Public input sought on renaming the Bailey’s Community Center
Last month, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors agreed to begin the process to rename the Bailey’s Community Center for Minnie Peyton, the matriarch of the Black community of Springdale.
The county is now asking the public to consider three options:
- Minnie Peyton Community Center
- Minnie H. Peyton Community Center
- Minnie H. Peyton Community Center at Bailey’s
You can vote online for one of those names through July 11.
A public meeting on the name change will be held on June 26, 6 p.m., at the Bailey’s Community Center, 5920 Summers Lane, Bailey’s Crossroads. Attendees will learn about Minnie Peyton and the history of the community center and will have an opportunity to express their views on renaming the center.
Minnie Hungerford Peyton (1889-1985) and her sister Florence Green agreed to buy five acres of land in Bailey’s Crossroads in 1928, paying the owner $20 a month for six years. They secured ownership in 1935.
Related story: A local Black community honors its history
In 1954, each sister separately sold approximately 1.5 acres of land to the Fairfax County School Board for a new school for about $3,300 each. The school board opened the Lillian Carey Elementary School for Black students on that property on Sept. 4, 1956.
Florence died several weeks later. Minnie continued to live on the property, where she was affectionately known in Springdale as “mom.” She died at age 96.
Springdale, a historically Black community, was first settled by freedmen after the Civil War. For decades, residents had to fight for basic county services, such as paved roads, public drinking water, and wastewater infrastructure.
Lillian Carey Elementary School closed in 1965. Black students from Springdale were transferred to Bailey’s, Glen Forest, Lincolnia, and Parklawn elementary schools.
Related story: A Bailey’s Crossroads resident is documenting the history of a vibrant Black community
The school building was later incorporated into the Bailey’s Community Center, which opened on Jan. 28, 1978.
Programs at the Bailey’s Community Center include the Higher Horizons Head Start Center, the Boys and Girls Club, Bailey’s Senior Center, the Clubhouse technology center for youths, and various athletic programs.
Last September, the Board of Supervisors passed a motion by former Mason Supervisor Penny Gross to direct the History Commission to verify the documents related to Minnie Peyton and the Bailey’s Community Center.
The BoS approved a motion by Mason Supervisor Andres Jimenez in May to launch a community engagement process for renaming the community center.