Springfield Dam

Here is an excerpt from the 2010 publication, "Fort Belvoir: Host to History United States" as written by the Department of the Army, Second Edition:

​In 1915 the US Army established Camp Belvoir, an engineer training facility, on the Belvoir Peninsula.
Camp A.A. Humphreys was established in 1917 on 1,500 acres between the Potomac River and Accotink Creek. The camp was named in honor of Civil War commander and former Chief of Engineers Major General Andrew A. Humphreys In eleven months, soldiers and civilians cleared, surveyed and constructed camp facilities. A dam on Accotink Creek was built to supply water for the 20,000 men to be stationed there. A camp newspaper described Camp Humphreys as “ the wonder city in the midst of an unbroken wilderness of forest and swamp.”

The harsh winter and Spanish flu epidemic hit the troops hard. 4,000 men were treated for the flu. 15% of the men died. By 1919, the camp was expanded to 6,000 acres. The camp would become the home for the Army Corps of Engineers and also host to summer ROTC training camps. In the 1920s, the temporary buildings were replaced by permanent structures.


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Here is an excerpt from the "Historical Lake Accotink Park" blog written by historian Mary Lipsey for the Friends of Lake Accotink Park (FLAP):

Notes From Merlin "Mac" McLaughlin​

Attached are a couple of not-great-quality pictures that I may have sent you previously. I took these on Dec 29, 1945, during a furlough while still in the Army. I'm also attaching a couple other pictures of no great significance taken in that area earlier.

The picture of the dam is the then-new dam that was built on Accotink Creek just on the north side of the RR trestle. There had been a dam in this approximate location built there during World War I to provide an emergency water supply for the DC area, but when that war was over the government dynamited a gap in that dam so as to not have to provide any further maintenance of the dam or lake. And the original lake bed became a thickly-forested area.

The Southern RR then had passenger trains. There was a passenger "Ravensworth" train stop located on the north side of the tracks maybe a quarter-mile west of the RR trestle. The passenger shelter was a simple 3-sided shed-type structure, fully open on the side of the tracks, with a bench. A woods-road departed from Rolling Road at its junction with Center Road and ran toward the Ravensworth train stop. My dad worked for the government for a short period of time, and often used that train stop during the late 1930's. That train stop disappeared due to non-use, probably about 1940 or so, but the said woods road was our primary access trail to get to that dam in the shadow of the RR trestle.

I (and a few other kids) used to occasionally visit the old previous dam and swim in the gap between the two sections of the dam, as there was a pool there with pretty good depth. And we occasionally were observers of the construction activity during WWII as the remains of the old dam were demolished and the new dam was built, again to be an emergency water supply for the DC area.

The Corps of Engineers was in charge of monitoring and patrolling the lake after the new dam had been built. I went into the Army in mid-1945, but before then several buddies and I occasionally made a couple-mile trek to go swimming in the new lake. We had made an opening beneath the security fence that surrounded the lake to gain access. Whenever we heard the sound of the patrol boat we got out of the water, crawled under the fence and waited in the woods until the boat left that area. As I recall, we went swimming there that year (1945) as early as March 31, on an unseasonably warm day (although the water was obviously still quite cold).

Eventually, as you know, the Federal Government turned the lake over to the Fairfax County Park Authority, whereupon it became known as Lake Accotink.

I've read an article or two about the present dam having been built during the first world war. But that's not true -- no part of the present dam includes any part of the old prior-existing dam.


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Here is an excerpt from the "Historical Lake Accotink Park" blog written by historian Mary Lipsey for the Friends of Lake Accotink Park (FLAP):

A Historical Timeline of the Park and Springfield Dam:

Pre- Historic. Native Americans in the park area were hunters and gatherers, who seldom moved. They Settled near streams for water and hunting. The Native Americans were attracted to the park area because of the quartz which they used to make tools, arrow and spear heads.

“Accotink” was named by the English for the largest native American village in the area. The name translates “at the end of the hill.”

1600's - late. William Fitzhugh, the Immigrant, was awarded a land grant in Virginia. Part of the grant, known as the Ravensworth Tract, included 22,000 acres in today's Fairfax County. Today's Lake Accotink Park was once part of the Ravensworth tract. William the Immigrant settled in Stafford County.

1742 - June. Virginia's General Assembly authorized the formation of Fairfax County.

1782. Part of the Ravensworth Tract was a tobacco plantation with an overseer and 203 slaves. It was the fourth largest plantation in Virginia.

1790. Fairfax County's population was 12, 320.

1797 - Circa. Fitzhugh's son, William built the Ravensworth Plantation house.

1800. Fairfax County's population was 13, 317.

1809. The next Fitzhugh to live in Ravensworth was William the Immigrant's grandson William Henry Fitzhugh, who inherited the house in 1809. William Henry was uncle to Mary Custis who would marry Robert E. Lee. Robert E. Lee's family were very close friends to the Fitzhugh family.

1831. Robert E. Lee and his wife Mary Custis spent part of their honeymoon at the Ravensworth Plantation house.

1850. Fairfax County's population was 10, 682.

1861. When Robert E. Lee joined the Confederate Army and went to Richmond in the spring of 1861, his wife Mary Custis Lee sought safety with her aunt, Anna Maria Fitzhugh, at Ravensworth. Both the Confederate and Union armies left the mansion alone during the war, but camped on the Ravensworth farm.

1874. Mrs. Lee's children inherited the plantation. Through the years, the Lee family sold off portions of the property. Some of that property would become Lake Accotink Park in the future.

1850. The Orange and Alexandria Railroad construction began. The railroad was to connect the farmers in central Virginia with the markets in Alexandria. The railroad tracks crossed through what is today Lake Accotink Park.

1861 - 1865. During the Civil War (1861-1865) the tracks were targeted by Confederate raiders.

1862 - December 28. Confederate General JEB Stuart sent 12 men under Fitz Lee, who was nephew to Confederate General Robert E. Lee, to burn the railroad bridge across the creek. They were successful in starting a fire, but did not fully destroy the bridge. Later, the bridge was rebuilt and continued to carry supplies to the Union Army.

1863 - July 26. After Confederates tried and failed to derail a train on July 26, 1863, Union General Meade put a notice in the Alexandria Gazette newspaper. He threatened severe punishment to anyone caught interfering with the railroad. Union soldiers of 155th New York and 4th Delaware camped on the south side of tracks in 1863 to protect the tracks and trains.

1895 - April. The Jovite Powder Works opened at Ditchley Station (near the park entrance on Highland Street.) The Jovite explosive was used for tunneling.

1900. Fairfax County's population was 18,580.

1900 - April. An explosion at the Jovite Powder Works injured two employees and destroyed two buildings.

1911 - May 31. US Army Corps of Engineers purchased the former Belvoir estate. The new post is named Camp A. A. Humphreys. The name was later changed to Fort Belvoir. The outlying reservation (between today's dam and Fort Belvoir) became a summer camp and rifle range for army engineers. During World War I ( 1914- 1918 ) a more permanent camp was built.

1918. A water source was needed for the troops. The Springfield Dam was built in 1918 for $100,000.The dam on Accotink Creek resulted in creating the reservoir lake of 110 acres, 23 feet deep.

1922. The dam was dismantled in 1922 when engineers felt it threatened the safety of the railroad bridge.

1934 - August. A National Park is proposed for the Accotink Creek area.

1935 – 1939. Civilian Conservation Corps camp (Army 3-Va Co. 2399-C) was stationed at Fort Belvoir. The camp had approximately 200 African- American men who were involved in “forest stand improvements, fire hazard elimination, and drainage to prevent erosion, fire trails, and re-forestation and erosion control.” (National Archives Camp report) The CCC men built a fire trail that crossed through today's park property.

1943. The dam was rebuilt in 1943 by the US Army Corps of Engineers from Fort Belvoir.

1950. Fairfax County's population was 98, 557.

1951 - June 13. The Fairfax County Park Authority was established.

????? Later, Fort Belvoir no longer needed the lake as a water supply.

1957. The last Lee relative, who lived on a portion of the Ravensworth Tract sold the property to create the subdivision Ravensworth Farm, next to the lake.

1960 - April. The County Park Authority leased the park land from the federal government for 25 years. Boating rental and a concession stand were established.

1965 - April. The Park Authority purchased 242 acres of Lake Accotink property from the federal government for $88,250

1968 - March. Fairfax County got a grant to assist in the purchase of 265 additional acres of park land.
1972 to 1982. Between 1972 and 1982 Springfield resident Ernest (Buddy) Belote operated the Lake Accotink Yacht Club on the lake. Members raced eight foot dinghies according to the rules of the International Yacht Racing Association and the American Cup.

1978. The Park Authority purchased the carousel from Fairhill Farm Antiques. The carousel was built sometime between 1937 and 1945. The twenty- six wooden horses were hand-carved.

1989. The cardboard boat regatta began at Lake Accotink. Teams or individuals build cardboard boats, held together with duct tape and glue. The boats are paddled around a prescribed course in the lake.

2000. Fairfax County's population was 969,749.

2015. Fairfax County's population was approximately 1,125,400.

2016. Lake Accotink Park is 493 acres, including the 55 acre lake.

2019 About 2017 the Fairfax County Park Authority wanted to drain the Lake. Citizens banded together to save it.