Collections

Bill Sheads' family moved to the Braddock District in 1903, before he was born. Bill was drafted when he was 19 years old, and inducted into the U. S. Army in 1943. This collection includes an oral history, letters, and photographs of his service in Europe and marriage.

Dennis Howard remembers segregation in Fairfax County and the change to integrated schools. Photographs in this collection date his family history to the nineteenth century and highlight the history of Ilda, an African American community in the heart of Fairfax County. The photographs are subject to use restrictions and may not be reproduced without permission of the family of Hareem Badil-Abish.

Suzanne Fowler Neal grew up in Burke, living for a part of her childhood in the historic Silas Burke house. Her oral history and artifacts recall childhood in more rural days and the direction of neighborhood development.

Tom Giska joined the science faculty at Lake Braddock High School in 1974, the school's second year in operation. A member of the Burke Historical Society, he served a term as president and has maintained the society's records since it stopped active operations. His collection includes an oral history and donations from the Burke Historical Society's extensive slide collection on the history of Burke, Virginia.

Lee Hubbard's family can trace its roots in Fairfax County to the 1700s. In addition to an oral history, the Lee Hubbard collection reflects district activities during the World War II era and the founding of the Fairfax County Police Department.

The Manassas Museum collection includes photographs of the Manassas Industrial School, a segregated high school for African American students. These photographs are subject to use restrictions and may not be reproduced without permission of the Manassas Museum.

The Photographic Archive and other collections of the Fairfax County Public Library's Virginia Room include photographs and documents on the history of the Braddock District.

Mary Lipsey, a retired history teacher, guided A Look Back at Braddock oral interviewing and authored this website's education activities and lesson plans. Chris Lipsey sketched scenes and locations in the Braddock District, creating images visualizing the written record. Chris' sketches are subject to use restrictions and may not be reproduced without his permission.

Gilbert Donahue, digital archivist and photographer for the task force of A Look Back At Braddock, prepared almost all images for publication. Images in the Gilbert Donahue collection are photographs he shot for the project. Gil's photos are subject to use restrictions and may not be reproduced without his permission.