A Guide to the John Terry Chase Manuscript Papers on "Gum Springs: The Triumph of a Black Community", 1987-1989 John Terry Chase Manuscript Papers on "Gum Springs: The Triumph of a Black Community" MSS 08-22

A Guide to the John Terry Chase Manuscript Papers on "Gum Springs: The Triumph of a Black Community", 1987-1989

A Collection in The Fairfax County Public Library

Record Group Number MSS 08-22

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

Repository

Fairfax County Public Library

Record Group Number

MSS 08-22

Title

The John Terry Chase Manuscript Papers on "Gum Springs: The Triumph of a Black Community", 1987-1989

Extent

.63 linear feet

Creator

Chase, John Terry (1934-2014)

Language

English

Abstract

The John Terry Chase Manuscript Papers on Gum Springs: The Triumph of a Black Community (1990) consists of .63 linear feet and spans the years 1987-1989 and contains copies of primary and secondary historical documents, author’s notes, and manuscript drafts. Subjects covered are the Gum Springs neighborhood in Fairfax County, Virginia; Gum Springs’ founder West Ford; the relationship between Gum Springs and Mount Vernon; African-American history; and race relations.

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

None

Use Restrictions

Consult repository for information

Preferred Citation

Virginia Room, Fairfax County Public Library. City of Fairfax Regional Library. John Terry Chase Manuscript Papers on “Gum Springs: The Triumph of a Black Community”. Box #, Folder #.

Acquisition Information

Unknown

Processing Information

Carol Abrams, 2015
EAD generated by Ross Landis, 2024

Historical and Biographical Information

John Terry Chase was born on November 7, 1934 in Deerfield, Massachusetts. He graduated from Reed College in 1959 with a BA in History and later received an MA in History from George Mason University in 1987.

After relocating to Arlington, Virginia, Chase served as a speech writer for the Environmental Protection Agency during the Carter Administration. He later taught American history at the International School in Bethesda, Maryland from 1989 to 1995.

He authored a number of history books, including "Gum Springs: Triumph of a Black Community" (1990), which was commissioned by the Heritage Resources Branch of the Fairfax County Office of Comprehensive Planning. The book focused on the dynamics of community building and history in Gum Springs. The community earned its name from a gum tree on the property that George Washington’s nephew, Bushrod, willed to freedman West Ford.

Chase also wrote "The Study of American History: Volume 1" (1974) and "Recreation for Urban America" (1979) with the National Committee for Urban Recreation. In addition, he and his wife Sara Lee Hannum Chase co-edited two anthologies of contemporary and nature-related poetry: "To Play Man Number One: Poems of Modern Man" (1969) and "The Wind is Round" (1970).

Chase died of a stroke at age 79 on June 1, 2014 at a retirement community in Mitchellville, Maryland.

African-American History
Chase, John Terry
Ford, West
Gum Springs and Mount Vernon
Gum Springs neighborhood in Fairfax County, Virginia
Race Relations

Adjunct Descriptive Data

Container List

Box 1 Folder 1: Gum Springs - Ch. 1 1653-1833, Undated

Box 1 Folder 2: Gum Springs - Ch. 2, Undated

Box 1 Folder 3: Gum Springs - Ch. 3, Undated

Box 1 Folder 4: Gum Springs - Ch. 4, Undated

Box 1 Folder 5: Gum Springs - Ch. 5, Undated

Box 1 Folder 6: Gum Springs - Ch. 6, Undated

Box 1 Folder 7: Gum Springs - Documentation, Undated

Box 1 Folder 8: Gum Springs - Illustrations, T. Chase, 1987, 1989

Box 1 Folder 9: Gum Springs - Manuscript Draft, 1987

Box 1 Folder 10: Gum Springs - Manuscript Draft, 1988

Box 1 Folder 11: Gum Springs - Manuscript Draft (with payment request), 1987, 1988

Box 1 Folder 12: Gum Springs - Manuscript Draft, 1989