A Museum on Black History in Fairfax County: History of a National Treasure
Gum Springs was founded by West Ford in 1833
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West Ford
Gum Springs Founding Families
Gum Springs Founding Families
An enterprising freedman of the Washington family converted his 1826 inheritance from them into a thriving community that exists to this day.
Gum Springs Founding Families
Gum Springs Founding Families
Gum Springs Founding Families
By 1863 there were 14 families living in Gum Springs. Descendants of some of these families still live there today, with an unbroken connection to the beginnings of this free Black community.
Historical Gum Springs
Gum Springs Founding Families
Historical Gum Springs
When the land was purchased by West Ford in 1833, he renamed it Gum Springs. An early surveyor’s map shows the property boundaries. See if you can find them on a modern map.