Gum Springs is a community in

Fairfax County Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is part of Northern Virginia and borders both the city of Alexandria and Arlington County and forms part of the suburban ring of Washington, D.C. ...

Hybla Valley Hybla Valley is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of Alexandria. The population was 15,801 at the 2010 census, down from 16,721 in 2000 due to a reduction in area, resulting from some of the eastward ...

along Route 1 (Richmond Highway). The African American community, the oldest in the county, was established in 1833 by

West Ford West Ford ( 1784 – 1863) was the caretaker and manager of Mount Vernon, which had been the home of George Washington. Ford also founded Gum Springs, Virginia near Mount Vernon. He was a man of mixed-race, and possibly of Washington descent. ...

, a

freedman A freedman or freedwoman is a formerly enslaved person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, enslaved people were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their captor-owners), emancipation (granted freedom a ...

who had been manumitted by Hannah Bushrod Washington (widow of

John Augustine Washington John Augustine Washington (January 13, 1736–January 8, 1787; nicknamed "Jack") was a Virginia planter, slave owner and politician, perhaps best known as the younger brother of General (then President) George Washington or the father of Supreme ...

), in 1805. A historical marker (Number E-04) was erected by the

Virginia Department of Historic Resources The Virginia Department of Historic Resources is the State Historic Preservation Office for the Commonwealth of Virginia. The agency maintains the Virginia Landmarks Register (the first step for properties and districts in Virginia seeking listin ...

in 1991.

History

Founding

In 1833, Gum Springs was founded by

, a freed slave, skilled carpenter, and manager on

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

's plantation, Mount Vernon. Ford was able to develop this 214-acre farming community from the sale of land he inherited from Hannah Washington, the sister-in-law of George Washington. By 1866, Ford was the second richest free black farmer in Fairfax County, Virginia. Gum Springs Farm became the nucleus of an African-American community throughout the 1800s.

Gum Springs School

The school was established after the Civil War.

Bethlehem Baptist Church

The church was established in 1863.

Odd Fellows Hall

The Pride of Fairfax Lodge #298 building, formerly known as the Mount Vernon Enterprise Lodge No. 3488, is listed on the Fairfax County Inventory of Historic Sites, the

Virginia Landmarks Register The Virginia Landmarks Register (VLR) is a list of historic properties in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The state's official list of important historic sites, it was created in 1966. The Register serves the same purpose as the National Registe ...

(VLR) on December 9, 2021; and the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

(NRHP) on April 14, 2022.

Joint Stock Club

In 1890, the Joint Stock Club was formed by five men. This endeavor helped create a safe place for African Americans to obtain land. All land was collaboratively bought, sold and subdivided at cost to other African Americans at a price of $30 an acre.

Snowden Cemetery

Woodland Baptist Church

Gum Springs Historical Society and Museum

Gum Springs Historical Society and Museum is dedicated to preserving the legacy of Gum Springs Community and regularly disseminates information that tells the story of the Community's economic struggle and dedication to building an African-American community. A historical marker is located at the corner of Richmond Highway and Fordson Road ( 38° 44.909′ N, 77° 4.965′ W).

Notable people

*West Ford *Saunders B. Moon *Annie M. (Dandridge) Smith *Reverend Samuel K. Taylor