The Pines

At the turn of the 20th century, a close-knit African American community was established here. The Johnson, Robinson, Sprigg and Collins families were the first to purchase lots. They cleared pine trees to enable truck farming and saw mill operations. Residents created a vibrant community through worshipping at First Baptist Church of Merrifield, school functions and social gatherings. Situated in this park is the Liberty Lodge Cemetery where church members are buried. In the 1960s, during a period of school desegregation and population growth, the public school system purchased land through eminent domain, displacing numerous families. A school was never built.

Woodburn, Virginia · United States