Historic Marker: Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

On April 5, 2008 at Lake Accotink Park, Fairfax County celebrated the CCC's 75th anniversary and unveiled an historic marker commemorating the CCC's contributions to the county.


In the photo on the right, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald E. Connolly (center), Vice Chairman and Braddock District Supervisor Sharon Bulova, and Bill Sheads unveil the marker. In the second photo, Park Director Tawny Hammond (left, partially obscured) and Mary Lipsey join the group.

Bill Sheads' memory of a CCC-built fire road provided the seed for Mary Lipsey's research and effort within the Fairfax County History Commission to approve the historic marker.

The marker stands beside the path of the former fire road, now entrance to the park headquarters building. It reads: "THE CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS - During the Depression, in 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration established the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to help unemployed men, ages 18 to 25. CCC men created state parks, improved soil conservation, conducted reforestation and constructed fire trails. The men received food, clothing, shelter, health care, education and were paid $30 monthly, of which $25 was sent home. Projects of the racially segregated Fort Belvoir CCC camp, Army 3 VA-2399 C ("Colored"), included building fire trails through forested areas of Fairfax County. One such trail started at Old Keene Mill Road, crossed nearby Accotink Creek, and ended at Backlick Road. The Fairfax County History Commission, 2007"

Photos courtesy of John Browne

Camp Reports: Civilian Conservation Corps No. 2339C Camp

CCC No. 2399C Camp, also known as Army-3VA Camp, was located at the U.S. Army's Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County. A racially segregated unit, it was comprised of African Americans except for assigned Army Reserve officers and other leaders. The Camp's work on reforestation and fire control projects included road construction and firefighting in and near Braddock District. A significant but nearly forgotten contribution was construction in the 1930s of an access road through an extensive forest area bounded by Braddock, Rolling, Backlick and Old Keene Mill roads. Erased by suburban development, the road no longer appears on current maps. Today, that former forest has been replaced largely by the community of Springfield and Lake Accotink Park. Lake Accotink was originally created during World War I as a water source for Fort Belvoir.

Two camp inspection reports - for March 21, 1936 and March 8, 1938 - provide insights into the people, operations and life of CCC No. 2399C Camp, including:
--Location, size and description of camp and its facilities
--U.S. Army Reserve officers, camp leaders and personnel assigned
--Compensation
--Details about camp sanitation, medical services, motor vehicles and safety program
--Evaluation ratings on camp facilities, conditions, personnel and morale
--Food, meals and daily menus
--Mission, responsibilities, work projects and plans
--Sports and recreation
--Religious services
--Health, including deaths of camp personnel
--Education, including efforts to eliminate illiteracy

Courtesy of Mary Lipsey; obtained during her research of the CCC from the The National Archives and Records Administration.

Essay: Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

In a chance conversation with Mary Lipsey, Bill Sheads mentioned the CCC's work in the 1930s in building a road through what was then an extensive forest, likely for fire control access. The CCC's role was all but forgotten and the road, erased by suburban development, had disappeared from current maps. Mary's research has verified the road's construction and location and led to creation of the first historic marker to commemorate the CCC's contributions to Fairfax County.

Courtesy of Mary Lipsey

Archeological Investigation Report: Guinea Road Cemetery

The Louis Berger Group, Inc., on behalf of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), conducted an archeological investigation of the Guinea Road Cemetery in preparation for road construction at that site.

Located at the intersection of Little River Turnpike (Rt. 236) and Guinea Road, the 19th century cemetery's visible traces had been erased by previous development over the years. However, the cemetery had long been known as an ancestral burial place to descendants of former slaves Horace Gibson and Moses Parker.

Descendant Dennis Howard assisted with the investigation, including providing historical family information. On September 30, 2006, Archaeologist Charles Rinehart of the Louis Berger Group delivered a presentation on their investigations at a Gibson-Parker family reunion.

Subsequent to the information reported here, further archeological investigations were completed from December 2007 to January 2008, when pavement surfaces were removed during road construction. In March 2009, VDOT issued a final report prepared by the Louis Berger Group - "Data Recovery At Guinea Road Cemetery (Site 44FX1664) Route 236 (Little River Turnpike)" - which is available in the Fairfax City Regional Library, Virginia Room.

The investigation of the Guinea Road Cemetery was funded by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The information presented by the Fairfax County A Look Back At Braddock project in this web site is provided courtesy of VDOT and FHWA. Presentation of this information, however, should not be construed as an endorsement, explicitly or implicitly, by VDOT or FHWA of the services of the Louis Berger Group, Inc. or the authors.

Historic Survey Report: King's Grant

Survey description of King's Grant, dated July 17, 1974, for the Fairfax County Department of Historic Resources Reconnaissance Level Survey.

Historic Marker: The Guinea Road Cemetery Reinterment

This historic marker in Pleasant Valley Memorial Park Cemetery commemorates the reinterment of remains from the Guinea Road Cemetery. The marker reads: "The Guinea Road Cemetery Reinterment. Virginia aristocrat William Fitzhugh was granted 21,996 acres in 1694: The Ravensworth tract, which was divided into northern and southern halves in 1701 and subsequently subdivided among Fitzhugh heirs throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. The cemetery located at Guinea Road and Little River Turnpike (Route 236) was part of the northern half of the original tract. The community of Ilda grew around this cemetery in the late 19th century. Families of local tenant farmers, African American slaves and Freedmen are believed to have been buried at the Guinea Road Cemetery. The remains were reinterred at this site by the Virginia Department of Transportation in 2006."

Photo by Mary Lipsey

Guinea Road Cemetery Excavation

The Virginia Department of Transportation's (VDOT) excavation of the Guinea Road Cemetery was conducted under the guidance of archaeologists, with care to identify and preserve all remains and artifacts. They discovered only one tombstone; the inscription which could be read was "S.A. Williams" "11 years" and "1851."

Tombstone image by Mary Lipsey; excavation image, courtesy, Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT)

Guinea Road Cemetery

When road construction threatened the Guinea Road Cemetery in 2004, the Virginia Department of Transportation sought information about those buried there. Dennis Howard of Springfield told the history of his family members, the families of slaves and freedmen, buried in the graveyard.

Mary Lipsey

Oral History: Dennis Howard

Dennis Howard traces part of the history of African Americans in Fairfax County from the nineteenth century. He recreates the story of his own family from slavery to the present day. His ancestor, Horace Gibson, and fellow former slave Moses Parker established a blacksmith shop and purchased land near the intersection of Little River Turnpike and Prosperity Avenue after the Civil War. The partners eventually expanded their holdings to 400 acres, and the area later became known as Ilda.

Library, Manassas Industrial School

Students in the library of the Manassas Industrial School during the 1950s. Jennie Dean, born a slave in Prince William County, founded the Manassas Industrial School for Colored Youth in 1894. Originally a private boarding school, it was a segregated regional high school for African Americans between 1938 and 1966. Students came from the area north of the Rappahannock River, providing their own transportation or boarding on campus during the week. Students followed academic subjects and skilled trade courses.

Courtesy of the Manassas Museum System, Manassas, Virginia

Manassas Museum photos are copyrighted and for use only with permission of the Museum.