Freedmen's School (Site)

These coordinates mark the exact spot where the school once stood. No visible remains exist.


<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>
<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>

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

Due to racial segregation in public education, there were two schools in the vicinity of Woodlawn mansion, both named Woodlawn - one for white students and the other for Black students. The Woodlawn School for Black children was located on Woodlawn Road north of its intersection with Meeres Road on land that is presently part of Fort Belvoir. It replaced an earlier school that had been established in the mid-1860s with assistance from the Freedmen’s Bureau. Built around 1888, the second schoolhouse closed in 1941 during the expansion of Fort Belvoir and its students were reassigned to the school at Gum Springs.


<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>
<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>

Here follows an excerpt from the "Northern Virginia History Notes" blog:

Educating Freedmen During Reconstruction in Fairfax County
by Debbie Robison
December 6, 2014

In 1865 the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands (Freedmen’s Bureau) conducted a census of African Americans living in Fairfax County and found that of the 2,941 people listed, 128 were able to read. It is likely that many of those who could read were free before the Civil War. Although Virginia made it illegal in 1819 for slaves to meet at schools to learn to read and write, it wasn’t until 1831 that this restriction extended to free blacks.

African Americans in Fairfax County began obtaining educational instruction prior to the end of the Civil War. Most of the schools established in the mid–to–late 1860s were formed as a cooperative effort between the Freedmen’s Bureau, who supplied materials and funds to build the schools, the Friends’ Association (of Philadelphia) for the Aid and Elevation of the Freedmen, who supplied teachers and books, and the freedmen who provided labor to build the schools and, when possible, funds to purchase school lots and assist in paying teacher salaries. Congress established the Freedmen’s Bureau as part of the War Department on March 3, 1865.

Maj. General Oliver Otis Howard

Maj. Gen. Oliver Otis Howard, Commissioner of the Freedmen’s Bureau, ordered assistant commissioners to appoint an officer in each state to serve as Superintendent of Schools. Superintendents were instructed to supervise the education of refugees and freedmen, secure protection for schools and teachers, aid in maintaining schools, and correspond with benevolent societies in securing teachers to staff schools. Rev. John Kimball was appointed Superintendent of Education for the District of Columbia in August 1865. His district included Fairfax County until responsibility for the County transferred to the Superintendent of Education for Virginia in 1867. The Freedmen’s Bureau employees who had the greatest impact, however, were the assistant superintendents stationed in Fairfax County who worked with freedmen and residents to establish schools.

From 1864 to 1868, fifteen schools were established in Fairfax County for freedmen that were supported, in one way or another, by the Freedmen’s Bureau. There were also private schools in the Gum Springs area, in Falls Church, and possibly at Springfield and Burkes Station.

The Freedmen’s Bureau recommended new school locations and administered the schools. Teachers were required to submit monthly reports that enumerated school statistics, such as the number of students, average attendance, and the number of students who could read, write, and solve arithmetic problems. The number of students studying geography and needlework was also reported.

Woodlawn (aka Accotink)

The school at Woodlawn was opened on June 15, 1866 by teacher Sarah E. Lloyd. She initially had 13 students which increased rapidly to 40 students. Where she held class is unknown; however, she noted that her class could have been larger had the room where the school was held been bigger. During the summer break, it was anticipated that the area African Americans would construct a house for church and school purposes.

In August 1866 George and Warrington Gillingham, Quakers from New Jersey who owned part of the Woodlawn estate, sold one acre of land to the Woodlawn Colored Meeting and School Association for forty dollars. The trustees of the Association were William Holland, John Green, William Franklin Moore, James Dent, and Stephen Blair. The lot was located at the present-day location of the Woodlawn Methodist Cemetery.

The number of pupils who attended the school continued to increase. By April 1867 there were 91 scholars, the second highest enrollment of African Americans in Fairfax County. The school building was of frame construction and measured 30x18.