Fairfax County Bookmobile, 1960

During the 1960s, bookmobiles brought library materials to new suburban communities because libraries themselves were far away. During the summer, the bookmobile came about every three weeks to some neighborhoods and children looked forward to their arrival.

Virginia Room, Fairfax County Public Library

Fairview Elementary School, World War II Stamp Drive

During World War II, elementary school children in the Braddock District joined in home front support of the war. Children would buy stamps, put them in books, and trade in each completed book for a war bond to help the war effort.

Burke Elementary School Dedication Program

The second Burke Elementary School, located at the corner of Lee Chapel and Burke Lake Roads, opened in 1939 and was dedicated in 1940. It replaced the original 1912 school building, now a private residence in Burke named Whiteoaks. Land for the new school was donated by the grandfather of Suzanne Fowler Neale. Students went home for lunch until 1952, when a school cafeteria was built. Today (2007), the facility houses a special education center and is named Burke School.

Courtesy Jennifer Cornelson Addington

Fairfax High School, 1954

Sweetheart Dance in the Fairfax High School cafeteria, February 1954

Courtesy Irving Denton

Burke Elementary School, 1917

Burke Elementary opened in 1912 as a two-room schoolhouse, and later was expanded to three rooms. This photograph of the building was taken in 1917. By the 1930s, population growth required a larger school, and a second Burke Elementary was constructed through the Works Progress Administration (WPA) under the New Deal. The building was later converted to a private residence named Whiteoaks.

Courtesy Tom Giska, History of Burke Slide Collection

Whiteoaks

Whiteoaks is the original Burke Elementary School, renovated and expanded into a private residence. Burke Elementary opened in 1912 as a two-room schoolhouse, and later was expanded to three rooms. By the 1930s, population growth required a larger school, and a second Burke Elementary was constructed through the Works Progress Administration (WPA) under the New Deal. In 1950, the Cornelson family purchased Whiteoaks. Willie Harlow, Burke's jack-of-all-trades, completed renovations for the family who still live there today.

In this photo, Jennifer Addington and her mother stand in front of Whiteoaks in the 1950s. Jennifer Addington's parents bought the house after its conversion from a schoolhouse to a residence began, changing its name to Whiteoaks.

Photo courtesy Jennifer Cornelson Addison