Old Cameron Valley School (Site)

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

What’s in a Name?
Cameron Elementary School is named after the Cameron area which was the residence of General Samuel Cooper. He served in the United States Army from 1815 to 1861. His wife was the granddaughter of the patriot George Mason, who signed the Declaration of Independence. General Cooper was also the proprietor of Gunston Hall which is standing today on the Potomac River in southern Fairfax County. During the Civil War, the Cameron Mansion was torn down by Union troops who had decided to build a powder magazine on the site. Learn more about the origin of the name Cameron in this video produced for Fairfax County Public Schools’ cable television channel Red Apple 21:

Cameron Elementary School opened in September 1953. The origin of its name can ultimately be traced to Thomas, the Sixth Lord Fairfax, Baron of Cameron for whom Fairfax County is named. Part of Lord Fairfax’s title, Cameron, has been used for nearly 300 years as a name for Fairfax County waterways, homes, and roads. Cameron Run, a creek north of Cameron Elementary School, is a tributary of Great Hunting Creek which flows into the Potomac River. A historic plantation called Cameron, once located north of Cameron Run along Quaker Lane, was the home of General Samuel Cooper, the highest-ranking officer in the Confederate Army. During the American Civil War, Cooper’s home was destroyed by Union Army soldiers, and Fort Williams was constructed on the site. The first public school located in the vicinity opened in the 1870s, in a small hamlet on Telegraph Road south of Cameron Run. Known variously as the Valley School, Pulman School, and Cameron School, it was replaced in 1892, by a new one-room structure located three quarters of a mile to the south on Telegraph Road. This new schoolhouse, called the Cameron School, was built on land donated by sisters Anne and Elizabeth Frobel of nearby Wilton Hill. The school served for 40 years, closing in 1932. By the early 1950s, the small hamlet on Telegraph Road, once known as Cameron, had become known as Happy Valley. In May 1952, the Fairfax County School Board chose Happy Valley Elementary School as the name for the new school under construction in that area. However, the school board grew dissatisfied with the name, and voted to rename it Cameron Elementary School in January 1953.
Cameron Elementary School preserves in its name the rich history of the Cameron community and its schools of yesteryear.

Choosing a Name
Shortly after construction began, the School Board was approached by David Scull, President of the Board of Directors of the Burgundy Farm Country Day School. Mr. Scull requested that the name of the new elementary school be something other than Burgundy in order to avoid confusion with his school which had already been in operation for several years. On May 29, 1952, Mrs. Beatrice Claire Lofchie, Chairman of the committee for naming the new school under construction in Burgundy Village, submitted three names to the School Board for consideration: Cameron Run, Happy Valley, and Elmwood. Superintendent W. T. Woodson suggested that Cameron was a good choice because there had been a one-room schoolhouse in the area by that name. However, the School Board selected the name Happy Valley instead.

The Cameron School, also known as the Cameron Valley School, was located on Telegraph Road near Wilton Road. The school opened circa 1893 and closed in 1932. Photograph courtesy of the Franconia Museum.


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Here follows an excerpt from the Spring 2008 edition of the "Franconia Legacies" newsletter published by the Franconia Museum:

IN MEMORIAM:
William Lee “Tickey” Young - April 15, 1930 – August 31, 2007

Tickey Young (age 77) entered “Eternal Life” this Fall. He was buried at his hunting and fishing farm estate (100 acres), in the Young Memorial Cemetery. The cemetery is located at the intersection of Big and Little Stoney Creeks near Woodstock, Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley.

William, Bill, Tickey Young, or however you remember him, was born in the old Alexandria Hospital on Duke Street. The Young family lived in Del Ray, Alexandria at the time, and later moved to Fairfax County at 5966 Telegraph Road (the house still stands). In 1939 the family moved to Franconia at the intersection of Grovedale Drive and Beulah Road. An office building now stands at the home site. Later, the Young family moved south on Beulah Road, with a mailing address of Route 5, Box 389, Alexandria, Virginia. This move was to a thirty acre farm, which had previously been owned by the Fitzgerald family. They operated the Fitzgerald Grocery in Franconia, located at the intersection of Grovedale Drive and Franconia Road, across from Roger’s Feed Store. The farm is now part of a subdivision located across the street from the Beulah Street 7-11 store.

Tickey graduated from Mount Vernon High School in the class of 1948, and was able to attend his fifty year class reunion at the Belle Haven Country Club on October 24-25, 1998. After graduation, Tickey worked for his father at Young and Son Heating & Air Conditioning Company ,before being drafted into the Army in 1951. He served at Fort Meade, Maryland, Fort Knox, Kentucky, and in South Korea. He helped to build the Kempo Airport in Seoul, Korea. Tickey and his younger brother Charles were able to visit one another while stationed in Korea. Charlie had enlisted earlier in the U.S. Marine Corps, and saw extensive combat, making numerous amphibious landing assaults as a Marine Rifleman, on the eastern coast of Korea. All of the Young brothers, Jim, Tickey and Charles, served in the military during the Korean conflict.

Tickey’s marriage to Barbara Tapprich ended in divorce. They had three children; David Charles of Lynchburg, Virginia; William Mark, and Rebecca Lee both of Woodstock, Virginia. His second wife, Vallie Duval Young resides in Stanley, Virginia. He is also survived by two brothers; Jim of Springfield, Virginia; Charlie of Elkton, Virginia; and a sister, JoAnne Graham of Lopez Island, Washington State.

Tickey was associated with the heating and air conditioning industry in the Metropolitan Washington, D. C. area his entire working life. He received numerous awards from the building industry for his drafting, sketching, and mechanical construction skills.

In retirement Tickey purchased a beautiful home in Stanley, Virginia. He collected guns, brewed a large variety of wines, and did extensive wood working projects. However, his most favored activities were hunting and fishing. A large amount of his time was spent at his hunting and fishing farm estate near Woodstock. He often said he had become a “mountain man” in retirement. He loved hunting and fishing and could tell all the associated tales, even if you did not ask to hear them. Tickey taught Hunter Education to thousands of young people throughout the Shenandoah Valley, as part of Virginia’s hunter safety programs. He was also a Mason for most of his adult life.

I believe Tickey would want me, his brother Jim, to acknowledge each of you. So “hello” to his many childhood friends in Franconia, who helped him grow up and to make his early life so enjoyable. These special friends include: Johnny Milstead and family; the Uhler family, Bobby and Peggy; the Cooke family, Jac, Bill, Bob, David, and Bev; Buddy and Betty Nalls; the Flinchum family; the Jones family; the Cole family, Jean; the Flammer family; the Wright family; the Stewart family, Rodney and Jeffrey; the Milton Alexander family, Joe; and all the other wonderful folks.

Tickey would have said in summary, “I had a good life, I did my best, I had a family, and I took good care of my children. I served my country with honor, and I had fun along the way. It was a great adventure, and I thank all of those who helped me along the way, especially those in Franconia. I love my children and I wish all of you the best. It was a great adventure—I look forward to seeing you, but not too soon, as your journey progresses. Bless you.”