, later the Falls Church Beauty School, and now the Potomac Academy of Hair Design. Built 1890.

[Sidenote: *23] _Mankin Pharmacy._ Demolished and replaced by tool-rental and restaurant businesses. Was on N. Washington St. to the right of the present State Theatre at 220 N. Washington. It was a small, real drug store, handling mostly drugs and pharmaceuticals, but may have had a "soda fountain."

[Sidenote: 24] _Mr. Charles Crossman._ House saved from demolition in May 1983 and moved from 421 N. Washington St., near the Columbia Baptist Church, to 345 Little Falls St. Moved by Col. Lawrence Pence and his wife Carol of Arlington, who are also renovating _Shadow Lawn_, (formerly Whitehall) at 335 Little Falls St. Built 1871. Crossman House was once affectionately known as _Aunt Pansy's_. Owners: Mr. and Mrs. Richard Morde.

[Sidenote: *25] _Dr. J. B. Hodgkin._ Was on E. Fairfax St. on the site of the present Southgate Shopping Center facing The Falls Church (Episcopal).

[Sidenote: *26] _Mr. D.O. Munson._ Dr. Munson's house was probably part of the Munson Nurseries near Munson Hill, just off Leesburg Pike (Route 7) toward Baileys Crossroads. He was also a Colonel, and planted the silver maples that lined and overarched Broad St. House was demolished to make way for the Lafayette Condominiums, at 6141 Leesburg Pike.

[Sidenote: 27] _Mr. Henry Crocker._ 319 N. Maple, near Thurber Ct. Built 1890. Owned by Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Vogel. Thurber Court is named after James Thurber, who once lived nearby.

[Sidenote: *27] _Mr. E.F. Crocker._ Was at 321 N. Maple. Demolished when Thurber Court was built.

[Sidenote: *28] _Mr. G.W. Mankin._ Was third building west of the original Brown's Hardware at 100 West Broad Street. Was the home of Mr. George W. Mankin after he moved out of the Clover House (not pictured in this book; referenced in Falls Church: Places and People, pp. 76, 77). Was approximately on the site of the present D&F Office Furniture at 134 West Broad.

[Sidenote: *29] _Mr. C.H. Buxton._ Was home of Charles Buxton, which was at E. Broad St. and Buxton Rd., but now replaced by a newer home next door to the Dulin United Methodist Church at 513 E. Broad St.

[Sidenote: *30] _Mr. Summerfield Taylor._ Lived over the Falls Church Market, a grocery formerly at the south-east corner of E. Broad and S. Washington Sts. Later replaced by the Falls Church Garage and Kent Cleaners. The "Historic Triangle complex," created by the City, is being replaced by the Independence Square Complex, now under construction.

[Sidenote: 31] _Mr. A.P. Eastman._ House still standing in East Falls Church at 6733 Lee Highway. He was a charter member and treasurer of the Village Improvement Society. Owner: Mrs. Charles R. Fenwick (Eleanor Eastman). House known as _Everbloom_.

[Sidenote: 32] _Mr. Geo. F. Rollins._ 109 E. Columbia St. Large house built in 1888. Also known as the Vosbury/Hall house. Owners: Dr. and Mrs. George Hall.

[Sidenote: 33] _The Old Colonial Church._ Interesting name for The Falls Church (Episcopal) at 115 E. Fairfax St. Has undergone considerable enlargement and renovation. Present brick church built in 1769 and thus the oldest church in the area. The City took its name from the church. On the National Register of Historic Places.

[Sidenote: *34] _Mrs. C.E. Mankin's Store._ Mr. Mankin's store was on the corner of N. Washington and E. Broad Sts. and was known as Mankin's Notion and Dry Goods Store. Mankin's wife Valinda ran the store in 1904 after he died the previous September. He served in the Confederate Army and saw Stonewall Jackson shot by his own troops. Now Robertson's office building.

[Sidenote: 35] _Mr. Charles A. Stewart._ House at 6857 Washington Blvd. in East Falls Church, Arlington. Author of _A Virginia Village_ and other published and unpublished works. His daughter Elizabeth Tabb Stewart lived there until 1971. Name of new owners is unknown, but it is scheduled for demolition soon.

[Sidenote: *36] _Mrs. Charles A. (sic) Mankin._ Believed to be a picture of _Home Hill_ which Charles _E._ Mankin built for his wife Valinda. It was located across the street from the then I.O.O.F. Hall on the site of the Post Office parking lot at 301 W. Broad St. The grounds were given to Mrs. Mankin by her mother. (There was no Charles _A._ Mankin.)

[Sidenote: 37] _Mrs. Annie Eells._ 414 W. Great Falls St. Built 1885. Known as the Eells/Roberts/Pierce Home. Enlarged and renovated. Owners: Mr. and Mrs. Harold L. Pierce.

[Sidenote: 38] _"Eastover," Mr. Pickering Dodge._ 6763 25th St., corner of Washington Blvd. and 25th St., East Falls Church. Mr. Dodge took the pictures for _A Virginia Village_. Later owned by Mr. and Mrs. Hughes Butterworth (daughter was Frances) from 1917-1933. Present owners: Michael and Rita Flott.

[Sidenote: 39] _Mr. W.A. Ball._ 117 E. Columbia St. next to Rollins/Hall house at 109 E. Columbia. Probably refers to Rev. Samuel A. Ball, who was pastor of the Crossman Methodist Church across the street. Known as the Ball/Jackman house. Built 1890. Owners: Mr. and Mrs. George E. Jackman.

[Sidenote: *40] _Mr. T.B. Snoddy._ Was next to the N.E. corner of N. Washington and E. Columbia Sts. Now occupied by an office building at 400 N. Washington St.

[Sidenote: *41] _Dr. T.M. Talbott._ Was located on a piece of farmland across from the A.M. Lothrop place at the corner of McKinley Rd. and Wilson Blvd. in Arlington. Christian Science Church, 809 N. McKinley Road, now on the site.

[Sidenote: *42] _Mr. C.L. Blanton._ Mrs. Cline stated that this house was then (about 1970) on Washington Blvd. in East Falls Church. Location unclear. (See poultry ad on p. 108).

[Sidenote: *43] _Mr. Geo. W. Hawxhurst._ Was on the N.E. corner of N. Washington and E. Columbia Sts., opposite the Charles Crossman House and next door to Snoddy's. The garage once housed the beginnings of the Falls Church library.

[Sidenote: *44] _Mr. W.W. Biggs._ Was on the corner of W. Great Falls and Little Falls St., facing Little Falls St. on the site of the Falls Church Community Center at 223 Little Falls. Later owned by the Cobb and O'Halloran families.

[Sidenote: 45] _Mr. C.C. Walters._ 900 Park Ave. at Spring St. Built 1891. Owned by Philip Brophy.

[Sidenote: 46] _Mr. J.W. Garner._ 219 E. Columbia St. Built 1890. Owned by Larry Lee Gregg and Cynthia Garner.

[Sidenote: *47] _Town Sergeant John N. Gibson._ East Falls Church. Was located on the south side of Washington Blvd., east of Lee Highway, between Moncure (p. 91) and Thompson (p. 97). Gibson, as town officer, had many duties. House demolished when I-66 was built.

[Sidenote: *48] _Mr. J.C. Elliott's Store._ East Falls Church. Was at Lee Highway and N. Fairfax Drive, with the electric trolley running on Fairfax Drive. The W.&O.D. R.R. was on the south side. Was Snyder's Hardware when it burned in 1948. It was replaced by the new Snyder & Co. store, 6847 Lee Highway, Arlington.

[Sidenote: 49] _Miss Ada Rhodes._ 110 W. Great Falls St. Now known as the Rhodes/Lennon House. Built in 1889 but has been completely renovated after a substantial fire in 1975. Front yard has been terraced and landscaped. Mr. Michael Lennon, the present owner, teaches renovation and restoration procedures.

[Sidenote: *50] _Mr. W.W. Kinsley._ Was on Lee Highway in East Falls Church, across from the present Continental Federal Savings and Loan, at 6711 Lee Highway, on a site now occupied by townhouses.