A historical marker now stands in McLean’s Clemyjontri Park as a monument to the site’s past as a center of social and spiritual activity for the local Black community.
Fairfax County officials, historians, students and present-day community leaders unveiled the marker commemorating Gunnell’s Chapel and its founder, Robert Gunnell, at a dedication ceremony last Saturday (Sept. 21).
Fairfax County will review its property deeds to remove clauses that historically barred non-Caucasian individuals from owning or leasing property in specific neighborhoods.
In response to new research revealing the prevalence of racially restrictive covenants in Northern Virginia property deeds, the Board of Supervisors, led by Dan Storck and Rodney Lusk, unanimously approved a board matter yesterday (Tuesday) to allocate resources for eliminating any segregation-era language from county-owned property deeds and assisting private property owners in doing the same.
Herndon is planning a historical marker that will delve into the town’s history of segregation, particularly in connection to the Herndon Fortnightly Library (768 Center Street).
Town staff discussed the proposal with the Herndon Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (HDEIC) at a meeting on Thursday, Aug. 15.
Residents of the Hybla Valley and Mount Vernon neighborhoods will have a chance to explore new research revealing the history and impact of racially restrictive deed covenants in their communities.
Later this month, Krystyn Moon, a professor of History and American Studies at the University of Mary Washington, will explain how certain racial, national, and religious groups were historically barred from buying homes in subdivisions along the Richmond Highway corridor, due to explicit restrictions written into property deeds.
The clock is ticking on a chance to live in Tysons rent-free — if you’ll agree to restore and maintain the historic property.
The Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) is accepting applications until Aug. 24 at 5 p.m. for a resident curator for Ash Grove, one of the county’s few still-standing houses from the 18th century.
For just under $40 million, you could stand on the same ground where Amelia Earhart once landed an airplane.
Ballantrae Farms, a 6.3-acre McLean estate whose house pre-dates the American Civil War, is currently up for sale with an initial asking price of $39.995 million. The property’s “storied past” includes a landing by Earhart in the 1930s, according to a listing that Washington Fine Properties posted last week.
The Fairfax County Public Library Board of Trustees is considering changing Woodrow Wilson Library’s name to Culmore Community Library following “significant community input.”
Library Board of Trustees Chair Brian Engler said many community members in the Mason District, where the library is located, have testified during public comment periods in recent months that they want the name changed.
Following the spring discovery of two 200-year-old bottles of plump cherries at Mount Vernon, archeologists have now unearthed another 35 glass bottles containing more berries from the 18th century.
Of the 35 bottles recently discovered in five storage bins in the mansion cellar, 29 are intact and contain perfectly preserved cherries and berries, likely gooseberries or currants, Mount Vernon said in a news release.
When students arrive at Oakton High School, they will now encounter a historical marker honoring civil rights activist Lillian Blackwell, whose own children might not have been allowed inside when the school opened in 1967 if not for her advocacy.
Fairfax County officials unveiled the plaque detailing Blackwell’s legacy, including her fight against the segregation of local public schools and movie theaters, at a ceremony on Saturday (June 1) attended by some of her family members and the students who suggested her for the recognition.
Fairfax County will hold a community meeting later this month to gather feedback on its efforts to document one of the region’s oldest African American communities.
The first meeting — scheduled for Tuesday, May 28, at 6:30 p.m. at the Gum Springs Community Center (8100 Fordson Road) — will give community members a chance to learn more about the timeline and goals of the Gum Springs Heritage Resources Study.
