Clinton Inauguration WMATA Farecard

This commemorative WMATA farecard was issued for the inauguration of President Bill Clinton on January 20, 1993 — a day that remains the highest ridership day in Washington Metro history. An estimated 804,000 passengers flooded the system as hundreds of thousands of visitors descended on the nation’s capital, many of them arriving via Metrorail stations in Arlington and across Northern Virginia.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority began producing commemorative fare cards for presidential inaugurations with Clinton’s first swearing-in, establishing a tradition that continued through subsequent administrations. These special-edition cards featured inauguration-themed artwork and served as both functional transit passes and collectible souvenirs. For many attendees traveling from Northern Virginia — through stations like Rosslyn, Pentagon City, and Crystal City — this farecard was their ticket to witnessing history.

Clinton’s inauguration was a landmark moment for the region. The massive turnout overwhelmed Metro’s capacity, with trains running at maximum frequency throughout the day. The system, which had only been fully operational since 1991 when the Green Line began service, proved its value as essential infrastructure for the capital’s most significant civic events. The crush of riders demonstrated just how central Metrorail had become to life in Northern Virginia and the greater D.C. area — a far cry from the system’s modest 4.6-mile opening between Rosslyn and National Airport in 1976.

Today, these commemorative farecards are sought-after collectibles, with examples regularly appearing at auction. This one survives as a small but tangible connection to a day when Northern Virginia’s transit infrastructure carried the weight of a national celebration.

Dr. King in Arlington

In late August 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. visited Arlington, Virginia, in the days leading up to the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. On August 27, 1963, Dr. King and fellow civil rights leader Reverend Ralph Abernathy gathered with local clergy and community members at Lomax AME Zion Church in Arlington’s historically Black Green Valley neighborhood, where Dr. King spoke to supporters in the church’s parking lot.

The well-known photograph from that day—showing Dr. King and Abernathy with Lomax AME Zion Church members and Father Ray from Our Lady Queen of Peace—is preserved in the church’s archival collection, Record Group 328. The Lomax AME Zion Church archives were donated to the Center for Local History in 2020, ensuring this local record of Arlington’s connection to the civil rights movement remains available as a primary source.

The I-66 Protest Pin: Symbol of a Community’s Fight for Environmental Justice

This protest pin represents one of the most bitter and prolonged civic battles in Arlington’s history—a decades-long fight against the construction of Interstate 66 that lasted from the late 1950s through the highway’s opening in 1982.

Originally proposed in 1956, I-66 was planned as a massive eight-lane highway connecting the Shenandoah Valley with Washington, D.C. Arlington residents faced the prospect of losing their homes through eminent domain, the destruction of tree cover and green space, and the division of their neighborhoods by what would have been a 12-lane corridor at some points.
The resistance movement, led by grassroots organizations like the Arlington Coalition on Transportation (ACT), represented a pivotal moment in American environmental activism. Protesters employed creative tactics—cutting “w” off “Build 66 Now” bumper stickers to read “Build 66 No,” lobbing paint-filled balloons at construction sites, and planting trees in cleared areas. These activists were among the first in the nation to leverage the newly passed National Environmental Policy Act of 1970, which required Environmental Impact Statements for federally funded projects.

The protests achieved remarkable success. What began as an eight-lane environmental disaster became a compromise four-lane highway with high-occupancy vehicle restrictions and six miles of Metrorail in the median—”one of the most innovative highways in American history,” according to Civil Engineering magazine. The movement cost $280 million (versus the original $25 million estimate) and required personal intervention from U.S. Transportation Secretary William Coleman.

This pin embodies a transformative moment when ordinary citizens successfully challenged massive infrastructure projects, setting precedents for community activism, environmental protection, and transportation planning that resonate today.

Read more about I-66 Protest Movement at the Arlington Historical Society

Gift of Robert and Christina Hoffman, [2005]

Giant Food Beer Can

The Giant Food Premium Beer can was produced in the 1970s by the Eastern Brewing Corporation, located in Hammonton, New Jersey. This 12-ounce steel can features a pull-tab top and came in two known varieties – a red and white can (pictured) and a bold red and yellow label displaying the Giant Food logo and the word “BEER” in large, prominent letters. Such store-brand beers were common during this era, reflecting a trend where supermarkets offered their own labeled products to provide customers with affordable alternatives to national brands. The can’s straightforward design and branding exemplify the utilitarian approach of private-label goods in the 1970s. This particular can is a tangible piece of retail and brewing history, representing the collaboration between grocery chains and regional breweries to meet consumer demand.

Gifted by Dan and Terri Tatarka Wild Man Dan Brewing, Afton, Virginia