FALLS CHURCH, Va. — Founded in 1872, First Baptist Church of Merrifield began with worshipers gathering in a simple log cabin before relying on itinerant preachers, tent revivals, and members' homes for nearly 25 years.

In 1891, the congregation purchased land on Ransell Road for just $5. Although a storm destroyed their first church building before it was completed, the community rebuilt together. The church also served residents of The Pines, a nearby post-Civil War Black community.

More than 150 years later, First Baptist Church of Merrifield continues to worship on the same site, preserving a legacy of faith, perseverance, and community.

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FAIRFAX, Va. — Tucked away in the heart of Fairfax City, School Street Park is a small community gathering space that celebrates local history, creativity, and neighborhood spirit.

One of its most popular features is the colorful "rock snake"—a growing community art project made up of painted rocks contributed by visitors of all ages. Each rock adds a unique touch to the ever-lengthening snake, making it a fun and interactive attraction for families and park visitors.

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FAIRFAX, Va. — The Old Baptismal Area Historical Marker commemorates this 1930s baptismal site on Accotink Creek, where members of the congregation gathered in a natural setting to practice a cherished tradition rooted in African American Baptist worship. The marker honors Mount Calvary Baptist Church's enduring role in the spiritual, cultural, and community life of Black Fairfax City during the era of segregation and beyond.

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LORTON, Va. — The center of a major Fairfax County tobacco plantation, Mount Air was worked by several generations of enslaved families under the McCarty family and their Chichester descendants. An 1811 inventory documented 76 enslaved people spanning three generations of the same families—one of the most thoroughly documented enslaved communities in the county.

Slavery on the property appears to have ended in 1860 with the sale of the estate outside the family. Remnants of outbuildings and archaeological evidence document the property's transition from tobacco monoculture to diversified and dairy agriculture during the 19th century.

Oral histories relate the existence of a cemetery for enslaved people on the grounds, along with cabins that housed the enslaved community.

Today, Mount Air is part of the Fairfax County Park Authority's historic sites system, with ongoing efforts to recover and share the stories of the people who lived and worked there.

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ANNANDALE, Va. — Gooding's Tavern was operated by William Gooding Jr. (1768–1861) from 1807 until his death, and by his heirs until the building burned in 1879. Known as the "ten-mile house" because it stood ten miles from Alexandria on the Little River Turnpike, the tavern was famous throughout Northern Virginia for its fried chicken, peaches, and honey and served as a social, commercial, and postal gathering place for the surrounding community. The Goodings also operated a blacksmith shop and stable across the road. The tavern and the surrounding 2,100-acre property were sustained by the labor of enslaved people, and the site's African American heritage is directly connected to the community that later grew from it.

After the Civil War, Gooding's heirs sold parcels of land to freedpeople, enabling the founding of Ilda, a racially integrated community established by formerly enslaved blacksmiths Horace Gibson and Moses Parker near the intersection of Little River Turnpike and Guinea Road.

A Fairfax County History Commission marker commemorating Gooding's Tavern was erected in 2011 and stands just outside the boundaries of Pleasant Valley Memorial Park, across Little River Turnpike from the Northern Virginia Community College Annandale Campus.

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