Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

None

Use Restrictions

Consult repository for information

Preferred Citation

Hugh L. Robertson Collection, MSS 06-69, Virginia Room, Fairfax County Public Library

Acquisition Information

Donated by Ruby L. Robertson in 2008

Processing Information

Chris Barbuschak, October 2017
EAD generated by Ross Landis, 2024

Historical and Biographical Information

Hugh Lee Robertson was born on February 12, 1927 in Takoma Park, Maryland to Catherine M. and Eppa P. Robertson. After his parents divorced in 1930, his grandmother, Catherine L. Manning, raised him. Manning was philatelic curator of the Smithsonian Institute from 1922 to 1951, the first woman outside the sciences to achieve the rank of Assistant Curator.

Robertson moved to Arlington, Virginia with his grandmother and attended Washington-Lee High School. In 1944, he quit school and joined the Navy as a Fireman First Class (EM striker) and earned the nickname “Rebel”. During World War II he served on tank landing ships in the Pacific arena including the USS Sphinx (LST-963) in 1944 and the USS Orvetta (IX-157) in 1946.

At age 19, he married high school sweetheart Ruby Lee Binsted on October 19, 1946. The couple moved into government housing in Arlington, Virginia. Around the same time, Robertson enrolled as a student at the National School of Photography on 1005 E. Street, N.W. In the early 1950s, Robertson worked as a commercial photographer for Ackad Studios on Connecticut Avenue NW in Washington D.C. He snapped photos of celebrities, politicians, embassy officials, weddings, and even traditional studio portraits for Ackad.

In 1954, the Robertsons moved to 6907 Pine Crest Avenue in McLean, Virginia in the West McLean subdivision. Robertson joined the Fairfax County Fire Department on June 1, 1955 as a Fire Dispatcher, becoming one of its first paid employees. When a person called the emergency number, Robertson answered and dispatched the fire equipment. Simultaneously, Robertson also volunteered with the McLean Volunteer Fire Department. In September 1976, he retired as a Captain.

After retiring, he and his wife volunteered at the McLean Treasure Trove, a consignment shop which benefited Fairfax Hospital. Always an avid collector, Robertson frequently visited yard sales collecting “historical” items. At some point he acquired an original cornerstone from the Fairfax Courthouse (now on display at the Fairfax Museum and Visitors Center) and three of the four original plaques from the long lost four-sided stone marker commemorating the 1863 Battle of Sangster Station (now on display at the Fairfax Station Railroad Museum).

Hugh Robertson died on October 26, 2005.

Scope and Content

Series 1: Personal Papers, 1954-1983

This series contains papers, correspondence, reports, by-laws, newspaper clippings, and periodicals relating to Hugh L. Robertson’s career with the Fairfax County Fire Department. Also included is a press release and a letter from the Embassy of Pakistan granting Robertson press credentials to cover the Prime Minister of Pakistan’s United States visit in 1954.

Series 2: Photographs, 1948-1971

Sub-Series 2-1: Fairfax County Fire Department, 1957-1971
Robertson took many photographs throughout his career of scenes involving the Fairfax County Fire Department. Included in this series are photographs of fire vehicles from the Bailey’s Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department, Franconia Volunteer Fire Department, Lorton Volunteer Fire Department, McLean Volunteer Fire Department, and the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department as well as the fire board at the Central Fire Control Station. Photos of the groundbreaking of the Reston Fire Station and dedication of the Vienna Fire Station are also included as well as scenes from the Virginia State Firemen’s School. Subjects also include car accidents, crime scenes, fire scenes, and portraits of firefighters. Some of the negatives for these prints may be found in sub-series 3-1.

Sub-Series 2-2: Crane Co., Undated
Crane Co., a plumbing and heating supply firm, opened a new Washington branch location at 10700 Hanna Street in Beltsville, Maryland in 1954. The firm previously operated its Washington branch at 1225 I Street N.W. since the 1920s. The new building had an enclosed warehouse area, offices, display room and was located near a railroad siding. It can be presumed that the photographs in this series are of the newly opened building. Of particular note is that Kahlil Daoud Ackad was the Washington branch manager for Crane Co. from 1950-1959. K.D. Ackad was the brother of Abdon Daoud Ackad, owner of Ackad Studios of which Hugh Robertson photographed for.

Sub-Series 2-3: Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, 1948-c.1950s
Photographs in this series depict scenes from Washington D.C., Maryland or Virginia. Subjects include scenes from the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America in Washington D.C.; a Chrysler Dealership; the Old Barry Chapel cornerstone in St. Dominic Catholic Church in Washington D.C.; Rock Creek Park; the Noyes Armillary Sphere in Meridian Hill Park; Chapman’s Mill in Broad Run, Virginia; and the “Avenue of Progress” Celebration ribbon cutting of the George Avenue underpass in Silver Spring, Maryland. Also included are a series of photos of a church cornerstone laying service presided over by Archbishop Michael, leader of the Greek Church in North and South America. The Washington D.C. church depicted is either Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church or St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church both of which were presided over by Archbishop Michael between 1951 and 1952.

Sub-Series 2-4: Embassy of Pakistan, Washington, D.C., c.1953-1955
In October 1954, when Hugh L. Robertson worked for Ackad Studios, he covered the Prime Minister of Pakistan Mohammad Ali Bograthe’s visit to Washington on behalf of the Pakistan Embassy. Earlier that year in May, he photographed the wedding of Capt. Azhar H. Sadik and Dr. Iffat Nafis Shoaib, daughter of Mohamed Shoaib, the Executive Director of the World Bank, in the Pakistan Embassy. Photographs also included in this series are of a social event at the Pakistan Embassy of which Vice President Richard M. Nixon and his wife, Pat Nixon, attended. Of particular note is the photograph of Richard Nixon smoking a hookah.

Sub-Series 2-5: Dumont Television Network Unknown Television Episode, c. 1950s
Photographs in this series depict the filming of a television episode from an unknown DuMont Television Network series. The show features three Indonesian women dressed in cultural garb. The women interact with the host on set and perform dancing routines. DuMont had a television studio in Washington D.C. and operated locally as WTTG, channel 5.

Sub-Series 2-6: Post-World War II Asia, 1947
During World War II, Hugh L. Robertson served on tank landing ships in the Pacific Arena from 1944-1946. The photographs in this series depict post-war China and Japan. Subjects include Qingdao, China; Tokyo, Japan; Yokosuka, Japan; and Mount Fuji. The photographs are dated 1947 in what appear to be Robertson’s handwriting. The U.S. Navy discharged Robertson in 1946, so it is possible that these photographs are misdated or not even photographed by Robertson himself.

Sub-Series 2-7: Unidentified, Undated
Photographs in this series are unidentified and feature portraits, houses, weddings, social events, and scenery. These photographs were taken by Robertson while he was in photography school and later working for Ackad Studios.

Series 3: Negatives, 1948-1959

Sub-Series 3-1: Fairfax County Fire Department, 1954-1959
Robertson took many photographs throughout his career of scenes within the Fairfax County Fire Department. The negatives in this series depict scenes involving the Annandale Volunteer Fire Department, Burke Volunteer Fire Department, Dunn Loring Volunteer Fire Department, Fairfax Volunteer Fire Department, Vienna Volunteer Fire Department, Herndon Volunteer Fire Department, Jefferson Volunteer Fire Department, Lorton Volunteer Fire Department, McLean Volunteer Fire Department, and Central Fire Control Station. Subjects of particular interest include the controlled burn of Ossian Hall; billboard signage of the McLean Carnival which was hosted by the McLean VFD; the dedication of the Vienna Fire Station; a wedding of a firefighter at Saint John’s Episcopal Church in Centreville, Virginia; the Washington D.C. Fire Prevention Parade of which the Fairfax County Fire Department participated; and a barn fire which may have been J. Preston Rogers’ McLean, Virginia barn that burned on October 27, 1954. Subjects also include car accidents, crime scenes, fire scenes, and portraits of firefighters. Some of the negatives in this collection have their accompanying prints in sub-series 2-1.

Sub-Series 3-2: Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, 1948, Undated
Negatives in this series depict scenes from Washington D.C., Maryland or Virginia. Subjects include scenes from Great Falls Park; the Noyes Armillary Sphere at Meridian Hill Park; an unknown masonic lodge in Fairfax County; and scenes from the September 11, 1948 “Avenue of Progress” Celebration of the George Avenue underpass dedication in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Sub-Series 3-3: Family Life, c. 1959, Undated
These negatives depict scenes from Hugh L. Robertson’s family life at home at 6907 Pine Crest Avenue in McLean, Virginia. Also included are snow scenes of Dead Run Stream which ran near Robertson’s house and two separate portraits of him.

Sub-Series 3-4: Post-World War II Asia, Undated
The negatives in this series were presumably taken just after World War II by Hugh L. Robertson while serving on a tank landing ship in the Pacific Arena. The subjects are street scenes in an unidentified location in Japan.

Sub-Series 3-5: Unidentified, 1956, Undated
Negatives in this series are unidentified and feature portraits, social events, a farm, a church, and a storefront. These photographs were taken by Robertson while he was in photography school and later while working for Ackad Studios.

Related Material

The Catherine Manning Papers and Documents, Smithsonian National Postal Museum

Separated Material

Historic non-Fairfax County documents that Robertson collected on his yard sale excursions were donated to the proper repositories

Index Terms

• Crane Co.
• Du Mont Television Network
• Fairfax County (Va.) Fire and Rescue Department
• Fire departments - Virginia - Fairfax County
• Lorton (Va.)
• McLean (Va.)
• Pakistan. Embassy (U.S.)
• Qingdao (China)
• Robertson, Hugh Lee (1927-2005)
• Washington (D.C.)

Adjunct Descriptive Data