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Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History
Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History© 2020 Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History
Heather Crocetto
The collection is open for research.
There are no restrictions.
Papers of Edmond C. Fleet, Collector, Collection # RG 11, Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History
Gift of Alice West Fleet, wife of Edmond C. Fleet.
Edmond C. Fleet (b. 1902, d. 1983) was an active member of the African American community in Arlington and the District of Columbia. A pastry chef by trade, Fleet was a Chairman of the Trustee Board of the Arlington Mt. Zion Baptist Church and President of the church men's club; Chairman, fundraiser, and co founder of the Veterans Memorial Branch YMCA, the first YMCA in Arlington County for African-Americans. Fleet was also active in the Odd Fellows, Elks, and Masonic lodges in Arlington County.
RG 11 holds the personal and collected material of Edmond Fleet; it measures approximately 3 linear feet and covers the period from 1812 to 1984, although the bulk of the collection dates 1920-1980. There are 105 photographs in this collection.
Most of the materials arranged in this collection were generated and collected as a result of Edmond C. Fleet's involvement and membership in numerous Arlington County organizations. Thus, the bulk of the collection consists of scattered records of the following institutions: the Mt. Zion Baptist Church; the Arlington County Civic League; the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows, Stevens Lodge 1435; the Improved, Benevolent, and Protective Order of the Elks, Arlington Lodge 384, and the Veterans Memorial YMCA. Genealogical researchers will find lists of family names in the various dues registers of the lodges and church. Family names are also listed in the Odd Fellows, Stevens Lodge cemetery plots and the baptismal records of the Mt. Zion Baptist Church.
In addition to these records, researchers will find clippings and photographs which highlight social activities in the African American community in Arlington County. There are also a limited number of clippings which document the early history of the District of Columbia (1812 1860s). Of particular interest are newspaper clippings from The Virginia Arrow , a local African American newspaper which began publishing in 1946. This newspaper includes community events and issues, and features advertisements for local businesses owned by African Americans. Series 8, File 6, has copies of articles Fleet wrote for this newspaper. Series 8, File 9 , contains a World War II ration book.
Series 8 also has photographs of Fleet's family and social activities, including a Chuck Robb fundraising event from the late 1970s at Fleet's home. Lady Bird Johnson was an attendee and is featured in several color photographs. There are also images of a tour of an unknown European city. The photographs in Series 7 show Fleet's bakery staff and creations for military and government parties and events.
Record Group 11 is arranged into seven series. Each series reflects a particular activity or association membership of Edmond C. Fleet; Series 7 contains information on Fleet's professional baking career and Series 8 contains personal and family material. Folders containing photographs have an asterisk [*] after the file name.
For researchers interested in other church histories, including more information on Mt. Zion Baptist Church, RG 6, Arlington County Churches should be consulted. Researchers interested in the African American community in Arlington should consult RG 18, The Personal Papers of Barbara Marx which contains materials on school integration, RG 48, The Records of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Arlington Branch , RG 196, Syphax Family Collection , RG 328, Lomax AME Zion Church Records , and RG 348, Dorothea Hamm Papers .
Digital scans of the photographs in this collection can be found here .