RG 79: Records of the Ashton Heights Civic Association, 1915-1999

Collection Number

RG 79

History

The Ashton Heights Civic Association is open to all residents, 18 or older, who are residents or real property owners in Ashton Heights, a residential neighborhood in Arlington, Virginia. The boundaries are Wilson Boulevard and Tenth Street to the north, Irving Street to the east, Arlington Boulevard to the south, and Glebe road to the west.

Scope and Content

Record Group 79 houses the records of the Ashton Heights Civic Association. The collection measures approximately 1.5 linear feet, and dates from 1915 to 1998, with the bulk of the material dating from the mid-1970s to 1998. Types of materials include bylaws, minutes, newsletters, correspondence, financial records, history files, printed reports, clippings, photographs, and memorabilia.

Minutes, newsletters, and reports reflect neighborhood concerns over the years. Topics include zoning issues such as the Clarendon and Virginia Square sector plans; traffic patterns; the proposed extension of North Quincy Street; the historic designation for the Buckingham Apartments; the Ashton Heights Neighborhood Conservation Plan; and neighborhood activities such as gardening and social events. There are photographs and ephemera in Series 9, Clippings, Photographs, Memorabilia, including eight small cards advertising dances held at the Ashton Heights Women’s Club building.

Arrangement and Description

RG 79 is divided into eight series by type of material: bylaws, minutes, financial records, correspondence, newsletters, local history, printed reports and studies, and clippings, photographs, and memorabilia. Arrangement within Series 1-5 and Series 8 is generally chronological; within Series 6 and Series 7 generally alphabetical by folder title. Folder titles in quotes [“”] retain the original title written on the folder by civic association members. Folders containing photographs have an asterisk [*] after the file name.

Provenance

The records were donated to the library in 1998 by Jim Terpstra, historian of the Association.

Restrictions

There are no research restrictions on Record Group 79.

Related Collections

Researchers interested in Arlington neighborhood civic associations should consult RG 14, Records of the Arlington County Civic Federation, and RG 15, Records of Neighborhood Civic Associations. Those interested in the Ashton Heights neighborhood should consult PG 205, Ashton Heights Photographs, a collection of black and white photographic prints of houses in the neighborhood, RG 112, Ashton Heights Neighborhood Survey, and RG 151, Ashton Heights Women’s Club Records.