Arlington’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold only 3 old photos of Arlington. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Arlington County was inhabited by prehistoric Native American cultures from the arrival of the Paleo-Indians 10,000 years before European colonization. Archeological evidence, including pottery fragments, tools, and arrowheads, suggests sporadic habitation during the Archaic Period, with more permanent communities during the Formative stage and Early Woodland period. Some objects unearthed during archeological digs have been found to be from as far as southern Ontario, indicating the existence of a trade route that ran through the area.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart Arlington’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Arlington’s history is told.
0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewCity of Washington, from Arlingto…, 1860–1890: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Arlington
See all 100 →
Arlington, decade by decade
63 historic places in Arlington
Arlington has 63 listings on the National Register, and they protect 12,293 historic buildings, because Lyon Park Historic District alone counts 1,165. 5 are National Historic Landmarks, the highest tier, which fewer than 3% of listings reach.
Where they are
When they were listed
Listed 2003Cherrydale Historic District
Listed 2003Al's Motors
Listed 2004Buckingham Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Listed 2004Waverly Hills Historic District
Listed 2008Monroe Courts Historic DistrictListed 1966Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee MemorialListed 1972Glebe, TheListed 1975Ball-Sellers HouseListed 1979Hume SchoolListed 1980Colonial VillageListed 1986US Post Office-ArlingtonListed 1991Northwest No. 1 Boundary Marker of the Original District of ColumbiaListed 1991Northwest No. 2 Boundary Marker of the Original District of ColumbiaListed 1991Southwest No. 4 Boundary Marker of the Original District of ColumbiaListed 1991Southwest No. 5 Boundary Marker of the Original District of ColumbiaListed 1991Southwest No. 6 Boundary Marker of the Original District of ColumbiaListed 1993Carlin HallListed 1995Barcroft Community HouseListed 1995Cherrydale Volunteer Fire HouseListed 1997Washington National Airport Terminal and South Hangar LineListed 1997Calvert ManorListed 1999Buckingham Historic DistrictListed 1999Fairlington Historic DistrictListed 1999Clarendon SchoolListed 2000Fort C. F. Smith Historic DistrictListed 2002Lyon Village Historic DistrictListed 2003Arlington Village Historic DistrictListed 2003George Crossman HouseListed 2003Maywood Historic DistrictListed 2003Saegmuller HouseListed 2003Walter Reed Gardens Historic DistrictListed 2003Ashton Heights Historic DistrictListed 2003Lyon Park Historic DistrictListed 2004Columbia Forest Historic DistrictListed 2004Glebe CenterListed 2004Glebewood Village Historic DistrictListed 2004Harry W. Gray HouseListed 2004Lomax African Methodist Episcopal Zion ChurchListed 2004Lee Gardens North Historic DistrictListed 2004Stratford Junior High SchoolListed 2004Penrose Historic DistrictListed 2005Arlington Forest Historic DistrictListed 2006Westover Historic DistrictListed 2006Claremont Historic DistrictListed 2008Arlington Heights Historic DistrictListed 2008Virginia Heights Historic DistrictListed 2008Glencarlyn Historic DistrictListed 2008Aurora Highlands Historic DistrictListed 2009Arlington Ridge ParkListed 2010Buckingham Historic District Boundary IncreaseListed 2011Earle Micajah Winslow HouseListed 2011Highland Park-Overlee KnollsListed 2012Dominion Hills Historic DistrictListed 2014Arlington House Historic DistrictListed 2014Arlington National Cemetery Historic DistrictListed 2014Unitarian Universalist Church of ArlingtonListed 2020Glebe ApartmentsListed 2021Windsor ApartmentsThen & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as City of Washington, from Arlington Heights (1860–1890) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (3) and the National Register (3). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.