Franconia Elementary School

Here follows a history of the school as published on the Fairfax County Public Schools website:

The following is an excerpt from The Springfield & Franconia Times, January 31, 1973, by Barbara Lovelace:

"To some Franconia residents this brief history is a familiar part of their lives. Those who are new to the Springfield-Franconia area might like to go back to the year 1872. During the year of 1872, Franconia saw its first public school built. The school was the second house before the railroad bridge. The house still stands on the original spot and looks exactly as it did at the time with the exception of the picture window in the front. Originally the school was gray and is now painted green. Boys at that time used to play ball on the west side of the house in the potato patch...

You cannot mention the history of Franconia Elementary School without including the name of Higham. Mrs. Kathie Higham, who has lived in Franconia since 1916, owned the property on which the school stands. In 1916, Mr. and Mrs. Higham bought a farm with about 50 acres and moved into the white farmhouse. The Higham's called their farm "Twin Oaks" and their home was located four doors up from the school on Franconia Road. In 1931, while Mr. Woodson was superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools, Mrs. Higham sold about two acres of her farm to Fairfax County and the school started as a four-room schoolhouse with an auditorium. Fairfax County later purchased two more acres for the playground. When school was dedicated on January 29, 1932, the students numbered 114. Building additions have been made to the school in 1938, 1948, 1953, and 1956. The end of 1972 saw the completion of a new wing housing office, library, and classrooms."

What's in a Name?
Should our name be spelled Franconia or Frankhonia? Learn about the origin of our school's name in this video:

Franconia Elementary School opened in January 1932. The name Franconia is derived from the name of an historic farm. In 1859 William Fowle, a merchant in Alexandria, purchased 191 acres from Joseph Broders.
Fowle named his property Franconia farm. In the early 1870s William's son, Robert Rollins Fowle sold part of the farm to the Alexandria and Fredericksburg Railway Company for a station. The station was named Franconia after the farm. Eventually the thriving farming community around the station became known as Franconia. The first school serving this community was a one-room schoolhouse built prior to the founding of Fairfax County Public Schools on land owned by Thompson Javins. After the creation of the public school system, Javins sold the property to the school trustees of Mount Vernon district for use as a public school in 1878. Granderson and Mathilda Javins gave additional land for use by the school trustees. Very few records remain to describe the next 30 years of the school's history. In this photograph from 1929, the Franconia School had two rooms. It is unclear whether this building is an expansion of the earlier one-room school or a separate schoolhouse. By the late 1920s, the Franconia School was too small to support the number of students from the rapidly growing community. A new four room brick building was constructed in 1931 and dedicated the following January. This school building has seen many renovations and additions over the years and continues to carry on the rich tradition of education in the Franconia community.

The First School
The first Franconia School, described above by Barbara Lovelace, was located on present day Old Franconia Road. The building was torn down several decades ago. Its location is shown on the following map of Fairfax County drawn in 1878. Pictured on the right is the Franconia School, circa 1930, when the building was still in use as a schoolhouse.

Franconia Elementary School opened at its current location on February 1, 1932. Our school initially had four classrooms and an auditorium. The building, with the exception of the plumbing and heating plant, was constructed by the Industrial Engineering and Construction Company of Washington, D.C., for $14,382.

Our school opened in the midst of the Great Depression. On September 5, 1933, the Fairfax County School Board applied for financial aid from the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works (PWA) for a grant of $10,000 to construct the first addition to our school. The following photograph was taken before the first addition was constructed.

Hot Soup
The original building had no cafeteria so everyone brought their own lunch to school. However, many families struggled to provide their children with decent lunches because they couldn’t afford to buy food. This was long before the days of free and reduced-price meals, and it wasn’t until President Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated in 1933 and his New Deal program went into effect that relief came to these families. Alvin Dennis, a student at Franconia Elementary during this time, recalled that local farmers and parents would donate vegetables and the mothers of students would volunteer to prepare a hot soup that was served at lunchtime.

The Baby Boom
World War II and the growth of the Federal Government had a profound effect on Fairfax County and its public school system. The period of population growth that followed the war is known as the baby boom. In September 1950, there were 16,163 children enrolled in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS). By September 1960 that number would climb to 59,870.

As the school-age population steadily rose, the few FCPS schools in operation at that time quickly became overcrowded. The strain on classroom space at Franconia Elementary School was tremendous. Four classrooms were housed at the Franconia Fire Station, three more classrooms were held in portable buildings called Quonset huts, and two classrooms were held in a makeshift, tarpaper-covered wooden shack. These, plus eleven classrooms in Franconia Elementary, accommodated 762 children in 1952.

New Schools
Some relief in class size finally came with the opening of Bush Hill, Cameron, and Garfield elementary schools in 1953 and 1954. Several additions to Franconia Elementary School were constructed during the baby boom era, in 1948, 1953, and 1956.

Integration
The next major change to come to Franconia Elementary School happened in the early 1960s. When Franconia opened, public schools in Virginia were segregated by race. African-American children living in our area originally attended Laurel Grove, a one-room schoolhouse that still stands today on Beulah Road. After Laurel Grove closed, the children were bussed to schools at Gum Springs on Route 1. All racially segregated public schools in Fairfax County were closed at the end of the 1965-66 school year, marking the beginnings of the ethnically and culturally diverse Franconia school community we know today.

A New Look
The next classroom additions to our school were constructed in 1971 and 1986. During our most recent renovation, the original 1932 portion of Franconia Elementary was torn down and new classrooms were constructed in its place. The façade facing Franconia Road was designed to pay homage to the look of the original building.


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Here follows an excerpt from the Spring 2006 "Franconia Legacies" newsletter published by the Franconia Museum:

“FIRST LADY OF FRANCONIA” - Clara Agnes Bradley Walter
Written by Jac Walker

Together, Clara and James were instrumental in starting the Franconia School PTA in 1939-40, separating school related activities from the Community Civic League. They were active in many school projects including the kitchen (before the cafeteria), and the clearing of land for school playground equipment.


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Here follows an excerpt from the Spring 2007 "Franconia Legacies" newsletter published by the Franconia Museum:

Undefeated 1947 Franconia Elementary School Baseball Team

“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” said Bob Warwick who visited our museum on Saturday, March 24, 2007. This visit was a pleasant surprise as he had traveled a long distance from his home in Summerville, South Carolina. Bob is pictured standing beside the team picture which had been made into a poster for display in the museum.

This team did not lose a single game in 1947. They proudly wore new and complete uniforms, grey with red trim. Their coach/teacher and friend, Miss Lorraine Dove, had worked to raise funds to purchase them.

Bob was the catcher and is pictured far right in the row standing. Other team members were: Edward Dodson, Jimmy Johnson, Edwin Darr, Harvey Magner, Jimmy Woodard, George Gorham, Sonny Wright, Louis Lyles and Lewis Cook.

This picture from had been saved and preserved by Kathryn Ogden who was one of the team’s cheerleaders.


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Franconia Remembers, Volume I
October 2005 (pg 1-2)
FRANCONIA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
An Address by Lynn Fitzgerald June 10, 1982

Tonight we are celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of our Franconia school building. However the original Franconia school was built in 1872. This one room schoolhouse, with its well and outside privies, was located on Franconia Road next to the railroad tracks and was the only elementary school between Groveton and Annandale.

About 1930, as the community’s growth became a concern, several families - the Highams, Simms, Cookes, Smiths, Nalls, Rogers, Peverills, Schurtz, Lyles, Devers, Talberts and others - began to institute the idea which 50 years later stands upon this spot. In 1931 Mrs. Kathie Higham offered Fairfax County two acres of her farmland to build a school for the growing Franconia community.

The new building was dedicated on January 29, 1932, before a crowd of over 400. When the new school opened its doors to 114 students it consisted of four classrooms, an auditorium, office and library. The first principal was Christine (Ferguson) Knopp, who taught the 7th grade. She is still a Franconia resident. Two other teachers were Evelyn (Broders) Smith who taught 1st grade and is still residing here with her daughter, and Dorothy (Anderson) Higham who taught 4th/5th grade and later the 6th grade.

Another person who became involved was the school Custodian, Mr. Jenkins (Jinks) Walker. Jinks as we called him, was much more than a Custodian to me and other students. He was a Guardian and Counselor at many times. Some of his sons and daughters still reside on Beulah Street. Mr. Joseph Starry was the bus operator and played a large role in the continuing operation of this school. His wife still resides in this area.

Mrs. Higham was instrumental in setting up the first cafeteria or “soup kitchen” at Franconia. She worked with Mrs. Maude Simms [who owned the farm which is now Maple Grove] to make soup from donated foods and deliver it to the classrooms. They worked in the room which had been designated as the library. Students brought their own Brown Bags and could get soup for five cents. The Bathers Simms, who lived immediately in front of the school on their farm (now Maple Grove), could be counted upon when a cup of flour was needed to make paste, or a student needed medicine, or a nail and hammer was wanted to hang a picture.


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Franconia Remembers, Volume II
March 2005 (pg 25-26)
The Higham Family of Franconia
By Diane Burgess

Kathie Higham was always there when the community needed her. Kathie and her friend Maude Simms decided that Kathie’s property on the corner of Beulah and Franconia Roads would be an excellent school site. It was very much needed in the community. So they decided to go to the County Board of Supervisors with the idea. Kathie was willing to donate a portion of the land. The problem was that they went to the Supervisors monthly meeting twice and each time the Supervisors stopped the meetings for lunch and told them to come back the next month. Now you don’t discourage women like Kathie Higham and Maude Simms. So the third month they went to the Supervisors monthly meeting and when lunch time came around the ladies said “We brought your lunch and we want you to hear our plan!” The County Board of Supervisors agreed and the school was built and finished and the school opened in October of 1932. Kathie and Maude also started a soup kitchen for the children so they would have a hot lunch. Times were hard and many children couldn’t afford a good meal. People would donate food and their time to help out.


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ALEXANDRIA GAZETTE
February 4, 1932 (pg 3)
FRANCONIA NEW SCHOOL IS DEDICATED

Over 400 Attend Exercises, Dr. E. V. Register, of Alexandria, Speaks (Special to Gazette)
FRANCONIA—The new four-room school and auditorium recently completed here was dedicated Tuesday, a crowd of over 400 persons attending the special program and dedication ceremonies, presented under the auspices of the Franconia School and Community League, with John Martin, president in charge.

The principal speaker of the evening was Dr. E. V. Register, of Alexandria, who praised the people of the community for the progress made in securing modern school facilities for their children’s welfare. Superintendent of Schools Wilbert T. Woodson also made a short talk in which he outlined the features of the school.

The program of entertainment presented consisted of special numbers by the pupils, solos by Mrs. Stephen Fields, Mrs. Parker Richardson, Miss Gretta Ludwig and Roland Wheeler. Piano accompanists were Mrs. Stephen Fields and Miss Gretta Ludwig. Readings were given by Mrs. J. Norman Davis and Mrs. J. C. Marsh.

A large American flag was presented to the school by the Mary Washington and Mount Vernon Councils, Daughters of America, the flag being accepted by Superintendent W. T. Woodson. Following the program refreshments were served by the ladies of the league.

The building which is modern in every detail was erected at a cost of approximately $21,000, including the land needed for the school grounds. It is located at the intersection of the Franconia and Beulah Roads. Funds for its erection was raised by a special levy for Mount Vernon district and a loan from the State literary fund, in addition to a fund of approximately $5,000 which the school board had on hand, credited to Mount Vernon district. A portion of the cost of the school lot was borne by residents of the community, funds being raised under the direction of the school league.

The school is of brick construction, containing four well lighted and ventilated class rooms and a large auditorium. A modern heating plant is installed, and the water supply is obtained from a deep well. Slate blackboards have been installed, and all new furniture placed in the building. The desks are movable. One feature of the building is that it is wired for radio installation in each room, the radio control being operated from the principal’s office.


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FAIRFAX HERALD
Fairfax, Va., Friday, February 5, 1932

FRANCONIA SCHOOL
Classes Started in New Building, Monday Morning Last. Dedication Exercises held Tuesday night. Flag Presented and Speeches Made. Fine School Plant.

The placing of the furniture in position in various rooms and the connecting the building for electricity was completed at the new Franconia school building Friday last, and Monday morning classes were held in it for the first time. Dedicatory exercises, under the auspices of the Franconia School League, and other civic bodies of that section, were held Tuesday night in the auditorium of the new school and were attended by a large throng of the parents and children and of friends of the school. The invocation was by Rev. C. A. Langston, rector of Pohick Church. A flag was presented to the school by the Daughters of America, which was received with appropriate remarks, by W. T. Woodson, superintendent of schools. Rev. Dr. F. V. Register of Alexandria made an interesting address on the schools and their work and the rest of the program was made up of musical selections and recitations. The new building is the latest thing in a country school and is designed to meet the needs of its section for ten or more years. It is brick construction and contains four large class rooms, with an auditorium, and is so planned that it can be added to as needed in the future. A novel feature of the new building is that each room is equipped with a radio loud speaker, controlled by a set in the office of the principal. It cost approximately $20,000, financed by a special school levy of five cents on the hundred dollars of valuation and by a loan from the State literary fund.


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Here follows an excerpt from the Spring 2009 "Franconia Legacies" newsletter published by the Franconia Museum:

The Dennis family were very important figures in Franconia Elementary School History. Lynda Duane Dennis’ grandfather, Wilbert J. Dennis, built the new Franconia School in 1931-32. He liked Franconia so much that he decided to make his home here. Lynda’s father, Alvin E. Dennis, Jr. provided his memories of early Franconia School life in Franconia Remembers, Vol. I.


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Here follows an excerpt from the Fall 2018 edition of the "Franconia Legacies" newsletter published by the Franconia Museum:

ANOTHER GENERATION BEGINS AT FRANCONIA SCHOOL
Sadie Bracco will learn in the same room that her mother, Sara Simms Bracco did, and Beau Gorham will learn in the same room his father, Richard W. Gorham, did when Sara and Richard first started at Franconia. Beau is the fifth generation of the Higham family and the fourth generation of the Gorham family to attend the school. Sadie is the fourth generation of the Simms family to attend Franconia Elementary School.

Beau’s parents are Richard Gorham and Hollis Alexander Gorham. He also has a sister, Byer, who will follow in his footsteps. Beau’s grandmother on the Higham side is Debbi Higham Gorham, his great grandfather was William H. Higham, Jr., and his great-great grandfather was William H. Higham, Sr. His grandfather on the Gorham side is Richard H. Gorham, and his great grandfather was Howard L. Gorham. Sadie’s parents are Sara Simms Bracco and Nick Bracco. Her grandfather is Ron Simms, and her great grandfather was Bather Simms. The family stories are part of the Museum’s Franconia Remembers series — the Highams in Volume I, the Simms in Volume III, and the Gorhams in Volume VIII.

The current Franconia School building opened in 1932, and has been added onto five times. The property was purchased the previous year from Beau’s great-great grandmother, Kathie Higham. Franconia School originally began in 1872 at a nearby location.