Local History Collection Overview

  1. Thanksgiving Holiday Closures


    The library will be closed Thursday, November 26, and Friday, November 27, for the Thanksgiving holiday. There will be no curbside pickup service those two days.

     

    COVID-19 UPDATE: Curbside Pickup & Book Drop Available  

            

Assessment Records

  • Proposed Assessments books (1981-2003)
  • City of Falls Church Land Book (2004-2011 and 2013)
  • Capitation taxes (1950-1964)
  • Personal property records (1949-1955)

 Author Collections

  • A Virginia Village Revisited, Bradley Gernand
  • A Virginia Village Revisited, Nan Netherton
  • A Virginia Village Goes to War, Bradley Gernand
  • Netherton Clippings
  • Spanish American War, Bradley Gernand

 Business Records

  • Concrete Batch Plant Papers, Susanne Bachtel (1955-1980)
  • State Theatre, Bob Hull
  • Turner Collection (real estate papers 1930s-1950s)
  • Whittier Place proposals and responses from Planning Commission

 City Commissions & Boards

  • [Mayor] Kellogg Reports Monthly (1951-1955)
  • Broad Street Improvements, Susanne Bachtel (1963-1991)
  • Planning Commission Proceedings (1980-present)
  • Charter Review Committee (1965-1981)
  • Falls Church School Board (1934-1958)

 City Council Agendas and Minutes

  • Agendas (1997-present)
  • Minutes (1987-present)
  • Proceedings (1997-present)

 City Directories & Phone Books

  • Hill’s City Directory (biennially 1957-1975, 1972)
  • Haines Directory: Northern Virginia Suburban (1980- present) 

 Community Archives

  • American Association of University Women (AAUW) materials (2007-present)
  • Citizens for a Better City (CBC) (1959-1988)
  • Falls Church Garden Club meeting reports and Seedling (1952-2011)
  • Falls Church PTA Anne Arundel Co. Controversy (1930-1987)
  • League of Women’s Voters of Fall Church (LWVFC) materials including Bulletin, Board meetings, correspondence (1951-2015)
  • Old Dominion Chrysanthemum Society (1959-1994)
  • United Daughters of the Confederacy
  • Village Preservation and Improvement Society (VPIS) materials including photographs

 Genealogy

  • Family histories
  • Marriage and death notices
  • Cemetery records
  • Voter registration books (1901-1930s)
  • Voter registration rolls (1965-1970s)

Historical Society Publications

  • Falls Church Historical Commission Historical Heritage Symposia (1994-1998) and misc. documents (1960-2001)
  • Pioneer America Society newsletter (1967-1981)
  • Northern Virginia Heritage (1979-1988); Old House Chronicles (2005-2008)
  • The Courier, from the Northern Virginia Association for History, Inc. (1981-2009)
  • Virginia Courthouse Histories

 Maps

  • Approximately 500 maps (1608-present)
  • Topographical, plat and Sanborn maps
  • Site and street plans

 Misc.

  • Strait Newspaper Clippings 1968-1977
  • Pictorial Family Bible 1872-1885
Newsletters
  • Search an index of newsletters from Falls Church organizations and city government
  • Cherry Hill Notes/News; Cherry Hill Newsletter; Cherry Hill Chronicle -- Falls Church city employee newsletters (1973-2012)
Newspapers (print)
Newspaper
 Dates
Fairfax (County) Sun Echo
 Sept. 13, 1954; Nov. 30, 1964; 1965
Falls Church Advertiser
 April 9, 1980 -- Dec. 1983
The Falls Church Echo
 Various dates from Oct. 5, 1940 to Oct. 10, 1952
Falls Church News Press
 March 28, 1991 -- present
Falls Church Globe
 May 15, 1965 -- Oct. 1969
Newspapers (microfilm/fiche)
Newspaper Dates
Arlington Sun
 Dec. 12 1935-Dec. 31, 1956 [missing 1952 --1954]
Fairfax (County) Sun Echo
 Oct. 12 1940 -- May 25, 1967 [missing Dec. 15, 1956 -- Aug. 6, 1958]
Fairfax Herald
 1886 -- Dec. 1973 [missing 1967]
Fairfax Standard
 Feb. 22, 1946 -- Dec. 22, 1959
Falls Church Advertiser
 April 9, 1980 -- Dec. 1983
Falls Church Globe
 May 14, 1965 -- Oct. 9, 1979
Falls Church News Press
 March 28, 1991 -- Dec. 2003, 2005
Journal Standard
 Jan. -- Dec. 1967
Northern Virginia Sun
 July 1971 -- Dec. 1978
The Rambler
(articles from the Wash. Star)
 1912 -- 1927
Obituaries

  • Search and view over 15,000 local death notices and obituaries
Oral Histories
  • Sound recordings of 130 individuals
Scrapbooks

  • Falls Church Garden Club (1946-1969)
  • Mary Riley Styles Public Library (1940-2007)
  • Women's Club of Falls Church (1947-2000)
Vertical Files

  • Newspaper clippings, pamphlets, flyers and more
  • Arranged by subject -- by organization, street address
  • Spanning 100 years
Yearbooks

  • George Mason High School (1952-2016 excluding 1953, 2013)
  • George Mason Middle School (1984-1995, 2001)
  • Jefferson High School (1935, 1937, 1939, 1945)