Ilda
Title
Ilda
Date
The mid-1860s through 1910
Description
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 daughter-in-law of Moses Parker. As Ilda and the property holdings of Gibson and Parker increased, so did the size of the community which included the Parker and Gibson families, friends, a church, and shops. [See Dennis Howard interview]
Source
Braddock’s True Gold by Meany and Lipsey Fairfax County Public Libraries and downloadable at www.braddockheritage.org
Archaeological Investigation Report: Guinea Road Cemetery by Louis Berger Group, 2004.
District
Braddock and Mason
Location
The intersection of Little River Turnpike and Prosperity Avenue, Little River Turnpike, and Guinea Road
Additional Notes
Family names
Around 1863, Horace Gibson and Moses Parker, who had been enslaved in Culpeper, purchased their freedom and moved to a safe place, Fairfax County during the Civil War. Both were trained blacksmiths and together opened a blacksmith shop in what would be called Ilda. Their clients were both Black and White. Matilda Parker was involved in voting registration and NAACP membership drives. [see Dennis Howard interview] Strother Gibson was elected Republican Convention delegate. (Fairfax Herald 1892)
Around 1863, Horace Gibson and Moses Parker, who had been enslaved in Culpeper, purchased their freedom and moved to a safe place, Fairfax County during the Civil War. Both were trained blacksmiths and together opened a blacksmith shop in what would be called Ilda. Their clients were both Black and White. Matilda Parker was involved in voting registration and NAACP membership drives. [see Dennis Howard interview] Strother Gibson was elected Republican Convention delegate. (Fairfax Herald 1892)
Street Name
Guinea Road and the Ilda community met at the intersection of two of the county’s early transportation routes, the Little River Turnpike and Guinea Road. The Little River Turnpike was built through the northern half of Ravensworth tract in 1806. A significant transportation route, the Little River Turnpike was the third toll road constructed in the nation and connected Alexandria to Fairfax Courthouse and beyond. The exact age or name origin of Guinea Road is unknown. The road was in existence and known as Guinea Road in the mid-19th century. Historically, the term “Guinea,” was the name given by Europeans to describe the coast of West Africa during the time of the slave trade and was then used to describe the geographic regions where Blacks congregated. Evidence of this can be found from New England to the deep South. According to the family tradition of the Gibson-Parker families, the Ravensworth plantation had many enslaved shanties located along the road that would later be called Guinea Road. [Louis Berger report]
Guinea Road and the Ilda community met at the intersection of two of the county’s early transportation routes, the Little River Turnpike and Guinea Road. The Little River Turnpike was built through the northern half of Ravensworth tract in 1806. A significant transportation route, the Little River Turnpike was the third toll road constructed in the nation and connected Alexandria to Fairfax Courthouse and beyond. The exact age or name origin of Guinea Road is unknown. The road was in existence and known as Guinea Road in the mid-19th century. Historically, the term “Guinea,” was the name given by Europeans to describe the coast of West Africa during the time of the slave trade and was then used to describe the geographic regions where Blacks congregated. Evidence of this can be found from New England to the deep South. According to the family tradition of the Gibson-Parker families, the Ravensworth plantation had many enslaved shanties located along the road that would later be called Guinea Road. [Louis Berger report]
Collection
Citation
“Ilda,” Fairfax County African American History Inventory, accessed October 24, 2026, https://fairfaxaahi.centerformasonslegacies.com/items/show/65.