Tag: history
When Justice Park was created, Black families were displaced
By Marie Reinsdorf As previously reported in the Annandale Blog, Fairfax County Public Schools and the Park Authority have plans to pave over a portion of Justice Park to build a satellite parking lot for Justice High School. FCPS would construct the parking lot, demolish the basketball/multi-use court to make room for the parking lot … Continued
Explore a Park: Bren Mar Park is a woodsy oasis in an urban area
This article is part of our series on parks in the Annandale/Mason District area. The last piece in this series explored Mason District Park. The 32.4-acre Bren Mar Park is off Edsall Road west of Interstate 395 in a densely populated area of Mason District. Features: There is a playground, trails, picnic shelter, baseball field … Continued
Explore a Park: Roundtree Park has been recently upgraded
The newly remodeled picnic shelter at Roundtree Park. [Keith Pham] This article is part of the Annandale Blog’s Explore a Park series. Previous parks in the series include Manassas Gap Park, Luria Park, and Fitzhugh Park in Annandale and Lillian Carey Park and Hogge Park in Bailey’s Crossroads. Features – Roundtree Park is on Annandale … Continued
Explore a Park: Hogge Park get an upgrade
This article is part of Annandale Today’s Explore a Park series. Previous parks in the series include Manassas Gap Park, Luria Park, and Fitzhugh Park in Annandale and Lillian Carey Park in Bailey’s Crossroads. Updated June 3, 2023: The 6-acre Boyd A. and Charlotte M. Hogge Park, at 3139 Glen Carlyn Road in Bailey’s Crossroads, … Continued
Explore a Park: Ecological restoration and history at Fitzhugh Park in Annandale
This article is part of the Annandale Blog’s Explore a Park series. Previous parks in the series include Manassas Gap Park and Luria Park in Annandale and Lillian Carey Park in Bailey’s Crossroads. Fitzhugh Park is a 10-acre park in Annandale between the Bristow Village condominium, the Ravensworth-Bristow neighborhood, and the beltway. Features: Playground, basketball … Continued
History Commission documents Confederate place names in Fairfax County
A report by the Fairfax County History Commission on Confederate names in the county offers exhaustive details on the origin of John Marr Drive in Annandale and reveals a couple of communities in the Annandale area – Broyhill Crest and Ravensworth – with many streets named for Confederate military leaders. The Fairfax County Board of … Continued
Explore a Park: Luria Park is a green oasis on the edge of Holmes Run Stream Valley Park
This is the third article in the Annandale Blog’s Explore a Park series. The previous stories were about Manassas Gap Park in Annandale and Lillian Carey Park in Bailey’s Crossroads. Luria Park is a 5.3-acre neighborhood park at 7624 Holmes Run Drive in the Holmes Run Acres neighborhood in the Falls Church area of Mason District. It’s … Continued
Coming soon: Bunnyman Brewing, named for a local legend
Eric Barrett and Sam Gray at the Bunnyman bridge in Clifton. Sam Gray and Eric Barrett grew up in Northern Virginia hearing about the Bunnyman urban legend, so when they decided to open a brewery on Guinea Road where the alleged Bunnyman attacks took place, the name was a no brainer. They hope to open … Continued
Explore a Park: Lillian Carey Park
This is the second piece in our series on parks in the Annandale/Mason District area. The first one was about Manassas Gap Park. Lillian Carey Park is a 13-acre, wooded park at 5921 Summers Lane, in Bailey’s Crossroads. It is adjacent to Holmes Run Park. Features – Tennis/pickleball courts, a picnic shelter, and a playground. Access – The best … Continued
Explore a Park: Walk through history in Annandale’s Manassas Gap Park
This trail follows an old railroad bed. This is the first in a series on parks in the Annandale/Mason District area. Manassas Gap Park and Historic Site is a 13.3-acre park between Hummer Road, Little River Turnpike, and Annandale Road. Features – A straight trail runs along the southern edge of the park from Royce … Continued
Happy anniversary to the West Annandale Fire Station
An old photo of the West Annandale Fire Station. [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department] Happy 50th anniversary to West Annandale Fire Station 23 at 8914 Little River Turnpike. The Annandale Volunteer Fire Department (AVFD) hosted a dedication for the new fire station on Nov. 14, 1970. At the time it was called the Guinea … Continued
Tour of Oak Hill, the oldest house in Annandale, will be virtual this year
The annual tour of historic Oak Hill won’t be held this year, due to the pandemic. Instead, Fairfax County is presenting a virtual tour, beginning at noon on Nov. 1. Oak Hill is the oldest house in Annandale. It was constructed around 1790 on the Ravensworth Tract by Richard Fitzhugh, a descendant of one of the … Continued
They built the road they would be forced to walk: a brief history of Little River Turnpike
By James Albright, from the Living Life in 4D blog From my front porch, looking over my garden, I can see the two blocks to the intersection of my street with the Little River Turnpike here in Lincolnia. I typically walk there once a day or so on my way to the local coffee shop … Continued
Fairfax County board votes to remove Confederate monument
The John Marr monument at the courthouse. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted 9-0 on Sept. 15 to remove the county-owned Confederate monument from the Judicial Complex in Fairfax. Supervisor Pat Herrity (Springfield) abstained. The monument includes an obelisk commemorating the death of John Quincy Marr, the first Confederate officer killed during the Civil … Continued
School board renames Lee High School for John Lewis
Lee High School [Fox5] The Fairfax County School Board voted July 23 to rename Robert E. Lee High School in Springfield after the late U.S. Congressman John R. Lewis. The new name will be effective for the 2020-21 school year. “The board heard from students, teachers and staff members, families, and the community about the … Continued