A Guide to the Dunn Loring, Virginia Survey Slide Collection, 1988,

Fairfax County Public Library
City of Fairfax Regional Library
Virginia Room
10360 North Street
Fairfax, VA 22030-2514 USA
Virginia Room: 703-293-6227 x6
Fax: 703-293-2155
Email: va_room@fairfaxcounty.gov
URL: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/virginia-room

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

None

Use Restrictions

Consult repository for information.

Preferred Citation

Dunn Loring, Virginia Survey Slide Collection, Virginia Room, Fairfax County Public Library

Acquisition Information

Gift of Fairfax County Archaeology Lab, 2004

Processing Information

Chris Barbuschak, November 2021, updated November 2024
EAD generated by Ross Landis, 2024

Historical and Biographical Information

In 1886, retired General William McKee Dunn and his wife Elizabeth Dunn purchased 600 acres in Fairfax County, Virginia. They transferred the property to the Loring Land and Improvement Company comprised of General Dunn, Dr. George B. Loring, and George LeFetra. The three entrepreneurs created a brochure that advertised the Town of Dunn Loring as a desirable location for building lots. The company, which eventually went defunct after Dunn’s death, even built a railroad station on the Washington, Ohio and Western Railroad (later the Washington & Old Dominion), and a community house. The area became a beehive of activity in 1898 with the establishment of Camp Russell A. Alger as a training post for Spanish-American War soldiers. After the war, Dunn Loring remained largely rural until the 1940s when a population boom of government workers moved into Fairfax County.

In May 1988, Martha Williams, a history teacher at George C. Marshall High School, asked her Junior history class to conduct a photo survey of the Dunn Loring area. Elizabeth David, a preservation planner with the county, addressed her class on how to conduct the survey. The project was completed by July 1988.

The 299 color photographic slides found in this collection were originally separated into two “Dunn Loring I” and “Dunn Loring II” surveys. Little else is known about this project as there is no associated survey data with it nor is there any identifying information on the slides.

The Fairfax County Archaeology Lab discovered the slides in their collection in 2004 and transferred them to Fairfax County Public Library’s Virginia Room. In 2023, volunteers remotely assisted with identifying the majority of the houses photographed in this collection. In particular, Eric Dobson was of invaluable help. Many of the houses have either been demolished or underwent significant exterior changes since the photographic survey was completed.