Crystal City in Arlington in Arlington County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Transportation
Near this point the Alexandria Canal crossed Four Mile Run, connecting Alexandria docks and railyards to Georgetown and western Maryland from 1843 to 1886. To the east were the turnpike and railroad. In 1896 the Washington, Alexandria and Mount Vernon Railway began to run electric trolleys beside the abandoned canal in this area, where it also built a car barn, repair shops and a power house. In 1906 the trolley line opened and operated Luna Park west of the tracks, providing a ballroom, roller coaster, water slide and other amusements. Parts of this complex survived until 1993, when the trolley barn was torn down after serving as a bus garage since the 1930s. Eads Street traces the canal and trolley line.
Erected by Arlington County.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Entertainment • Railroads & Streetcars • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1843.
Location. 38° 50.579′ N, 77° 3.273′ W. Marker is in Arlington, Virginia, in Arlington County. It is in Crystal City. Marker is at the intersection of Eads Street and South Glebe Road (Virginia Route 120), on the right when traveling north on Eads Street. Marker is at the corner (just inside the fence of the bus maintenance facility), one block west of U.S. Hwy. 1 and north of the Four Mile Run hiker/biker trail. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Arlington VA 22202, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Four Mile Run and Flooding / The Restoration Project / I Live Here...Can You Find Me? / Public Art (approx. 0.2 miles away); History at Four Mile Run Park (approx. ¼ mile away); Dr. Betty Louise Josephson King (approx. 0.3 miles away); Mount Vernon Trail (approx. 0.4 miles away); Fort Scott (approx. 0.4 miles away); Ruby Tucker (approx. half a mile away); The Columns of This Portico (approx. half a mile away); In Memory of an African-American Family (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Arlington.
Additional commentary.
1. New fence in front of marker
It is now difficult to read this marker. The marker is behind a new security fence that is higher and denser than was the former fence that the photographs on this page show.
— Submitted March 2, 2014, by Bernard H. Berne of Arlington, Virginia.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 15, 2009, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,908 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 15, 2009, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. 4. submitted on March 24, 2021, by Roberto Bernate of Arlington, Virginia. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.