Date/Time
Date(s) - 07/18/2023
6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Location
Arlington Central Library Auditorium
Categories
Today Arlington is a diverse vibrant “city county” of some 26 square miles and 240,000 people. One hundred years ago Arlington was a very much a “county.” It was larger, at 32 square miles, and its population smaller at 16,000 and it could hardly be called “diverse.” When Clarendon petitioned to become its own town in 1922 and challenged Arlington County as a single municipal entity. The Virginia Supreme court denied Clarendon’s aspirations when it ruled that Arlington couldn’t be divided because it was “continuous, contiguous, and homogeneous.”
What does that mean? Why did Clarendon what to become its own town? What would the “Town of Clarendon” have looked like? What can Bennett v. Garrett tell us about the Arlington of the 1920s and are there lessons for the Arlington of the 2020s?
Arlington resident Sean Denniston, having found little about Bennett v. Garrett spent over a year researching the facts of the case and the Arlington of the 1920s. After a centennial anniversary presentation in 2022, Sean has expanded his research finding some surprises along the way.
Sean Denniston is Vice President of the Arlington Historical Society. He has a Bachelor’s degree from Williams College, a Masters degree from Oxford University (both in history) and a law degree from Boston College. Although he has learned a lot about Arlington doing research, he has learned even more about it from its people and places.
This event is free and is hosted by the Arlington County Library. Please RSVP to jstant@arlingtonva.us or complete the RSVP form at https://arlingtonva.libcal.com/event/10638019