Wilton Woods Center

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

School History: Wilton Woods Elementary School
Remembering Our Past

Wilton Woods Elementary School was designed by H. D. Nottingham and Associates and built by Whitener & Skillman Construction, Inc. at a cost of $395,499. The building opened its doors to students for the first time on September 3, 1963. However, the cafeteria was not completed until later in the fall, so for several weeks the children brought their own lunches to school. Wilton Woods’ first principal was James V. Luscavage.

Wilton Woods Elementary School was designed by H. D. Nottingham and Associates and built by Whitener & Skillman Construction, Inc. at a cost of $395,499. The building opened its doors to students for the first time on September 3, 1963. However, the cafeteria was not completed until later in the fall, so for several weeks the children brought their own lunches to school. Wilton Woods’ first principal was James V. Luscavage.

In May 1964, construction began on an eight-classroom addition to Wilton Woods. Built at a cost of $148,978 by the Wayne Construction Company, the addition was completed in time for the opening of schools in September 1964.

Fond Memories
Former Wilton Woods students share fond memories of square dancing lessons at school and performing in school plays. In November 1964, 5th graders staged a production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth.

"A production of “Macbeth” is a challenge for the most professional group, but the youngsters of a fifth-grade class at Wilton Woods Elementary School in Fairfax County took to it yesterday with an infectious relish – and the help of a special version. They held their fourth performance of the play “by popular demand” before some 200 enraptured youngsters, a smattering of proud parents, and an occasional crying infant. The performance went smoothly, with Mrs. Thonnard standing in the wings, script in hand just in case someone forgot their lines. But no one did." ~ The Washington Post, November 20, 1964, B-1: 5th Graders Stage a Modern ‘Macbeth’

In 1968, the first kindergarteners came to Wilton Woods Elementary School when FCPS began offering kindergarten classes in all elementary schools. One year later, in September 1969, Virlinda Joyner succeeded James Luscavage as principal of Wilton Woods Elementary School. Miss Joyner married while serving as principal, and some alumni remember her by her married name, Mrs. Virlinda Snyder.

Sally Peterson worked as a baker in the kitchen at Wilton Woods Elementary School from its opening until her retirement in 1978. Her cooking left an indelible impression.

"[The rolls] were incredible! I still rave about how great those rolls were on spaghetti day. Kids used to buy extra ones à la carte." ~ Ann Hodges Lynn, I Grew up in Franconia, Virginia, Facebook Group

Trading Places
In 1977, Virlinda J. Snyder was appointed principal of Washington Mill Elementary School, and Washington Mill’s principal, Charles P. Gray, was appointed principal of Wilton Woods.

Charles Gray became principal at a time when enrollment in the public schools located in eastern Fairfax County was on the decline. Schools that had seen rapid growth during the post-World War II baby boom were suddenly faced with an abundance of empty classrooms. In the late 1970s, the Fairfax County School Board directed school system administrators to identify schools for possible closure. Wilton Woods was placed in a group of schools called Cluster B, which also included Cameron, Clermont, and Mount Eagle elementary schools. The following enrollment data for Wilton Woods Elementary School was included in a report prepared by FCPS in 1980.

School Year -- Total Enrollment
1975-76 -- 446
1976-77 -- 402
1977-78 -- 336
1978-79 -- 340
1979-80 -- 323

At its meeting on May 23, 1980, the School Board voted to close Wilton Woods. Parents tried unsuccessfully to overturn the decision in court and Wilton Woods closed permanently at the end of the school term in June 1980.

"In the third and last trial contesting a school closing, a Fairfax County Circuit Court judge yesterday upheld the county school board's decision to close Wilton Woods Elementary School. Though sympathetic with the citizens who tried to save their small neighborhood school, the judge could find no evidence the school board acted improperly. Wilton Woods was one of seven elementary schools the school board voted to close last spring." ~ The Washington Star, August 27, 1980

Following its closure, Wilton Woods Elementary School was converted into an administrative office. Today, Wilton Woods Center, as the building is known, houses employees in the school system’s Department of Information Technology. The center is also home to the school system’s document management office where alumni can obtain copies of their transcripts and the public can conduct historic records research.

What’s in a Name?
How did Wilton Woods Elementary School get its name? Find out in this video produced for FCPS cable television channel Red Apple 21:

Wilton Woods Center off Franconia road is a Fairfax County Public Schools administrative building. The building originally served as an elementary school. The name Wilton Woods is derived from the name of a historic home called Wilton Hill. John Frobel, a native of Holland, was a musician, piano teacher, and talented gardener. In 1804, he moved to Mount Vernon where he taught music to the nieces and nephews of Bushrod Washington, who inherited the estate from his uncle George Washington in 1799. John Frobel lived with the Washington's until his home, Wilton Hill, was completed in 1809. "The Civil War Diary of Anne Frobel," John's daughter is a compelling account of daily life at Wilton Hill during the war years. During that time, John's daughters Anne and Elizabeth lived alone at Wilton Hill.

"...Summer 1862. Lizzie had a beautiful little lemon tree the very apple of her eye she'd been sending two or three lemons at a time to a poor sick lady who was confined to her bed with a severely wounded arm she'd been shot while walking through the streets of Alexandria by a soldier who was heard to say that he intended to kill a rebel before night. Lizzie looked out the window and saw a soldier in the very act of snatching off the lemons she jumped up and flew out in such a hurry he turned and made a dash at her with his bayonet saying he would run her through she stopped short and looked at him and said run me through a few death I never was afraid of a coward and none but a coward would attack a lady in that way..."

Anne and Elizabeth eked out a living during the war years as soldiers raided their chicken coops, killed their cows, stole their horses, and wiped out their gardens. After Anne's death, Wilton Hill sat abandoned for many years until it was sold at auction in 1910. During the 1950's, Fairfax County experienced a wave of rapid population growth. New schools were desperately needed. Wilton Woods Elementary School was built near the site of the Frobel's home.