For over two centuries, Arlington County has been a steadfast center for government institutions and a vibrant part of the Washington, D.C., community. Many notable figures made their home in the area, like Supreme Court chief justice Warren Burger, General George Blood 'n' Guts Patton and a beauty queen who almost married crooner Dean Martin. The drama of Virginia's first school integration unfolded in Arlington beginning in the late 1950s. In the 1960s, two motorcycle gangs clashed in public at a suburban shopping center. Local author, historian and Our Man in Arlington Charlie Clark uncovers the vivid, and hidden, history of a capital community.

Arlington began three centuries ago as the farm section of Alexandria County and emerged in the 1900s as a vibrant suburb of the nation's capital. Global notice came after the creation and expansion of Arlington National Cemetery, the Pentagon and Fort Myer, site of history's first airplane casualty--September 17, 1908. Add in some modern marquee employers--PBS, WETA, Nestlé, the Foreign Service Institute and Amazon--and it's a recipe for accelerating change. Unsurprisingly, residents are increasingly at odds over rising housing costs and demolitions of long-valued homes and businesses. A key to preserving Arlington's character is a deeper knowledge of history. Local journalist and author Charlie Clark provides a compendium of gone-but-not-forgotten institutions, businesses, homes and amusements.

Modern-day Arlington County is a center for government institutions and a critical part of the Washington, D.C. community. But the identity of the area goes far beyond the influence of the nation's capital. During the War of 1812, the original copy of the Declaration of Independence was hidden from the British in a local area gristmill. Arlington was the only county in Virginia to vote against secession, despite being home to Robert E. Lee. In the 1950s, a young Jim Morrison was raised partly in Arlington. The county even boasts an infamous $1 million bus stop. In this collection of his most funny and fascinating columns, local author, historian, journalist and "Our Man in Arlington" Charlie Clark regales with stories of politics, personalities and everything in between.

Had General George Washington lived anywhere other than Mount Vernon, Virginia, Washington, D.C., might not exist. In this exciting collection of hidden tales from Northern Virginia, author Charles Mills highlights the important role that this region played in our nation's history from colonial to modern times. Read about the Rebel blockade of the Potomac River, the imprisonment of German POWs at super-secret Fort Hunt during World War II and the building of the Pentagon on the same site and in the same configuration as Civil War, era Fort Runyon. Meet Annandale's "bunny man, "? who inspired one of the country's wildest and scariest urban legends; learn about the slaves in Alexandria's notorious slave pens; and witness suffragists being dragged from the White House lawn and imprisoned in the Occoquan workhouse. Mills masterfully relates these and other colorful tales of the people and events that left their imprints on Northern Virginia and the nation.

Contains information about Arlington (VA) history, including the US Civil War, WWII, the Civil Rights Movement and 9/11. This book also explores the history and tourism through the runner's lens - this book shows running routes to learn about Arlington history.