The Hicks Store and Restaurant
The Hicks Store was located near Lee Highway, and N. Culpeper St. A Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant now sits on the site.
In the early 1900s, residents living in Halls Hill and High View Park established their own local stores, churches, and schools. Many of these businesses were family-owned “Ma and Pa” stores. They supported the predominantly African-American community of formerly enslaved people who settled there after the Civil War.
Miss Allen’s Store was located at 1821 North Columbus Street and is regarded as the community’s first store. Other black-owned family establishments included the Hicks Store, one of several businesses owned by renowned community entrepreneur Suzanna Hicks.
Suzanna Hicks was a community entrepreneur. She organized the first African American-owned bus service in Arlington County. The Hicks Store was located near Lee Highway, and N. Culpeper St. A Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant now sits on the site.
The Hicks store sold items like coal, milk and bread. It was one of several businesses owned by the Hicks family.
Near the store was the Hicks cemetery, where family members were buried until the land was condemned in 1959 to accommodate for the widening of Lee Highway west of Glebe Road. The remains were moved to a cemetery in Herndon.
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