Looking Back at Pimmit Hills

A look back at old issues of the Pimmit Hills Dispatch.

1950s

1952 - 1957

• The very first PHCA newsletter was published in June 1952 and consisted of two legal sized pieces of paper.
• Pimmit Hills was divided into 15 ‘districts’ which could today be known as area or block captains.
• Guess what, in 1952 “signs cautioning against speeding due to children playing have been erected” (I guess this issue is even older than we realized).
• Street signs were first installed on our roads in September 1952.
• 82% of home owners said they wanted street lights; 71% desired curbs and gutters (these things didn’t come automatically back then).
• A committee was formed to raise funds to build the curbs and gutters; roads were the responsibility of the different builders in PH.
• A community picnic and fireworks display was held in July, also a bowling league and square dance group was formed and a well-attended community dance was held in December 1952 (actually, a lot of community dances were held in the 50’s).
• PHCA held a Christmas decoration contest in 1952 (we’re holding one too in 2001, sign up today).
  Not everyone in PH had phone service yet.
• In 1954, the Civil Defense Committee of PHCA held a series of civil defense classes. “Radiological, Chemical and Bacteriological Warfare” were explained; first aid classes were also held.
• Bus service came to PH in late 1954.
• Polio drives were held collecting money for those with the illness.
• The Fairfax County Master Plan was discussed at a meeting.
  In November 1957, the seventh year of PH, a letter from the PHCA President began, “In a world concerned with international tensions, atomic developments, earth satellites, and so many other matters of major interest, the problems and the accomplishments of a little community like ours go unnoticed. Yet to us, our problems are more real than those which confront the great minds who are trying to master the secrets of outer space.”
• Forget about area codes, phone numbers back then looked like EL 6-3073 or TW 3-9411.

1958 - 1959

• The April 1958 issue was the first to feature the above masthead graphic and it used a new “duplicating machine” to reproduce the newsletter.
• The October 1958 issue was the first to feature advertisements: Broad Street Hardware, Streamline Market, Sai Ho Chinese restaurant, Pimmit Drug, Bell TV among others.
  Dues for the community’s garden club was 25 cents.
• The November 1958 issue of the Pimmit Hills Citizens Association newsletter had an ad from St. Luke’s Methodist Church announcing worship service in its new building on Leesburg Pike.
• The Pimmit Hills Christmas Decoration contest had four categories: religious, door, window and overall display.
• The December issue had an article called, “Sports in the Hills,” by Floyd Flasher. He talked about PH’ers out deer hunting, a new bowling center on Shreve Road, and he put out a call for duckpin bowlers needed for a league.
• The newsletter reported the comings and going of PH residents, including a Navy family who were being transferred to Germany. Prior to moving to PH, they lived in Cuba.
• The Pimmit Run Unit of the League of Women Voters held a November meeting and the article listed the “girls” who attended.
• There was an ad for Walters Majorette School on Broad Street with a drawing of a baton twirler.
• Trying to finance and build curbs, gutters and storm drainage continued to be an issue in the late 1950s.
• The February 1959 issue reported in its Youth News section that some teenagers riding school buses to McLean have been “using offensive language” and were put on notice.
• The issue of school integrationundefineda hot topic in Fairfax County and in Virginia at the timeundefinedwas discussed at a February 1959 meeting.
• The Lemon Road PTA held a “Card Party” (Bridge, Canasta, Pinochle) and the Jubitones Barber Shop Quartet sang at it.
• Dances galoreundefinedthere was a PH Community Valentine dance, a Spring dance in early May and an Inauguration dance in June “in honor of its newly elected officers”(!).
• Some adult male drivers were caught drag racing on Pimmit Drive and had their kids in the cars.
• 1959 prices at Pimmit Drug Center: half-gallon of ice cream was .79 cents, shampoo was .84 cents, gallon of paint was $5.49, tooth brushes were .9 cents, an umbrella was .87 cents, and whatever “isopropyl alcohol” was, was only .13 cents. Also when you bought something, you received free “King Korn stamps”(?).
• A local Girl Scout troop was named “Cookie Champs of 1959” for selling 1000 boxes of cookies.
• Members of the PH Teen Club appeared on WTTG-TV’s “Milt Grant’s Record Hop”.
• 1000 polio inoculations took place in Pimmit Hills during the summer of 1959.

1960s

1962

• 1962 was the first full year the Dispatch was in a professional ‘booklet’ format as it is today and Dispatches were sent through bulk mail, all under the able leadership of Dispatch Editor Floyd O’Dell [also known as “Digger”].
• On the front page of the January 1962 issue: “Ask not what the Association can do for you; ask rather what you can do for your community”.
• A goal was set to obtain 1500 PHCA members [last year we had around 350]. The reason was so the PHCA had more of a voice when it opposed zoning changes in the area.
• Miss Brenda Raines of Howard Court was named the Snowball Queen at the Pimmit Hills Teen Club’s annual dance.
• An article reported on a Fairfax County civil defense meeting held on Dec. 7, 1961, the 20th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack. The effects of and countermeasures against a nuclear attack, County civil defense programs, chemical and biological warfare, and the “psychological problems of shelter living” were among topics discussed.
• The February PHCA meeting was deemed a “Gripe Night” for citizens to come forward with their complaints.
• The membership drive was so successful that the PHCA became the largest active Association in Fairfax County.
• Do you remember the following advertisers in the Dispatch back thenundefinedFallfax Building Supply, Robinson’s 5 & 10 Cent Stores, Brown’s Hardware, The Vienna Trust Co, A’Bon Beauty Salon, Pimmit Hills Cleaners, Arlfax Electrical Service, The Pizza Box, Broadlee Amoco, Tyson’s Locker Plant, McDaniel’s Esso Service Center, McGonegal Plumbing and Heating, and Linkletter-Totten Dance Studios teaching the “Quick-Learn” dance instruction.
• There was a regular “House and Garden” column written by Doris Langland.
• Trash pickup was $2 a month.
• There was an article regarding the Tyson’s Corner areaundefinedwidening the roads and a recent county approval of two 80 acres sites “for possible shopping centers.”
• The Pimmit Hills PTA, representing Fairfax County, had a float in the 1962 National Cherry Blossom Parade and it was awarded First Place for best overall float, winning out over floats by Coca-Cola and C&P Telephone.
• 240 PH citizens attended a PHCA dance held at the Flame Room over the Vienna Fire Hall. PH’ers loved to dance back then!

1970s

1971

• The “Commonwealth’s Attorney” gave a program at the January PHCA meeting on the problems of drug use.
• Providence Baptist Church in Tyson’s Corner had an advertisement (the MicroStrategy building is now at that location).
• An article on the problem of unscrupulous door-to-door “salesmen” (is anything new?).
  Community square dancing classes were held at the Pimmit Hills School.
• New laws for 1971: stopping for school buses and wearing helmets and face shields when riding motorcycles.
• Community talent show was held at Marshall HS.
• The Dispatch had a managing editor, editor, advertising manager, artist and three typists! (now this is all rolled into one).
• Keeping schools open 12 months a year was considered (isn’t this today’s news?).
• In an article about the above square dancing, “The hectic life we lead today makes great demands upon us. The rapid pace of modern living leaves little time for restful meditation” (and this was before personal computers, email, Palm Pilots and cell phones).
• Wow: PHCA membership was at 1,425 back then!
• A blurb about the “Olney Park Home Demonstration Club” (anyone know what that was?).
• The Community Talent Show had 800 people in attendance.
• The April meeting had a builder talking about developing four-story apartments on the tract of land called Falls Church Orchard (this become the Peach Tree Apartments).
  A community fashion show was planned.
• A guest of the Olney Park Home Demonstration Club brought one of her native country’s dishesundefinedVietnamese Egg Rolls. The club also talked about Macramé in interior decorating.
• Does anyone remember swimming at Freedom Park?
• There were complaints about “hot rodding” on the roads of PH. An additional Fairfax County police patrol was added to deal with the problem but once those patrols decreased, the “hot rodding” increased (I guess speeding through PH by any other name is still speeding, even 30 years later).
• An article warned parents about the safety and use of “mini-bikes” (just like they warn toda about the new scooters).
• PH had a Fairfax County Library Bookmobile because today’s library did not exist then.
  Quality Electronics Center on Broad Street said that they will “overhaul your black and white portable TV for only $19.95.”
• The June 1971 issue of the Pimmit Hills Dispatch displayed on its cover the photos of the new PHCA officers undefinedJay Johnson, Jim Zehmer, Jesse Byrd, Marilyn Garrett, Nell Snider, Alex Morgan and Director Carl Zimmer.
• There was a new Pimmit Hills Teen Club where teens could play ping pong, pool, board games, hobbies and crafts.
• After conducting a series of studies, it was determined by the Park Authority that it wasn’t feasible to build a public swimming pool in Pimmit Hills.
• The community calendar of events included 30 days full of Girl Scout and Boy Scout troop meetings, Teen Club, Little League Mothers’ Club, Knights of Columbus, VFD socials, Tysons Corner Lions Club and the Olney Road Home Demo Club (Note: organizations like these now wishing to post their meetings in the Dispatch can do so here).
• There was an editorial against Year-Around School planned for 1972 where the Pimmit/Westgate schools were to be the test case for the county. PH citizens voiced their opposition and it was canceled. “Once again this community has demonstrated that the force of an informed public opinion can indeed bring about change” wrote Budd Walters.
• The Pimmit Hills Barber Shop was advertising “razor cutting, long cuts, shag and flat tops”.
• Candidates for Dranesville District Supervisor were invited to the October PHCA meeting. Community issues on the table included rezoning along Route 7 near Pimmit Hills, real estate taxes, county sewage/water rates, low-income housing, and parks.
• The County continued to install sidewalks, curbs and gutters in Pimmit Hills.
• The “latest editions” of 8-track stereo tapes were being sold for $3.95.
• The county zoning office warned that some PH homes were violating code by having ‘junk’ cars in their yards and could be fined.
• The State Highway Dept refused PHCA requests for stop lights to be placed at Pimmit/Rt 7 and Magarity/Anderson. The Department was considering the request for speed limit reduction on Route 7.

1980s

1982 - 1983

• The January 1982 issue of the Pimmit Hills Dispatch had an article about the re-apportioned supervisor districts in Fairfax County. PH was going to be moved out of the Dranesville District but due to opinions expressed by PH citizens (letters, attending meetings and public hearings), PH remained in Dranesville with our “long time powerful ally, the McLean Citizens Association.” Things are possible when we make ourselves heard.
• Do you remember Hector’s Restaurant near the Giant on Broad Street?
• The Pimmit Hills Neighborhood Watch Program became operational in April 1982 and signs were put in place.The June meeting had a speaker talk about the coming of Metro rail to Virginia.
• VDOT approved of putting a stoplight at Anderson and Magarity.
• In October, a 9 year old PH girl was reported missing and over 50 PH residents assisted with the search until she was found.
• I-66 opened to traffic in 1982.
• The Pimmit Hills School closed as an elementary school but continued to be used as a “people place” with a variety of programs. In September 1983, the Pimmit Hills Adult and Community Education Center had its “grand opening celebration”.
• There were complaints that PH School students were taking up all the parking spaces on the street. The school promised additional parking spaces.
• In honor of Arbor Day, PHCA gave a flowering tree to each of our community elementary schools undefined Lemon Road and Westgate. Wonder how big those trees are now?
• Groundbreaking ceremonies for the new Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library took place in October 1983.
• A representative from Media General Cable came to speak at the December 1983 meeting to discuss cable coming to Fairfax County.
• PHCA resorted to holding a ticket raffle to encourage people to come to the monthly meetings. The winner, who had to be in attendance, would win $25 if their ticket was drawn. Whatever works!
• A proposed Fairfax County junk vehicle ordinance made some PH residents unhappy but a PHCA meeting voted to endorse it (Fairfax County could come in and remove a junk vehicle at someone’s house).
• In September 1985, PHCA requested a VDOT traffic safety survey of undefinedwhere else: Lisle/Anderson and Lisle/Pimmit intersections.

More past issues of the Pimmit Hills Dispatch