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?
Friday, February 12, 2010
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.
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.
Monday, February 1, 2010
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.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
How did NOVA become redneck? Pt. 2
The DC area was a sleepy backwater town untl the thirties. During the mid-1800s the city experienced an influx of immigrants, mostly Irish. The area didn't experience the turn of the century immigration like Chicago, Detroit, and New York. However, southerners did flock to the city starting in the thirties. This migration was a gush at first and then became a trickle until it stopped in the early seventies. The large numbers of "hillbillies" turned the area's nightclubs into honky tonks and the area came to have a much more southern feel.
DC and surrounding areas had significant (possibly majority) southern sentiments during the civil war, so the addition of southen migrants just added to the southerness of the city. The migrants settled in Southeast DC, Prince Georges County, and Northern Virginia, but grappled with huge housing shortages. This led to enormous, almost ramshackle, housing developments populated almot exclusively by southern whites. For example, Pimmit Hills in Tysons is a huge neighborhood of homes that look identical and are quite small. Way back the legend told that the Fairfax police were too afraid to go into the neighborhood so it was some kind of hillbilly free for all. I doubt that was really the case.
Nonetheless, these newcomers wanted nightclubs to themselves and they got their wish. Across the area, including NOVA, there were nightclubs hosting legendary country artists playing to their kin folk. This was how the DC area was until things began to shift in the nineties. The redneck nature of the area disappeared almost overnight and has been washed from the area as if it were never there.
DC and surrounding areas had significant (possibly majority) southern sentiments during the civil war, so the addition of southen migrants just added to the southerness of the city. The migrants settled in Southeast DC, Prince Georges County, and Northern Virginia, but grappled with huge housing shortages. This led to enormous, almost ramshackle, housing developments populated almot exclusively by southern whites. For example, Pimmit Hills in Tysons is a huge neighborhood of homes that look identical and are quite small. Way back the legend told that the Fairfax police were too afraid to go into the neighborhood so it was some kind of hillbilly free for all. I doubt that was really the case.
Nonetheless, these newcomers wanted nightclubs to themselves and they got their wish. Across the area, including NOVA, there were nightclubs hosting legendary country artists playing to their kin folk. This was how the DC area was until things began to shift in the nineties. The redneck nature of the area disappeared almost overnight and has been washed from the area as if it were never there.
How did NOVA become redneck?
Sitting in Arlington now, it's hard to believe how redneck the DC area used to be. DC has always been a magnet for people looking for better opportunities. Economic downturns are always blunted by government spending. Nowadays, folks come here to work for government contractors, but back in the middle of last century there were a ton of unskilled jobs available and they were primarily related to the federal government.
1950 marked the first census in which a majority of Americans lived in metropolitan areas. The DC area grew during this time from the expansion of the government during the depression and World War II. By 1960 DC joined the top ten metropolitan areas in population. Looking at the population numbers show the explosive growth: Arlington grew from 6430 in 1900 to 135,449 in 1950; Fairfax grew from 18,850 in 1900 to 40,929 in 1950; and Alexandria grew from 14,520 in 1900 to 61,787 in 1950. Meanwhile, Appalachia was experiencing difficult economic times and the people living in that region began migrating to find better jobs. In some cases they ended up as coal miners, but many came to cities such as Chicago, Detroit, and DC. In fact DC was the second largest recipient of Appalachian people. The folks that came were among the poorest in the nation and often came to cities directly competing with African Americans and immigrants for jobs.
These folks were called hillbillies back then and reports show they did not fit into their new communities. People wrote about them being disorderly, clannish, untamed, with an affinity for alcohol and violence. We all know when people arrive in large numbers to a new area, these reports are typical and probably overblown.
The wonderful thing they brought to DC was their music and made the DC area the major hub for Appalachian music which was evolving into Bluegrass and Country. Thank god for that.
1950 marked the first census in which a majority of Americans lived in metropolitan areas. The DC area grew during this time from the expansion of the government during the depression and World War II. By 1960 DC joined the top ten metropolitan areas in population. Looking at the population numbers show the explosive growth: Arlington grew from 6430 in 1900 to 135,449 in 1950; Fairfax grew from 18,850 in 1900 to 40,929 in 1950; and Alexandria grew from 14,520 in 1900 to 61,787 in 1950. Meanwhile, Appalachia was experiencing difficult economic times and the people living in that region began migrating to find better jobs. In some cases they ended up as coal miners, but many came to cities such as Chicago, Detroit, and DC. In fact DC was the second largest recipient of Appalachian people. The folks that came were among the poorest in the nation and often came to cities directly competing with African Americans and immigrants for jobs.
These folks were called hillbillies back then and reports show they did not fit into their new communities. People wrote about them being disorderly, clannish, untamed, with an affinity for alcohol and violence. We all know when people arrive in large numbers to a new area, these reports are typical and probably overblown.
The wonderful thing they brought to DC was their music and made the DC area the major hub for Appalachian music which was evolving into Bluegrass and Country. Thank god for that.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Where did the Pagans start?
I've been doing a bit of research about the Pagans Motorcycle Club; trying to figure out their origens. All over the internet folks claim they were started by Lou Dobkin in 1959 in Prince Georges County, but I don't agree with this.
In Wikipedia comments, Lou Dobkin's wife (or someone who claims to be) says he was born in 1943 and the club was started in 1963. Another commenter claim the club originated in Vienna. There is some other evidence about their origins. The first mention of the Pagans is from a Washingon Post article in 1965 about Ray Cockerille getting in a dustup at a Centreville dance hall and Cockerille was from Vienna. Another Post article from 1966 claims they were based in White Oak, MD (in Montgomery County). In other articles I've read from the mid sixties, they seem to have a heavy Virginia membership. I believe they started in 1963 in Virginia and the belief that they started in PG is because the first run-ins with police was at the races in Upper Marlboro.
Update: John Hall's book about The Pagans asserts they started in Fruitland, MD, which is south of Salisbury. I think that is highly unlikely.
In Wikipedia comments, Lou Dobkin's wife (or someone who claims to be) says he was born in 1943 and the club was started in 1963. Another commenter claim the club originated in Vienna. There is some other evidence about their origins. The first mention of the Pagans is from a Washingon Post article in 1965 about Ray Cockerille getting in a dustup at a Centreville dance hall and Cockerille was from Vienna. Another Post article from 1966 claims they were based in White Oak, MD (in Montgomery County). In other articles I've read from the mid sixties, they seem to have a heavy Virginia membership. I believe they started in 1963 in Virginia and the belief that they started in PG is because the first run-ins with police was at the races in Upper Marlboro.
Update: John Hall's book about The Pagans asserts they started in Fruitland, MD, which is south of Salisbury. I think that is highly unlikely.
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