Browse Items (34 total)

Camp Wadsworth was located on the property of Commander James W. Cooke that includes today’s Madison of McLean townhouse development, and the nearby property of Lewis Means, part of today’s McLean Central Park.

Historic African American community Springdale has been a refuge for African Americans, refugees, and immigrants. The community was originally settled in the 1940s when Blacks left the South and moved to Washington, DC to find jobs. Residents…

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In 1968, Cooktown was still home to an estimated 15-20 families. Among the 15 dwellings there was one with a septic tank and indoor plumbing. There was no gas, water or sewer service. There were seven homes with electricity, four with telephones. …

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A Black community existed in Dunn Loring after the Civil War along Haney Lane, where Kilmer Middle School is located, and in the area west of what today is the Dunn Loring Volunteer Fire Station 13 at 2148 Gallows Road. That land was owned by George…

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In the early 1920s an African American community was settled not far from the Historical Courthouse. After a fire had damaged most of Main Street, a developer John Rust, bought the land around School Street and subdivided it into lots. Many African…

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Lincoln-Lewis-Vannoy, a  community of approximately 169 homes,  fought to have sewers and indoor plumbing brought to their community.  In 1982, many of the residents still  depended on wells and outdoor privies. Lincoln Area Lifting Living…

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West Ford purchased a 214-acre farm in this area in 1833. He was formerly enslaved by the Washington Family and worked as a carpenter and estate manager. He subdivided his property among his children. Others moved into the neighborhood and the land…

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In 1905, William Collins, a descendant of enslaved people, bought 22 acres of land with his savings he earned while serving in the Spanish American War. Other families bought lots; Johnson, Robinson, Spriggs. The families operated truck farms and a…

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Spring Bank was an African American Community founded by a free African American Charles Henry Quander when he purchased 88 acres between Alexandria and Gum Springs. The Quander family traced its roots back to the 17th century in the colonies…

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The Antebellum Free Black community here was formed by people formerly enslaved on the Mount Vernon Estate. The community continued to grow after the Civil War with the construction of a church, cemetery, school and Odd Fellows hall. The African…

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In 1861, Abraham Lincoln reviewed Union troops nearby. Springdale, later known as Bailey’s Crossroads, was settled by freed enslaved people in the 1880s. The community thrived and built their own school and church. The school was built on a five-acre…

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The Black community of Ilda grew along Little River Turnpike where Horace Gibson and Moses Parker operated a blacksmith shop at Prosperity Avenue. It is believed that Ilda was named for Matilda Gibson Parker, daughter of Horace Gibson and…

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Portions of the unincorporated area of Oak Grove, Sterling, Loudoun County, Virginia, were once located in the Town of Herndon, Fairfax County. But due to boundary line changes/corrections between Fairfax and Loudoun Counties, the area is now located…

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Lincolnville was a mixed-race community that developed along Kirby Road shortly after the Civil War ceased. It was probably so named by Reverend Cyrus Carter, a Haitian immigrant, or General John S. Crocker, Warden of the Prisons in the District of…

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During the first years of the Civil War, thousands of enslaved people escaped to the District of Columbia in search of freedom. During May and June of 1863, as the number of contrabands grew, the Union Army decided to relocate the growing number of…

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African American community which was established after the Civil War

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Tours of African American History The African American Historic Sites Tour of Vienna, VA- Program. In October 2020, Sylvia Taylor and Gloria Runyon, long time Vienna residents, members of the Historic Vienna, Inc. Board of Directors, and members of…

History of the Historic African American Community from 1833-1990

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The Merrifield area originally known as Mills Crossing. It also was known as Williamstown. An African American community existed on the east side of Gallows Road roughly from Lee Highway in the north to south of the current Route 50 and what is now…

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Tinner Hill is a community in Falls Church, Virginia at the intersection of Tinner Hill Road and Washington Street (Lee Highway) that shares land with Fairfax County—it is officially in both jurisdictions. The street itself has nine frame houses…

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Black communities that once existed in Fairfax County are discussed. They include Merrifield, originally called Mills Crossing; The Pines; and Williamstown, now Merrifield and Dunn Loring.

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The Hughesville community developed near the intersection of Braddock Road and today’s Fairfax County Parkway. The history of the community began around 1866. Jackson Hughes a formerly enslaved followed the Union Army from Louisiana and chose to live…

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A group of more than 40 people emancipated from Robert Carter III’s Leo Farm between 1793 to 1826 established a community southwest of Centreville between Bull Run and Cub Run. The Harris and Robinson families were prominent, but there were many…

In 1760, French’s Farm was the second largest community of enslaved people in Fairfax County with 60 enslaved people living on this property. They were, at times, leased to work on neighboring farms.

In 1786, the property was combined with others…

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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…

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