As the saying goes “necessity is the mother of all invention” and so it was true with the origins of Springfield. The transportation revolution of the 19th century created Springfield. The Orange and Alexandria Rail Road completed in 1852 cut across central to Northern Virginia connecting farms and towns from rural Orange County to the bustling port of Alexandria along the Potomac River. From the late 1600s to the mid 1800s the area that would become Springfield was farmland and pasture, part of large land grants that were frequently divided into smaller farms worked by tenants and overseers.
The Orange and Alexandria Railroad cut right through the middle of wealthy businessman and landowner, Henry Dangerfield’s, farm located along Backlick Road where the Shirley Industrial Park and Interstates 395 and 95 intersect. Dangerfield, who was also on the board of directors of the O & A Railroad, gladly donated the name of his farm, Springfield, to the train stop, putting the Springfield Station on the map.
In the beginning, the station was no more than a shed with a platform that goods and passengers could be dropped off and picked up at. A house was built on the site some time later across from the station. The railroad also made communication much more efficient and it was not long after that the Springfield Post Office was established. The train depot and house were located in the present day Hechingers Plaza on Backlick Road near the Virginia Railway Express station adjacent to the railroad today.
FOR THE NEXT 100 years, the railroad stop became a center of activity for the rural farming community. Local residents and farmers caught the train into Alexandria, shipped produce and goods as well as received their letters and packages.
As the Washington, D.C. area continued to develop in the early 20th century, it was obvious to government officials and the business community that transportation improvements were necessary to accommodate the needs of the area and so once again a transportation revolution of sorts would transform the Springfield community. The Shirley Highway was begun in 1941 and by 1949 ran through the former Dangerfield Springfield Farm allowing people to commute to Washington, D.C. efficiently.
After World War II, recognizing the value of the undeveloped land in such close proximity to the nation’s capital and the need for housing, real estate developer Edward Carr purchased large tracts of land along Backlick, Braddock and Old Keene Mill Roads. The post war climate of the country found people eager to get back to normal and on with their lives. Drawn to the Washington, D.C. area because of employment opportunities and the robust economy, people needed places to live. Carr and the Crestwood Corporation had the answer.
Over the course of the next 10 years, the Crestwood Corporation, started by three local men that served as Naval engineers during the war, built over 4,000 homes along both sides of Backlick Road from the railroad south to Old Keene Mill Road (Franconia Road). Mass production techniques allowed them to quickly build affordable housing and create one of the first modern bedroom communities of the area.
Many people do not know that from the beginning the Springfield Community was planned. The homes, apartment buildings, shopping plazas, schools and even the neighborhood pool on Highland Street were all planned prior to construction of the homes. Space for the library and local churches were even set aside by Carr. The first park to be established was Brookfield Park at the end of Floyd Avenue just west of Hanover Street. Prior to the county developing recreation programs and facilities the Springfield Civic Association, started in 1953 to meet the needs of the community, ran summer and seasonal programs for area children at Brookfield Park. Camps, after school programs and lessons could all be found at Brookfield.
The Springfield Civic Association provided new residents and the new community a voice in public matters and the fledging organization lobbied for street signs, completed paving of the streets, trash removal, directional and safety signage on public roads and street lights. Some of the improvements were paid for out of the members own pockets as the county struggled to keep pace with the community’s needs. The organization continues today to provide residents in the area with a organized voice on community and civic matters.
THE HOMOGENOUS community of primarily government employees comprised of young to middle-aged married couples provided their own recreation by hosting block parties and even starting their very own day long Fourth of July Celebration complete with competitions, food, music and fireworks in a vacant field at Old Keene Mill Road and Commerce Street where the Springfield Plaza is currently located.
The Springfield Reservoir, which supplied Fort Belvoir with drinking water from 1918 to 1959, was leased to the Park Authority in 1960 and purchased in 1965 from the government after the Army began using public water. The reservoir now known as Lake Accotink Park located off of Highland Street has been providing the community with recreational opportunities for the past 47 years.
Over the past 60 years, the Springfield community has changed drastically from a post-World War II planned community with a homogeneous makeup of residents to a booming suburban bedroom community undergoing rapid change and finally to the present day urban metropolis rich with diversity. The landscape and the demographics of the community are not the only thing that has changed drastically over the past 60 years. Today, the community known as Springfield has evolved from a sleepy rural area to a very diverse tapestry of people and places rich with opportunities.