Browse Items (19 total)

Bradley E. Gernard describes four communities of freedmen (pages 234-235). They are Baptist Hill, Tinner Hill (this community still exists) Southgate subdivision, Gravel Bank (along Railroad Avenue next to Shreve Road in Falls Church)

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.

A single-family home exists was built at the address in 1971.

Tinner Hill(1) Shuman.JPG
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…

"Strawberry Vale" was built c. 1780 and was demolished in 1958 for the construction of the Capital Beltway. The transfer of Strawberry Vale from JOHN C. SCOTT to THEODORIC LEE on Oct. 29, 1811 (Deed Book L2:318) exempted a ¼-acre burial ground. Diane…

From the county cemetery survey: FX382:
"Strawberry Vale" was built c. 1780 and was demolished in 1958 for the construction of the Capital Beltway. Diane Rafuse wrote in her book "Maplewood" (1970): "Near the wooded area (about 300 yards from the…

2nd-Baptist-1870_cropped-230x300.jpg
The red-brick building with steep-pitched roof and cupola-shaped bell tower was built in 1926. It has a brick 1970 addition for church activities and offices. Old one-story building has full basement, 10,800 sq. ft. Both roofs are shingled.
Elder…

The Fairfax County cemetery survey said “the small cemetery contains seven headstones and an undetermined number of unmarked burials. Permission to resurvey the cemetery in 1994 was denied, according to the Fairfax County Cemetery Survey.”
The…

Merrifield  Boyd's Piano.jpg
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…

Roots of the group date to December 15, 1875. In 1946 a group of Masons moved away from their home lodges and formed a lodge at the First Baptist Church. Leaders of the movement were Charles R. Dale, the Rev. Wallace E. Costner, and the Rev. Columbus…

School-Luther Jackson High School August 18 1954.jpg
Opened in 1954, it was the first and only high school in Fairfax County created to serve the African American community. Luther Porter Jackson was a prominent historian, educator, and founder of the Negro Voters League of Virginia. He chaired the…

James-Lee-Elementary-26-May-1953  cafeteria.jpg
Historical MarkerThe James Lee Elementary School opened in February 1948. It was built on land purchased in 1866 by African American James Edward Lee (1839-1919), who was born free. In 1945, James Lee’s son sold a portion of the original property to…

Historical Marker Seizing Freedom and Facing Challenges You are standing across the street from land that Harriet Brice, a “free woman of color,” purchased in 1864. Together with her husband, George Brice, she struggled to farm the property during…

In 1867, African Americans built Galloway United Methodist Church and established the historic cemetery. (Note: A church history states that in 1862 the Methodists acquired the property.) Baptists and Methodists worshipped together before…

First Baptist Church Merrifield(1).JPG
On September 18, 2021, First Baptist celebrated its 151st homecoming anniversary celebration weekend, marking 151 years of providing spiritual leadership, community outreach, and opportunities for worship in the Baptist tradition to residents of…

In 1935 at least two juries were established in Fairfax County with African American members. This was significant because Blacks were usually excluded from serving on juries in Virginia. Press reports indicated that these were the first African…

Enslaved people were kept in the jail and sold on the courthouse steps. The Historic Records Center in the courthouse has information including the court slavery index…

In October 1864, a contingent of Confederate John S. Mosby’s raiders entered Falls Church to steal horses. A member of the Home Guard sounded an alarm alerting Falls Church residents and the Union pickets about the presence of the raiders. During the…

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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