Woodlawn Elementary School

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

The following history was written in 1968 by Mattie B. Cooper, then principal of Woodlawn Elementary School.

Woodlawn School has an interesting history as it dates back to the early settling of the area by the Quakers who believed in their children being educated. The name was logical as Woodlawn Plantation was originally a tract of two thousand acres known as the Dogue River Farm, which Washington left to his niece, Nellie Custis, and Major Lawrence Lewis, who gave the name WOODLAWN to the place. Their son, Lorenz Lewis, sold the property to Chalkley and Joseph Gillingham, Quakers, who were among many Quaker families that moved into the area about 1846.

A large room in the mansion served as a meeting place and, for awhile, it was used also as a school because the Quakers were advocates of the education of every child. This arrangement was not satisfactory and thus they sought a new location. The miller's cottage adjacent to Washington's Grist Mill was chosen as the new school. The roof of the mill could be seen from the front steps of Woodlawn and close beside it the miller's cottage. The miller's cottage, standing serenely on the hill, was put in repairs and became the first school in the area. Emily Reynolds Green, who had recently married at Woodlawn Mansion, became the first school Mistress. Thus Woodlawn School came into being.

James Charles Robinson stated "interesting experiences between September 1847-1849 with the other children" attended school in a small schoolhouse near Washington's old stone mill. The memory of those school days remains as a part of me. Here I learned to write and first studied geography and arithmetic, prospering under the patient efforts of Emily Reynolds. Even so quiet a school mistress had not learned to rule without a rod at that date and many times resorted to it to enforce order."

The Quakers continued to keep the school open even though they shifted the location to Gray's Hill Mansion, where Anna S. Wright taught, and on to the Quaker's Meeting House, which is still standing at Fort Belvoir. Seeing the need for a public school in the area, E. E. Mason and Courtland Lukens each granted to the Trustees of the Woodlawn School, on October 22, 1869, property for and in consideration of the sum of one dollar, land adjoining that of each other and containing one half acre strick measure. This property was situated on the Accotink Turnpike opposite old Haddon Hall. The name of this road was changed later to Richmond Highway.

What's in a Name?
Learn more about the history of Woodlawn Plantation and the early years of Woodlawn Elementary School.

Woodlawn Elementary School takes its name from nearby Woodlawn Mansion. In 1799, President George Washington gave some 2,000 acres of land, consisting of farmland, meadows and forests, as a wedding gift to his nephew Lawrence Lewis and his bride Eleanor Parke Custis. Eleanor and Lawrence named their new estate Woodlawn and lived there for almost 39 years. The Lewis's mansion, completed in 1805, was built on a prominent hill which offered magnificent views of the Potomac River and Mount Vernon to the east. In 1846, merchants from New Jersey, who supplied lumber to Northern shipbuilders, visited Fairfax County in search of timber tracts and purchased the Woodlawn estate. Some of these timber merchants and their families settled in the area, dividing Woodlawn into smaller tracts of land. These families were Quakers, part of a Christian religious movement devoted to peaceful principles, many of whom were abolitionists and proponents of public education. The Quakers established and funded one of the area’s first public schools which they named Woodlawn. In 1870, the Fairfax County public school system was established in accordance with the new Virginia constitution and the Woodlawn School was incorporated into the new system. From 1870 to 1965, Fairfax County public schools were segregated by race, so the Woodlawn School only educated children from white families. The school was located close to present day Talbott Farm Drive off of Route 1, which at that time was known as the Accotink Turnpike. The schoolhouse was, at first, a one-room frame structure and had expanded to two rooms by 1922. The rooms were heated by wood-burning stoves. During the autumn of 1924, one of these stoves overheated and the school caught fire while the children were inside. A history of the Woodlawn School records that a student stood up and calmly said, "The schoolhouse is on fire, we had better get our coats and hats and get out." Soldiers from the Camp Humphreys Fire Department responded and managed to save the children's desks. The school was repaired and remained in operation until 1937 when the current Woodlawn Elementary School opened. The new brick building had four classrooms and was built at a cost of $36,144. Woodlawn Elementary has seen many additions and changes over the years. During renovations in 2015, the oldest portion of the school was preserved and now functions as a meeting space. The history of the early Woodlawn School for white children is well documented and remembered, but there is less information regarding a second schoolhouse also called Woodlawn. Very little has been written about this one because the historic African-American community it served was dislodged by the expansion of Fort Belvoir in 1940. In 1866, a public school for freed slaves, first called the Accotink School and later named the Woodlawn Colored School, was founded near the Woodlawn estate with assistance from the Quakers and the Freedmen's Bureau. This school was located in the historic African-American settlement of Woodlawn, very close to the site of present day Fort Belvoir Upper School. A second schoolhouse was built in the village around 1888. When village residents were forced to move in 1940, many of the children were reassigned to the Gum Springs School approximately four miles away. Today, Woodlawn Elementary School carries on the rich tradition of public education established by both Woodlawn schools. Its namesake, the Woodlawn Mansion, has been a site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation since the early 1950’s and continues to be open for tours today.
Visitors to the site can experience and contrast two historic homes: Woodlawn Mansion and the Pope-Leighey House, a 20th century home designed by renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Go to woodlawnpopeleighey.org for more information.

The Woodlawn School
The first public Woodlawn School was a very small crude building containing two rooms with a hallway between. It was built at the back of the lot so that the cedar trees, which separated the land of Mr. Lukens and Mr. Mason, were in the center of the school grounds. They made good place for shade and to eat our lunches in nice weather. Until 1907, only one room was used as a classroom, the other for community groups.

The rooms were heated by stoves at one end and were cold more often than warm as they were poorly insulated but well ventilated. One of the early teachers sat by the stove to keep warm; thus, the clock on the far wall was out of sight. Some of the boys would slip and turn the clock up so that often school would be dismissed hours early. As there are no records attesting to the fact that the County School Board bore the cost, it may be assumed that it was built by interested parents and patrons of the school. From old School Board files the county paid the teachers, bought wood for the stove, and desks for the children. Slates were used until the School Board installed blackboards. Mr. E. E. Mason, who donated half the land for the school, was on the Fairfax County School Board as early as September 1872 at which time Mr. D. M. Chichester was County Superintendent of Schools.

Miss "Sallie" Lukens was well remembered by many of her pupils. One stated, "she made a specialty of good penmanship. Every pupil reflected this splendid art." As she had some pupils continually late, she solved the problem by locking the doors at 9:00 a.m. "Nobody was later after that rule was made". Of Miss Bertha Green, a student said, "somehow Miss Bertha made you feel not wanting to be bad". The use of school buses was approved by the School Board August 2, 1920; however, Woodlawn had free bus service for four years beginning in 1907. Due to inadequate enrollment Groveton and Snowden schools were temporarily closed. Mr. Scott Gillingham drove a wagon and picked up the children from these areas and brought them to Woodlawn.

Woodlawn School burned in 1917 or 1918. The presence of mind of one pupil probably saved many lives. She stood up and very calmly said, "The schoolhouse is on fire, we had better get our coats and hats and get out." One school board member laughingly remarked, "That was one time the school was warm enough." A group of soldiers from Fort Belvoir passing in a truck stopped and saved the children's desks. Classes were held in Haddon Hall while the school was rebuilt. The old stone foundation was used to reconstruct the two room white frame school. Stoves were installed again for heating, and thus it was ready for occupancy by the fall of the same year.

During the school year 1921-22 Woodlawn had its first library. The School Board matched funds with the Woodlawn Parents and Teachers League, each contributing $15.00. Oyster suppers were held to raise the money. At one time each family in the Parent-Teacher League contributed ten cents per month to pay the janitor. When none was available, the "teachers tended the fires."

By the school year 1935-36 the community had outgrown the schoolhouse. The school needed repairs badly but the School Board was planning a new building for Woodlawn. In March, 1936, "Mr. Woodson and a committee of men looked over several sites of land that may be suitable for our new school". The roof of the school was repaired during the summer of 1936, for in September the Parent-Teacher Association purchased a piano for $25.00, "since the roof had been fixed and it was safe to have one." In November 1936, the Parent-Teacher Association authorized teachers to purchase milk daily for undernourished children.

A New Start
On May 28, 1937, 10. 485 acres of land was deeded to the county to erect a new Woodlawn School. "This land was located in the beautiful pasture land with a small wooded knoll which was named Engleside. Not too far away stood Washington's old brick sixteen-sided barn often called the round barn. The new Woodlawn School was a brick structure containing four classrooms, a library, clinic, and principal's office, and was centrally heated. It cost approximately $36,000.

In September 1937, the new school was not ready. As the old building contained only two classrooms, two teachers taught in the community house for the enrollment that had increased from 78 to 162 pupils. Before the children could attend, a bumble bee nest had to be destroyed, doors repaired, and locks installed. The new school was completed by November and on February 11, 1938 a "housewarming" was held. In 1941 two classrooms were added to take care of 219 children.

Enrollment Increases Dramatically
In 1947, when Mrs. Sylvia Allen was principal-teacher, Mrs. Christine Buckman was secured as the first school secretary. The second addition to the school was built in 1948 to take care of 372 pupils. This addition consisted of four classrooms, a cafeteria, kitchen, and teachers' lounge. Mrs. Sylvia Allen now became the first non-teaching principal at Woodlawn. Until 1950 there were just a few faithful members of the Parent-Teacher Association; but, at this time under the leadership of Mr. Lewie D. (Pat) Murphy, it became a very active organization with standing room only at every meeting. This participation has continued.

The school population increased at such a rapid pace that another school was built in 1952 to relieve the overcrowding at Woodlawn. The third addition was made in 1953, consisting of a clinic, auditorium, multi-purpose room and a classroom. On July 23, 1954, 6.35 acres of land were bought to provide adequate play area. Again in 1957, eight classrooms were added while the multi-purpose room was converted into a library and the kitchen was enlarged.

In spite of these additions to the school, there was insufficient space to accommodate the school enrollment. Between 1963 and 1965 two additional schools had to be built in the area to relieve the crowded conditions at Woodlawn when the peak enrollment (763) was reached.

The First Principals
From 1875 to 1955, Woodlawn had 33 teacher-principals or full-time principals. In the same period, Fairfax County had only six superintendents.

1875-78: Mariana Schooley (Buckman)
1878-79: Bessie Mason
1879-80: Warrington Gillingham
1880-89: Sara Lukens
1889-90: Nettle Moon
1890-91: Jennie Thorn
1891-92: Bertha L. Green
1892-93: Sallie Wilkinson
1893-94: Lila Bonney
1894-95: Edith Dove (Mrs. Lewis Lukens)
1895-96: Emma Gillingham
1896-02: Alice Dove
1902-04: Sarah E. Cox
1904-06: Ella Gillingham (Fisher)
1906-07: Katie Pettitt (Mrs. Howard White)
1907-11: Bertha Hudson (Gillingham)
1911-12: Mary Lukens
1912-13: Bertha Hudson Gillingham
1913-15: Sara Baker (Kearney)
1915-16: Alma Davis
1916-18: Miss Franklin
1918-21: Mary Dungan
1921-22: Olive Elliott
1922-24: Alice Hewitt (Schwab)
1924-26: Bertha Buckman
1926-27: Virginia Trout
1927-32: Anna Mae Rinker (Neitzey)
1932-34: Roche Padgett
1934-37: Virginia Clapp
1937-39: Alde Walker (Reamey)
1939-44: Mary Wine
1944-55: Sylvia D. Allen
January 1955-1971: Mattie B. Cooper

Acknowledgements

The author gratefully acknowledges the kindness and inspiration of the following individuals who gave valuable first hand information:

Mrs. Horace Buckman
Mrs. Victor Fewell
Mrs. Ella Gillingham Fisher
Mrs. George C. Gillingham
Mr. W. F. Halley, Jr.
Mrs. Edna Parker