Home of Moses Parker

Home of Moses Parker

Moses Parker, a former slave who purchased his freedom, opened a blacksmith shop on Little River Turnpike with his partner, former slave, Horace Gibson. Gibson and Parker moved to Fairfax from Culpeper, purchasing five acres of land each near the intersection of Guinea Road and Little River Turnpike. By 1878, they owned 400 acres which formed the community of Ilda, likely named after the daughter of Horace Gibson and daughter-in-law of Moses Parker.

Courtesy of the family of Hareem Badil-Abish, from the book Shades of Gray: A Beginning...The Origins and Development of a Black Family in Fairfax, VA by Hareem Badil-Abish

Hareem Badil-Abish photos are copyrighted and may be reproduced or otherwise used only with written permission of the family of Hareem Badil-Abish.