KKK in Fairfax

The Klan was a presence in most southern town's during early part of this century. They enforced, with intimidation and violence,racist and bigoted norms across the south. While I knew they were a common presence across the south, I was still shocked to read about them in Fairfax County.

I was surprised to learn that in 1930, at the annual Fairfax Fair (which continues today)the Klan were given responsibility for the last day's program. The Washington Post article reported, with no sense of shock, that the Klan was in charge of the "program on [the] closing day of [the] event. The article goes through the usual county fair-type event such as pony races, gold hunt, etc. Then J.L. Baskins, the Grand Dragon of the KKK of Virginia gave a speech "followed by a large display of fireworks.

I did some further research and apparently this was normal from the late twenties to early thirties in Fairfax County. The Klan even sponsored a baseball team!

I'll file this under WTF?

How Hillbilly Heaven Earned a Reputation of Violence

I mentioned earlier that Hillbilly Heaven in Lorton had a reputation for violence, so I looked up some examples. I know it's no surprise, but I found a couple...

One night in 1976 Pvt. Cedric Danns and Franklin Thompson headed out to a party in Gum Springs. They moved on to a friend's apartment in Gum Springs to score some heroin, but the party "wasn't hip" (no heroin?). They split from the party and we're "supposed to be getting a couple of girls". The two guys drove to Hillbilly Heaven to pick up Paula Thompson (no relation), who was a topless dancer at Caear's Steak House in Woodbridge. They picked up Thompson and a guy named Pancho (yes, you're reading that right!). The group left Hillbilly Heaven to go to Prince William Forest Park. Danns was in the front seat and he heard some rumbling in the back seat and heard the word "blackmail". A few seconds later the stripper was shot dead. Danns was then driven back to Hillbilly Heaven and ordered out of the car.

In 1981, Manfred Bast of the Marumsco trailer park on Jefferson Davis Hwy took part in a brawl in the parking lot of Hillbilly Heaven. The manager of Hillbilly Heaven, Randall Herron, reported that two car loads of rowdy people pulled into the parking lot before 2 AM. Apparently, a brawl followed and Manfred Bast died.

A Photo from Whitey's in Arlington

Whitey's was a great bar at the inersection of Pershing and Washington Blvd.

This photo is from Facebook.