The Glencarlyn Civic Association, in partnership with Arlington County Public Library and the Friends of the Arlington Public Library (FOAL), will sponsor a free event for community members, library supporters and patrons to recognize and rededicate the Glencarlyn Library.
Speakers at the rededication ceremony will include Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey, a representative of Arlington Public Library Deputy Director Anne Gable, Glencarlyn Civic Association President Brandon Hemel and Glencarlyn Library Centennial Celebration Chair Julie Lee.
SCHEDULE OF CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION ACTIVITIES:
Noon: Inside the Library:
- Scavenger Hunt and Book Making for children.
- Visual History Displays of Glencarlyn and the Glencarlyn Library.
- Video Corner and Story Boards to preserve the public’s stories and memories.
12:30 p.m.: Inside the Library: -Discussion of Glencarlyn in the 1920’s, Dr Mark Benbow, Arl Historical Society.
1 p.m.: Inside the Library: -Rededication Ceremony, cake cutting and light refreshments.
Following the Rededication Ceremony:
On the Grounds of Carlin Hall: Roaring 20’s-themed Country Fair; Games, Activities, Prizes, Music and Food.
In the Library Community Garden: Open House, Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia.
“Glencarlyn Library is our neighborhood treasure”, said Julie Lee, long-time Glencarlyn resident and chair of the event. “It is the heart of our community and benefits so many in Arlington’s most economically challenged neighborhoods. We are thrilled to have this opportunity to commemorate Glencarlyn Library’s rich history and celebrate its purpose.”
The Glencarlyn Library is within walking distance of Campbell and Carlin Springs elementary schools and Kenmore Middle School, and supports a County-run preschool in Carlin Hall. Carlin Springs Elementary School has the highest percent of non-English speakers and free and reduced lunch students in Arlington. Fifty percent of the Library patrons are from outside Glencarlyn.
The Glencarlyn Branch Library can be traced back to the 1890s, when a small library was operated by the Young People’s Library Association in what was known then as Curtis Hall. In 1914, prominent Glencarlyn resident, Gen. Samuel S. Burdett, made a bequest in his will “for a public library and as the place of deposit” for his own impressive collection of books “at a cost of not more than $3,000.” Construction of the library was delayed by World War I. Aided by an additional $2,000 in funding from the sale of other Glencarlyn lots owned by Burdett and William Curtis, construction of the library was completed in 1922, and opened in the fall of 1923. Initially, the Library was run by volunteers, most of whom were women.
In 1936, the Burdett Library became part of the Arlington County library system and the building was rented from the County’s Board of Trustees until April 12, 1959, when the county was presented with the deed to the building by trustees Constance Backus and Charles Stetson. Until 1959, the Glencarlyn community did all the maintenance and interior and exterior painting. In 1963, a newer, more modern library was built adjacent to Carlin Hall in the Williamsburg Colonial architectural style. The patio was funded by the Glencarlyn Garden Club to be used as an outdoor reading room.
Burdett was a congressman from Missouri and the co-founder of the Glencarlyn community. He served in the Union Army in the Civil War, achieving the rank of captain. He was referred to as General Burdett, an honorary title from the time he served as the commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, a fraternal organization of Union veterans of the Civil War.
