Jaybird's Jottings

The Bloxham Cemetery

Progress on my book has been slow, chalked up to the swoon that seems to come with the –ember months.    I do continue to look around for new markers, and found two yesterday.     They’re out of the coverage of my territory – Old Town and Parker Gray, but I regained that joy of discovery I felt many times in 2010 when I conducted my survey of the commemorative markers.

This pair of markers focus on the Bloxham Family Cemetery.   Quite frankly, I had never heard of them or their cemetery.   T. Michael Miller’s, “Pen Portraits” has one entry, a roster published in the Alexandria Gazette showing the men of Company B of the First Virginia Regiment who departed Alexandria for the Mexican War in December 1846.    Private William P. Bloxham is one of these soldiers.

The location of the cemetery and the two markers is on the east side of the new Witter Park (2700 Witter Drive).    Those of us who have rushed our pets to the Alexandria 24-hour pet hospital on Duke Street can use that bearing – it’s behind that building.    Blue Line and Amtrak riders can look to the left as they approach the Telegraph Road Bridge.   The small cemetery lies between the new soccer fields and the not-quite-finished softball field for the Lady Titans.

Every historical marker has a story behind it, but not all have a commanding or unique presence.   The physicality of these two is quite remarkable.   The pair and the cemetery are fenced off with a black iron fence, evoking a sense of honor and dignity.

Once again, we tip our hat to the various agencies behind these efforts, including the Office of Alexandria Archaeology and the URS Corporation.

 

Additional Reading

Report at Alexandria Archaeology

 

 

 

 

Beacon of Groveton

Slowly but surely, smart growth and walkable landscapes are coming to the Richmond Highway (Route 1) Corridor south of Alexandria.    Led by the "Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation," a slate of mixed-use projects are planned for and being built along the suburban highway from the Beltway to Fort Belvoir.   

Media attention tends to focus on the seven-mile stretch as a whole, but this approach ignores historic communities such as Penn Daw and Groveton.

David Versel, Executive Director of the SFDC, recently told Connection newspapers,  “There is an unprecedented amount of development activity occurring in the corridor between Huntington, Penn Daw, and Groveton…”

One such project, “Beacon of Groveton” at 6870 Richmond Highway, swung open their doors earlier this month.    The luxury apartments (290 units) are located a couple of miles south of the Beltway, near one of the highest points in Fairfax County.    Its arrival is a mixed bag for local residents in Groveton and nearby neighborhoods.   Some welcome the density approach, while others opposed it.

The wait for this project, the first urban-scale mixed-use development on Richmond Highway, has been a long one.   For almost 20 years, on an unkempt lot at the corner of Route 1 and Memorial Avenue, a developer’s lease sign stood on the site, once occupied by the Groveton Elementary School.   Finally, in March 2011, the backhoes and hard hats arrived.   Small final work continues while over 30 units have seen their occupants move in.

Residents of “Beacon of Groveton” will benefit greatly from its proximities.    Old Town Alexandria, National Harbor and the Beltway are two to three miles away, Metro (Huntington) about one, and across the street lies the “Beacon Center.”    The rebranded shopping center (nee Beacon Hill Mall) is named after the Beacon Field airport, which had a hey day there from 1926 to 1959.   

This strip-mall style shopping center is anchored by a Giant grocery store and Lowe’s Home Improvement store.    Groveton also sports banks, drugstores, restaurants and a Target.   

The Panera in Beacon Center is popular, and has become one of the area’s most favorite gathering spots.    Unknown to most of its patrons is the fact that “City View” once graced the same location.    The Alexandria Gazette described the three-story mansion (torn down in 1959) as, “on of the finest of the estates in the Alexandria area.”    Views of Alexandria and Washington were part of its appeal.

Landscaping around Beacon at Groveton adds attractive touches and a shuttle bus runs to and from the Huntington Metro.   A new bus stand was built, and a handful of small retail facing Richmond Highway are set to open next year, including a new restaurant.   A new right turn lane on Memorial helps unclog some of the traffic that previously had to wait for the light to change, if the first car in line was proceeding straight.

 

 

 

 

 In the late 1920s, the Department of Commerce began installing rotating beacon lights along the eastern seaboard to support airmail pilots.   For the Washington area they chose this higher flat land at Groveton and erected an 80-foot steel tower.  

In its own way, “Beacon of Groveton” also serves as a towering navigational aid.    Of course, there will be no flying involved this time around.   Just driving, buses, and hopefully, a lot of walking.

 

Sources/Notes:

A primer (“Beacon Field Airport – Circa 1939”) is available for residents in the Beacon at Groveton sales center (a thankful blogger received a courtesy copy).    Each of the eight floors are named with aviation themes, such as the Nighthawk, the Ventura, and the Lodestar.

http://www.beaconfieldairport.com/history.html

For historical photos and articles, don’t miss BeaconFieldAirport.    One of the many items they have is a history of City View.   It appears its location is now occupied by the Panera.

Also be sure and check out the History of Groveton. 

Also, a Groveton resident is writing a book (Images of America) on the Groveton neighborhood.    

Wayfinding signs for the historic communities are being erected along Richmond Highway.   See the SFDC website.

Last time I checked, the Starbucks between Giant and Lowe’s has a photo of the airport, marked with an arrow to show the past/present location.  

Let’s Do It Again: President Obama’s Inauguration

We’re opening up our Inauguration desk. The official Day is January 20, but as that date falls on a Sunday, President Obama will be sworn in on Monday, January 21, 2013.

As the OPM site notes:

This year, the Inauguration Day holiday falls on Monday, January 21, 2013, which is also the legal public holiday for the Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.

We certainly won’t provide as much coverage as the historic first one, but we can feel the excitement, and might even go this time.

Our first tip is that Metro has announced you can preorder the Commemorative SmarTrip Card. The Metro transit shop in Old Town/King Street will carry them in mid-December.

From Metro:

The reusable plastic card comes pre-loaded with a One-Day Pass that provides unlimited travel on Metrorail on the day it is first used.

Each commemorative SmarTrip® costs $15 - just $1 more than the cost of a regular one-day pass and $4 less than the cost of purchasing a SmarTrip® card and One-Day Pass separately.

As an added bonus, your commemorative SmarTrip® can be used as a "flash pass" for unlimited Metrobus travel on Inauguration Day. Once the One-Day Pass is used, you can reload your commemorative SmarTrip® card just like a regular SmarTrip® card.

 

Thanksgiving Greetings

Howdy folks!  Hope you had a nice holiday.  We sure did, visiting family and friends in Charlotte.

 

Here’s some photos from Uptown.  The Queen City is looking great!

 

LNYX, Charlotte’s light rail.

 

Arena where Democratic Convention was held.

 

Tyron and Trade, Charlotte’s cross roads intersection, center of gravity.

 

NASCAR Hall of Fame with its oval partner, the outdoor skating rink.  

 

A hallmark Southern scene, depicted inside the Greensboro/Piedmont Triad Airport.  Anyone remember Coca-Cola in 6 ½ ounce bottles with city marking on the bottom? 

 

A Field of Their Own

Baseball fields and ballparks come in all shapes and sizes.   To stand out as unique is not easy, but the “Kelley Cares Miracle Field” in Alexandria certainly does.   

The City dedicated the new field on Saturday.   It’s located by the Nannie J. Lee Rec Center at 1108 Jefferson Street.   

Missed the ceremony but visited today.    A sterling job by all, and it does this old baseball heart good to see a diamond go up.

But it’s no ordinary ball field.   According to the press release, the field “is a rubberized surface baseball diamond that allows people with special needs the opportunity to play outdoor sports in a safe and fun environment. The rubberized surface allows wheelchairs and walkers to be used safely.”

There are over 100 such fields across the U.S.  

The "Kelley Cares Foundation" benefits the "Therapeutic Program of Alexandria."   For more information on the Miracle League, visit their website – Miracle League of Alexandria.

 

 

Letter of Apology from Beltway Driver

Note:  This is not a real letter, (I made it up) but given what happened this weekend with the new Express Lanes in Virginia, the message behind it is.  

 

Dear Washington DC/Northern Virginia residents and drivers,

This past Saturday my selfishness caused an accident on the Beltway.  As part of my sentence, the judge asked me to write this letter.

Around 8 am, with clear driving conditions, I was driving west towards Tysons Corner.   After passing under I-395, I noticed the signs for the new Express Lanes.    I also noticed everyone in front of me was in the other regular lanes.

But I confess, I kept going in the left lane and tried to get over at the last minute.   I thought I could squeeze in but I hit a car.  I do this a lot whenever I see an empty lane, but no one taking it.   I also drive fast down turn lanes then get over at the last minute.

I apologize for my actions and would like to add that I noticed some news reports that blamed the accident on confusion.

The sign and lay out of the Express Lanes are not confusing.  The company worked hard and put up a lot of signs, and got the word out.

In closing, I would like to ask drivers who don’t pay attention to signs, to please do so.  Also, I think the Commonwealth of Virginia should get with the program, and like Maryland and DC, ban the use of cell phones.    Even if they don’t, we should all pay attention to driving and not our handheld devices.

Again, the accident was my fault on no one else’s.  

 

Sincerely,

An irresponsible driver who has vowed to do better on the roads

 

 

 

 

Road Trip: Point of Rocks and Brunswick, Maryland

We begin this trip report with a pop quiz.   In Washington, there are two bridges that cross the Potomac River with Virginia on one side and Maryland on the other.    Of course, that one is easy, the Wilson Bridge and the Legion Bridge.

Widening the lens, where else are there are a pair of bridges that also span the Potomac with Virginia on one side and Maryland on the other?

I have to admit.   Before I started planning out this trip, I did not know the answer.   Now that I have, I can say with a discoverer’s pride, the answer is Point of Rocks and Brunswick, about 50 miles from the District.   

So how did I come across this bit of geography trivia?    With over a dozen road trips under our belt, and pickings getting slimmer, I went back to my old reliable method this time, browsing the map.    My original intent was to go to Adamstown and that portion of Frederick County.   Then I noticed these two towns below Harper’s Ferry.   

Serendipity, I love you.

 

There are several options for getting to Brunswick from Alexandria.   We took 495/66/15/287.   The latter road, one we had never been on, is named “Berlin Pike,” a nod to the Germans who came down from Pennsylvania in the early part of the 18^th Century.  

On the approach to Brunswick, we passed through Lovettsville, a stop on the “Hee Haw” salute parade – population 853 (I mean that fondly ya’ll).     Founded in 1733 by German farm families, this is the northern most town in Loudoun County.    I added it to our itinerary because it has a museum, but unfortunately, their opening hour of 1 pm did not work for us.

A few more miles and we crossed the Potomac, a breath-taking gateway to Maryland’s Piedmont Plateau region.    With a population of 6,000, Brunswick is Frederick County’s second largest city.   A significant portion commute to Northern Virginia and DC on the Brunswick Line, a MARC commuter rail line.   Like other towns, Brunswick has revitalized with the help of the Main Street program.  

The action is on Potomac Street.   Our first stop was, “Beans in the Belfry.”  I knew with a name like that it had to be good, and I’m pleased to say they proved my guess right.    Best chili we’ve had in a while and what comfy digs they have created.     

Our next stop was the town’s great double play, the Brunswick Railroad Museum and the C&O Canal Visitor Center.    The former has three floors including an extraordinary model of the train, track and route all the way from Washington.    The Canal Museum is also impressive.  

We were greeted by a friendly and knowledgable lady behind the desk who turned out to be the Mayor, Karin Tome.  Don’t want to stick my nose into local politics but I would vote for her!    Walt Stull, Council Member was equally kind and courteous.    In one of his observations about the town, he said, “We…”   His choice of pronouns reflects the bonds between the town and its people.  

With more time, we would have walked down to the C&O Canal path.   It’s Mile 55 of the 184-mile long historic National Park, and Lock number 30.    Even though it is that far from Washington, I’m guessing more cyclists from our area come here than those like us in a vehicle.    We noticed a bike repair store and shop.

The Historical Marker Database tells me that a handful of markers by the canal summarize the history of the town.  One notes its first name was Berlin, then Barry, and finally Brunswick in 1890.    That was the year the B&O Railroad built freight yards and maintenance shops here.   The town’s population swelled from 200 to an estimated 5,000.  The boom ended in the 50s when the railroad moves its operations elsewhere.

Our second and final stop was Point of Rocks, about five miles below Brunswick.   This town is smaller than its upstream counterpart.   Nevertheless, Point of Rocks did have a hey-day during the railroad and canal era, and it’s some kind of a Mecca for railroad buffs.   Point of Rocks is also a passenger stop on the MARC Brunswick Line.    But it’s the inactive train station that draws photographers.    Built in the 1870s in the Victorian way, the station was originally called, “Washington Junction.”  As Wiki notes, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and marks the junction between CSX’s Metropolitan Subdivision Line and the Old Main Line Subdivision.

Another split of sorts lies a short distance away where the land between the river and the shoreline narrows.    As the NPS site notes,

Both the C&O Canal and the B&O Railroad desired to build on this thin strip of land.  When the B&O realized that the canal was moving ahead with its construction at Point of Rocks, it filed an injunction effectively stopping the construction, demanding that the railroad had the right of way.  In 1832, after four years in court, the right of way was given to the canal with the C&O next to the river and the B&O forced to hug the mountain above the canal.

Leaving the town, we crossed over the Potomac once again, our unique interstate voyage complete save the drive home.    Like much in life, this pair of “canal towns” demonstrates a little can go a long way.   The trick, of course, is finding them.

 

 

Maybe They’ll Sell Cracker Jack

One of Washington’s hottest neighborhoods is Capitol Riverfront, the re-developed area between Navy Yard and Nationals Park.    In addition to their new waterfront park, a new Canal Park, and an impressive “Coming Soon” list that includes Harris Teeter, Vida Fitness, and mixed use for Half Street, residents there are excited about a new movie theater that will be built just a short walk from the ballpark.

JD has all the details at her blog.    If their plans are approved, Showplace Icon will put up a 16-screen theater on N Place SE.    It looks like their upscale approach will parallel that of “Angelika,” in Merrifield, with glass design, state of the art technology, fresh food and alcohol, and reserved seating.  

We also like what JD noted:

“no on-screen pre-show advertising.”

With movie previews now extending to 20 minutes in some cases, this will be most welcomed.   We want some previews, just not more than can be remembered!

 

 

 

 

I-495 “Express Lanes” Set to Open Saturday

Washington’s Capital Beltway has seen many mileposts in its 50 plus years, and tomorrow will mark another with the opening of the “Express Lanes” (High Occupancy Toll).   Two lanes each direction, they will run from the Springfield Interchange (I-495/I-395, old Springfield “Mixing Bowl”) to past the Dulles Toll Road, a fourteen-mile stretch notoriously backed up during rush hour and clogged at other times.

If you’re interested in reading about the building of the Beltway, see “Political Parameters” by Jeremy Korr, published in “Washington History, Volume 19 and 20, 2007-2008,” by the Historical Society of Washington, D.C.   The construction of the “Outer Circumferential Freeway,” as it was first called, benefited from good timing.   The defense and security community wanted ways to evacuate and area residents wanted better ways to get around.   The engineers were able to find creek beds and such to build on.   Korr also notes, “planning officials had resorted to what was in effect blackmail.”  Builders avoided areas along the projected path.

In the 60’s, my family and I used to drive up to Washington to visit our aunt and uncle, who lived in Annandale.   I remember passing by the construction zone for the Beltway and being amazed at the depth and width of the project.   

And now the much-maligned Beltway widens to a half-dozen each way.   The marvel this time is the relatively quick amount of time the workers put it up, the total amount of work, and the literal re-shaping of the landscape.    (In the second photo, the ridge of land to the left was where the old I-66 ramp was located, which exited from the left lane to I-66 westbound)

I align myself with progressive thinking, which means I support smart growth.   Pouring more and more asphalt is not always the answer.  But I have to admit, for now, I will cheer the opening of these new express lanes.   We won’t use them, but if they thin out traffic those bottlenecks on the non-paying side, that will be a good thing.   

My Bookstore

As I’ve mentioned once or twice before, I’m not a big fan of book anthologies.  I couldn’t resist, however, going to Politics & Prose last night to see Rick Atkinson (five books, two Pulitzers).   Previously with the Washington Post, he’s one of 84 contributors to the just-released, “My Bookstore, Writers Celebrate Their Favorite Places to Browse, Read and Shop.”  

The 378-page book is touted as a “heartfelt celebration of the vital joys of browsing, perusing, and community spirit unique to independent bookshops.”

Politics and Prose was a no-brainer.    Two years away from what is sure to be a much-celebrated 30^th anniversary, the purple-painted store in NW DC is a coveted stop for authors.  Staffed with 50 employees, they host about 450 author events each year.  Some are standing-room-only and recorded for C-SPAN’s “Book TV.”  

Atkinson read his three-page entry and noted how Politics & Prose provided comfort after he wrote his first book in 1988.   He compared the lonely act of writing to a ship’s journey.  Upon returning to the home shore, the writer seeks the human touch once again.    The author repeated this process for each of his four books.   

Atkinson also provides insight into why P&P has thrived.   He describes Carla Cohen, the late owner and founder, as “savvy, gregarious, and forceful.”    When she brought Barbara Meade on board as her co-owner, the two meshed.  

Reflecting the nurturing ways of the Politics and Prose operation, past and present leadership was on hand to field questions.   They included Meade, co-owner from 1984 to 2011, David Cohen, Carla's widower, and current owners Bradley Graham and Lissa Muscatine.   

The turnout, about 25, was low by P&P standards.  That can be explained, however, by the 5:30 p.m. start and the appearance of Jon Meacham (new bio of Thomas Jefferson) tonight and Stephen Colbert (“America Again”) tomorrow.

One long-time patron of the store prefaced his question by noting that before P&P moved in, “Second Floor Books” occupied the space.   Meade, pointing up to the store’s steel beams, noted there were two expansions.   

Started in on the book.   The author list is impressive and includes Douglas Brinkley, Henry Louis Gates, Tom Robbins and Isabele Allende, who calls bookstores, “the cultural soul of a community.”   

My most enjoyable read so far comes from an author with humble beginnings.    After writing his first novel in 1989, he hit the road and sold them out of his car in Arkansas.    Not selling very many, the rookie sank low until Mary Gay, owner of “That Bookstore” in Blytheville began to help.   The writer is John Grisham.

With all these great writers, this valentine to the brick and mortars will surely sell well.   I could have bought it at Barnes and Noble, located much closer to our house than the cross-town slog during rush hour.   I knew, however, the experience would be much, much better at my favorite bookstore.   As it does everytime, Politics & Prose nourished my soul.