Rosemont in the 1940s

• The April 22, 1941 edition of the Star reported that a report to the City from the Street Naming Committee proposed to rename Linden Street.

• The October 13, 1941 edition of the Star reported that the West End Citizens Association was to meet at the Maury School.

• The March 3, 1943 edition of the Star reported that the polling place for the fifth ward would move from a garage on Commonwealth Avenue to the Maury School.

• The May 21, 1943 edition of the Star reported that the Alexandria Boy Scouts would hold their annual “camporee” – usually held in the country, but relocated due to gasoline rationing – on a six-acre woodland near Glendale Avenue and Russell Road.

• The July 4, 1943 edition of the Post reported that one of twenty high school students in the region who had received a four-year scholarship to George Washington University was Vivian Burke of 2 East Walnut Street.A similar report appeared in the July 4, 1943 edition of the Star.

• The October 13, 1943 edition of the Star reported that the City Council had appropriated $2,400 to purchase lots adjacent to the Maury School for playground purposes.

• The March 23, 1944 edition of the Star reported that the City Council had proposed $6,055 in improvements to the Maury School playground.

• The April 7, 1944 edition of the Star reported that the City was seeking War production Board approval to construct a sewer in East Rosemont.

• The May 24, 1944 edition of the Post reported that Mauchlin Niven of 416 West Braddock Road had proposed to move to Rosemont a “flounder” house on South Washington Street due to be razed for an expansion of Alexandria Hospital. The article explained that the “flounder” type was peculiar to Alexandria, with a high windowless rear wall and a roof sloping to the front.

• The July 6, 1944 edition of the Post reported that 8-year old Richard Sanders of 804 Russell Road was the “first casualty of the summer playground season in Alexandria,” having broken his right arm after falling from a swing at the Maury School playground.

• The July 7, 1944 edition of the Star reported that the city recreation director had announced that boys and girls over 13 would be excluded from the Maury School playground until more space was available. The July 20, 1944 edition of the Star further explained that that the ban at Maury School and other schools had been put in place due to several incidents of vandalism by older children. A similar report appeared in the July 20, 1944 edition of the Post.

• The August 4, 1944 edition of the Star reported that C. Aubrey Callahan of 15 West Rosemont Avenue had been appointed as the city’s commissioner of revenue, to complete the term of his late father.

• The August 14, 1944 edition of the Post reported that 70 homeowners in the vicinity of Hooff’s Run, led by Vernon Dove of 15 East Linden Street, had unsuccessfully challenged an increase in their tax levies based on their proximity to the creek and periodic flooding, as well as smoke from the nearby railroad that made homes in the area “dirty and uncomfortable.”

• The August 22, 1944 edition of the Star reported that Lt. Benjamin Respass of 4 East Linden Street was at home on leave, recovering from injuries suffered in Normandy on June 15, 1944.An earlier account of his injuries and recovery appeared in the July 27, 1944 edition of the Star.

• The September 10, 1944 edition of the Star reported that Second Lieutenant Robert Lipps, son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Lipps of 10 West Rosemont Avenue and who had been missing in action since July 28, had been confirmed to be a prisoner of war.

• The November 15, 1944 edition of the Post reported that for a paper salvage drive sponsored by the Alexandria Junior Chamber of Commerce, “the most effective collections were made in the Rosemont neighborhood.”

• The November 22, 1944 edition of the Star reported the death of Robert Grier, proprietor of the Rosemont Pharmacy.

• The December 22, 1944 edition of the Post reported that Mrs. E.W. Mervine of 5 East Linden Street saved the lives of her neighbors – Mrs. Victor Bringe and her children John and Constance – and a furnace repairman after discovering them overcome by gas fumes in the Bringe house at 12 East Linden Street.

• The December 31, 1944 edition of the Post reported that Rucker Place was an Alexandria street that had been reserved for sledding and police had been stationed to caution motorists.Chief of Police Edgar Sims also warned that children seen hitching a ride by grabbing the back of a car would have their sleds confiscated until the snow melted.

• The March 15, 1945 edition of the Star reported that William M. Topping of 118 Summers Drive had been appointed as the City’s auditor.

• The June 13, 1945 edition of the Star reported that the city engineer was to study building a storm sewer to alleviate flooding on Summers Drive and Glendale Avenue.

• The September 6, 1945 edition of the Post included an ad for the Potomac Beauty Supply Co., which noted that its products were available at the Rosemont Beauty Shop at 405 Commonwealth Avenue.

• The September 12, 1945 edition of the Star reported that the City had allocated $2,040.50 to cover the costs of correcting drainage problems on Summers Drive, Myrtle Street, and contiguous areas west of Russell Road.

• The November 25, 1945 edition of the Star reported that the 1946 school budget included $21,750 for the salaries of the ten teachers at the Maury School. It also reported that recently completed storm sewer construction included a $9,000 project on Hoof’s Run north of Glendale Avenue and a $2,100 project on Junior Street.

• The May 22, 1946 edition of the Post reported that the City was considering the purchase of an eight-acre site in Rosemont, from the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad, for an 85-unit housing development for veterans. Similar reports appeared in the April 4, 1946 and May 1, 1946 editions of the Star.

• The October 6, 1946 edition of the Star reported that the City had allocated $15,150 for improvements on Mount Vernon and Linden Streets, from Little Street to Braddock Road.

• The January 29, 1947 edition of the Star reported that the city had approved spending $28,800 for the construction of sewers on Oak Street and Linden Street, as well as $2,550 for a sewer on Russell Road between Summers Drive and Glendale Avenue.

• The March 29, 1947 edition of the Star reported that Mrs. John J. Ballanger of 113 East Linden Street, a descendent through marriage of the original owner of the Peyton Ballenger store in Alexandria, had discovered that General Robert E. Lee had never paid a $2.88 bill for shoes purchased from the store on April 13, 1861.

• The October 26, 1947 edition of the Star included an advertisement from the Virginia Flying Club (based at Beacon Airport south of Alexandria), providing a contact address for its president, L. McBride, at 123 East Walnut Street.

• The January 27, 1948 edition of the Post reported that Blanche Alexander of 203 North View Terrace would sing the lead part in the Washington Opera Guild’s production of Puccini’s “Giacni Shicchi.”

• The February 7, 1948 edition of the Post reported that Thomas F. Kilroy of 15 West Masonic Avenue had filed a protest at the Interstate Commerce Commission against proposed increases in the fares charged by the Alexandria, Barcroft and Washington Transit Co.The February 14, 1948 edition of the Post reported that the increase had been suspended pending an investigation and hearing.

• The March 7, 1948 edition of the Star profiled Robert M. Redmond of 9 West Maple Street, head florist and gardener at the White House.

• The May 23, 1948 edition of the Post reported that Banks & Everett, general contractors, planned to build 75 two-story homes in Rosemont.

• The June 21, 1948 edition of the Post reported that the Alexandria League of Women Voters published the findings of a study on public health in Alexandria, including Hooff’s Run, which neighbors said “carries more sewage than the closed sewer adjacent to it.” The City Council was reported to have earmarked money in a forthcoming bond.

• The December 18, 1948 edition of the Post reported that the School Board had accepted a $419,000 bid by Eugene Simpson & Bro. to build addition to City elementary schools, including eight classrooms and a cafeteria to the Maury School.

• The February 19, 1949 edition of the Star reported that the federal district court in Alexandria was considering whether it had jurisdiction over a $52,940 claim brought by a citizen of Israel against Albert Levy of 108 West Rosemont Avenue, based on a contract entered into in Germany in 1928.

• The April 17, 1949 edition of the Star reported that a garden tour of Alexandria would include the house of Mr. and Mrs. James Sherier at 2525 King Street.

• The April 21, 1949 edition of the Star reported that the City Council had authorized $15,700 for the construction of an additional classroom at the Maury School; the City previously had solicited bids for an eight-classroom addition but increased the number to nine based on lower-than-expected bids.

• The April 24, 1949 edition of the Star reported on an adult education class on etiquette that was given at George Washington High School; attendees included Mrs. J. Julian Davis of 7 East Rosemont Avenue, Thomas Nelson of 11 West Walnut Street, and Mrs. G.P. Zickefoose of 303 East Glendale Avenue.

• The May 25, 1949 edition of the Star reported that the City manager had been authorized to spend $9,000 to acquire nine lots adjacent to the Maury School for additional playground space.

• The June 11, 1949 edition of the Post reported that the cornerstone had been laid for the Temple Baptist Church at 700 Commonwealth Avenue, which had cost $200,000 and was expected to be dedicated in July.

• The June 30, 1949 edition of the Post reported that 272 children at Maury School had their teeth checked as part of a U.S. Public Health Survey; 7.7% were found to have permanent teeth missing.

• The July 2, 1949 edition of the Post reported on the dedication of the Temple Baptist Church at 700 Commonwealth Avenue, which had been under construction since 1947.The article noted that one of the challenges encountered during construction was the discovery of an underground stream, but that it would be harnessed as a free source of air conditioning.

• The July 9, 1949 edition of the Star reported that a 5-year old boy from Rosemont had been diagnosed with polio in late June but was recovering.

• The September 11, 1949 edition of the Post reported that the addition at Maury had been completed. A similar report appeared in the August 23, 1949 edition of the Star.

 

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Hooff’s Run has been a matter of concern for decades; this 1948 photo shows the stretch at East Linden Street, not yet covered, with the arrow noting the sewer pipe running in parallel: