It was an anniversary that didn’t pass by completely unnoticed.
The Arlington County Historical Society marked the 50th anniversary of the first inquiry that resulted in the organization’s obtaining what is generally considered the oldest extant home in modern-day Arlington.
It was on April 19, 1974, that the society received a letter from Marian Rhinehart Sellers, offering to donate the property at 5620 3rd St. South to the society.
A year later, the deal would be completed, with the society taking ownership for the sum of $1. In honor of her effort, the property, which initially had belonged to one wing of the far-flung Ball family, was from that point on known as the Ball-Sellers House.
The home started life in the mid-1700s as a cabin, and was expanded in the 1880s. It sits in the Glencarlyn neighborhood. Sellers had inherited the home from relatives, but was living in Fairfax County and found that renting the home was difficult.
According to the historical society, she feared that a sale to a developer would result in the home’s being razed and thus made the offer to the society.
“Marian [who died in 2001] watched with pride as the society preserved and has shown the house to thousands of people,” society officials said.
The home is open to the public for docent-led tours on Saturdays from 1 to 4 p.m. from April to October. Because it has no electricity or air conditioning, it is sometimes closed during excessively hot or cold days, and on days with an extensive amount of rain. (On questionable days, prospective visitors should first e-mail info@arlingtonhistoricalsociety.org before coming.)
For more information, see the Website at https://arlingtonhistoricalsociety.org/visit/ball-sellers-house/.
