Photograph (Framed) P-019

Fairfax County Gum Springs Mapped Area

Gum Springs, Virginia, is a historic African American community founded in 1833 by West Ford, a formerly enslaved man who was freed by the Washington family and given land. This land would go on to serve as a crucial hub for Black both freed and runaways before, during, and after the Civil War. Gum Springs holds the distinction of being the oldest Black enclave in Fairfax County, Virginia. (West Ford Collection)