By: Carolanne Korolowicz
Anyone who commutes into Washington understands why Rosslyn has been coined “The Gateway.” It’s a small taste of what you are about to enter after leaving the Old Dominion. The enclave is home to multiple Fortune 500 companies, swanky dining concepts and residents looking to be DC-adjacent, and for the rest of us– a part of the commute slug. Now a shining example for the county, Rosslyn started off more like a stubborn stain.
Rosslyn’s documented history began on an endearing note with a father, Joseph Lambden, purchasing a thoughtful and substantial portion of property for his daughter and her husband, Carolyn & William Ross, in 1860. The property would be christened “Rosslyn Farm.” Their newlywed nest didn’t last long. With the occupation of Arlington by Federal troops and disturbances of the Civil War, the couple had moved to France and officially sold the property to the Rosslyn Development Corporation in 1869.
(Crandal Mackey standing in front of Charles Knoxville’s Sunday Bar. Arlington Historical Society)
This change of hands brought Rosslyn into infamy. As described by local historian Eleanor Lee Templeman, “Rosslyn was considered again a gateway, one to perdition!” Gambling interests had taken control, robberies increased and death became commonplace – all with the county turning a blind eye. Dead Man’s Hallow, located slightly up today’s Langston Blvd., was dubbed that due to the amount of murders, suicides and robberies, making it a frequent headline in local papers. During this time, the commute to D.C. resembled the road to Jericho. Farmers often traveled to sell their goods with armed guards, and citizens were advised to travel in large, close packs.
Local citizens had enough of the crime and the county's inability to act. Rosslyn, Jackson City (now modern day Long Bridge) and Alexandria had become dens for the devil. In response, residents organized The Good Citizens’ League to combat the mayhem on the Potomac shores. One of the active members was Frank Lyon, the namesake of Lyon Park & Lyon Village, who first riled up attention by bringing up the facts in the Monitor, a local paper he published. This spurred a group of twenty citizens to meet privately at William Ball’s home to nominate a Commonwealth’s Attorney who would crack down. Their decision: Captain Crandal Mackey.
(Editorial cartoon showing Crandal Mackey and his campaign against gambling. Center for Local History)
January 1904, Mackey took office after winning the election by two votes. The former Spanish-American War Captain’s first order of business was demanding law enforcement to clean-out the gambling dens. The sheriff asked for time and four months later…nothing. Mackey took matters into his own hands by personally addressing letters to thirty citizens asking them to form a posse. On May 30, 1904, Mackey had comprised the group, swore each of the volunteers as deputies and started handing out axes, pistols and sledge hammers. The vigilantes destroyed nearly every den from Alexandria to Rosslyn.
These raids led to the elimination of gambling in Arlington, indictments and further reveal of corruption. A special officer of the County was charged for his involvement, leading Arlington’s removal of him and five other justices of the peace. The Alexandria and Mount Vernon Railroad, who benefitted heavily from the frequent-riding gamblers, pressured and bribed Mackey to permit these nefarious activities, but with no success. For generations, The Good Citizen’s League and Captain Mackay were deemed heroes by law-abiding Arlingtonians.
(My grandmother’s, Donna Lee (Kirchner) Wilson, rendition of Rosslyn in 1973)
Rosslyn has turned from a place that would make your mother blush to the first stop on her visit itinerary. The Good Citizen’s League and gambling den owners probably couldn’t have imagined the transformation the area has made – one happy for the area’s booming and safe community, the other wondering how to profit from it. Today, you can bet on bumper to bumper traffic across Key Bridge on a weekday morning, but at least there isn’t the fear of running into your bookie.
