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Formerly enslaved, Alfred Odrick, purchased 30 acres in 1872 along the south side of Lewinsville Road beginning at Springhill Road. Odrick farmed the land, but he was a carpenter by trade and, so, built his house. A vibrant Black community developed…

NOVA Parks unveiled two signs along the W&OD Trail about how Jim Crow laws affected passengers taking the Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) train line in the 1900s.

In 1869 Andrew Lee, an African American, purchased 20 acres of land in the Frying Pan area from Ann Keeler. In 1891 he transferred 3/4 of an acre of the land to his son, Edward Lee. Edward built this house on his parcel of land. His father's house…

J. Henry Borgus purchased 27 acres in 1892 at the junction of Leesburg Pike and Lewinsville Road. He built a farmhouse overlooking Leesburg Pike and named it Ash Grove Farm. He farmed 23 acres that were part of his property on the opposite side of…

James Pendleton Robinson, like his grandfather James “Gentleman Jim” Robinson of Prince William County, after emancipation, became a prominent member in the community. Robinson owned a farm opposite Nestor Kincheloe’s mill at the confluence of Big…

Jim Moss was granted a license in 1972, to operate a riding stable off Bellview Road. He named it Shadybrook Stables. The facility offered horseback riding lessons, specializing in English riding. There were stalls for horses, an indoor arena, an…

Eighteenth Century Plantation Outbuilding Kitchen & Quarters .

Ash Grove House, dating to circa 1790, was built by Thomas Fairfax on land that had been acquired by the Fairfax family in 1740. The small brick structure, identified as an…

Laurel Grove School was built by freed men and women in the 1880s to educate their children. Today the one room school is a museum sharing the history of African American families who built the school, furnished it, provided books, and hired the…

Woodlawn Mansion was built in 1805 and was a wedding present from George Washington to his step-granddaughter Nelly Custis and his nephew Lawrence Lewis. More than 90 individuals were enslaved on the plantation, which is now owned by the National…

In 1846, Chalkley Gillingham and his business partners purchased the 2,000-acre Woodlawn plantation property from Washington Family heirs. They relocated from their homes in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York in order to establish a free labor…

The 1760 map of Fairfax County indicated that there were 15 enslaved people at Belvoir, home of the Fairfax family. There were likely more enslaved people associated with this property prior to the death of William Fairfax, who subdivided his…

When President Washington died in 1799, the enslaved population at Mount Vernon numbered 317. Of the 317 enslaved, 123 belonged to George Washington, 153 were owned by the estate of Martha, 41 were rented from local neighbors. Washington's will freed…

Harrison Dodge was the longest serving Superintendent of the Mount Vernon Estate (1885-1937). He recounts the history of George Washington’s Mount Vernon including his personal recollections. This includes a chapter IX “The Old Negroes” where he…

Lawrence and Gladys Lee purchased a 120-acre dairy farm located on Centreville Road in 1945. The farm, like their daughter, was called Alta Lee. Alta recalled a carefree childhood centered on family, school, and church, spending time riding horses…

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Fairfax County, VA In 1760 An Interpretive Historical Map indicates that there were 24 enslaved people held by the McCarty Family. These people likely lived at Mount Air, but perhaps also at times resided at nearby Cedar Grove, another McCarty…

Frederick Douglass spent his life fighting for justice and equality. Born into slavery in 1818, he escaped as a young man and became a leading voice in the abolitionist movement. People everywhere still find inspiration today in his tireless…

The Freedom House Museum was once part of the headquarters for the largest domestic slave-trading firm in the United States, Franklin and Armfield. Through first-person accounts of enslaved men and women and details from the business, encounter the…

Historic Pleasant Grove is a community landmark in McLean, Virginia, built by and for African and Native Americans in the late 19th century.

Frances K. Moore Memorial Museum Named for a descendant of the church founders, the Frances K. Moore…

Freed slaves built this one room schoolhouse in the early 1880's. It served the black children of Franconia until 1932 as the Laurel Grove Colored School. The school survives as the only remaining African American schoolhouse in Northern Virginia. It…

Experience African American history firsthand at the Tinner Hill Historic Park in Falls Church, Virginia. This Park is the site of what was home to Joseph and Elizabeth Tinner, the couple who fought segregation laws after the borders of neighboring…

The Road to Freedom Tour Guide highlights Virginia's Civil War-era African American experience, encouraging visitors and Virginians alike to uncover these little-known stories of strife, growth, community, and more. Fairfax County has two sites on…

From approximately 1888 to 1900, Collingwood Beach was an African American resort, a getaway for church groups and fraternal organizations from the District of Columbia. A white steamboat Captain L.J. Woolen purchased the property in 1888 and built…

Throughout these years, the (Quaker) settlers befriended and supported economic independence and land ownership by free African Americans in the Woodlawn neighborhood and at Gum Springs, the nearby free black community established by West Ford.

The Enslaved People of Mount Vernon Tour (seasonal walking tour) 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway
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