BoS considers renaming the Bailey’s Community Center for Minnie Peyton
The Board of Supervisors passed a motion on renaming the Bailey’s Community Center for Minnie Peyton, a former leader of the Black neighborhood of Springdale.
Peyton (1889-1985) had donated the land for a school in Bailey’s Crossroads before Virginia’s schools were integrated.
Related story: A local Black community honors its history
The Lillian Carey Elementary School, on Summers Lane, served the Black community from 1956 to 1965. The school building was eventually repurposed and expanded to house the Bailey’s Community Center.
The board motion, offered by Mason Supervisor Andres Jimenez on May 21, calls for the Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services “to begin the process of broader community engagement” on recommendations for the name change.
Jimenez said the county’s History Commission researched the historical roots of the site and agreed the community center should be renamed for Minnie Peyton.
Related story: A Bailey’s Crossroads resident is documenting the history of a vibrant Black community
In addition to donating land, Peyton was a community activist who fought for better county services. During her time, there were no paved roads, no sidewalks, and no drinking water or wastewater infrastructure in Springdale.
She also founded five churches in the area, including Warner Baptist and Holy Scripture Church of Christ.
When the Bailey’s Community Center opened, in 1972, it was the first community center in Fairfax County.
