August 24, 1814: Washington in Flames
August 24, 1814 is the story of one of the least understood chapters in American history. On that date, during the War of 1812, British troops defeated American militia forces at Bladensburg, Maryland and, later, marched unopposed into the nation’s capital and set fire to the Capitol, the Executive Mansion, and other public buildings.
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Images of America: McLean
Images of America: McLean is part of the Arcadia Publishing series that uses archival photographs help preserve the history of neighborhoods, towns, and cities across the country.
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Ambitious Failure: Chain Bridge the First Bridge Across the Potomac River
Ambitious Failure is the story of investors, and later the government, who continually poured money into a bridge which spanned the Potomac River near the Little Falls which was probably built at the wrong site.
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Yesterday, Vol I: 100 Recollections of McLean and Great Falls, Virginia
Yesterday, 100 Recollections of McLean & Great Falls, Virginia is a collection of recollections that present a broad overview of the history of the two communities, McLean and Great Falls (formerly Forestville), Virginia as told by those who lived it.
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Yesterday, Vol II: Additional Recollections of McLean & Great Falls, Virginia
Yesterday, Additional Recollections of McLean & Great Falls, Virginia continues the broad collection of two communities, McLean and Great Falls (formerly Forestville), Virginia as seen through the eyes of many who laid the foundations for the generations that followed.
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Hickory Hill, McLean, Virginia: A Biography of a House and Those Who Lived There
McLean’s historic Hickory Hill was built upon land that was part of a land grant of 2862 acres taken out by Thomas Lee in 1719 from the Northern Neck Proprietary. But it wasn’t until ca.1870 that George Franklin Means Walters, the owner of 88 acres of the former grant, built the house near Langley Fork facing Chain Bridge Road. It was he who named the house Hickory Hill after the stately old hickory trees that once lined his semicircular driveway. Only a portion of the original 88 acres remain with the house today. Over the succeeding decades nine different families have resided at Hickory Hill: Walters, Speer, Fitch, Lyon, Rocca, Jackson, Kennedy (JFK), Kennedy (RFK) and Dabbiere. Each family has its own separate story and has put its stamp of change or “improvements” to the property to fit their lifestyles. Today’s house bears little resemblance to the residence Walters built after the Civil War. Even though the original house may no longer be recognizable, Hickory Hill majestically remains as a historic landmark for McLean, Virginia and the nation.
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