The Pines: Pine Ridge Park on Woodburn Road
Title
The Pines: Pine Ridge Park on Woodburn Road
Description
- In 1905 William Collins Sr., a descendant of freed slaves, bought 22 acres there with money he saved from serving with Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders in the Spanish American War. The Johnson, Robinson, and Sprigg families soon purchased lots, too. They operated small truck farms, selling their produce in Washington, DC, set up a sawmill, and worshipped at First Baptist Church of Merrifield.
- When Fairfax County decided it needed to build another high school it forced the residents of The Pines to sell their land. After years of litigation, the residents were given 60 days to vacate the homes that had been in their families for generations. A school was never built.
Collection
Citation
“The Pines: Pine Ridge Park on Woodburn Road,” Fairfax County African American History Inventory, accessed October 24, 2026, https://fairfaxaahi.centerformasonslegacies.com/items/show/369.