Bailey's Crossroads

Bailey's Crossroads

1880 to present

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 lot provided by once enslaved John Bell. In the 1950s, the community lacked paved roads, sidewalks, gas, or public water. The families drew water from wells or a spring. A civic association was established because of these issues. The climate of racism and segregation made it difficult to make progress or changes.

Elephants and Quaker Guns: Northern Virginia : Crossroads of History Paperback by Jane Chapman Whitt The book describes how Bailey’s Crossroads was the home of the famous Bailey Circus family, President Lincoln reviewed Union troops there, the community experienced the building of Union and Confederate armies camp and fighting nearby. Also, it includes the history of the African American community after the war

“Near Baileys Crossroads, A Historically Black Community Remains A Refuge”, by Dara Elasfar Washington Post May 30, 2019, Real Estate

Mason

Intersection of Leesburg and Columbia Pike

In 1837, Hachaliah Bailey (1774-1845) from Westchester County, New York, purchased 526 acres in the northeast quadrant formed by the intersection of Leesburg and Columbia Pikes. Here he built his home, known as "Moray," which was destroyed by fire in 1942. Before moving to Fairfax County, Bailey operated a traveling "menagerie" of elephants. His son, Lewis Bailey (1795-1870), introduced the canvas circus tent to the world and owned a traveling circus before settling on this land that he farmed after 1840. During the Civil War Union officers and their families boarded at Moray. All that remains of the original estate is Moray Lane, which led directly to the house.