WEST SPRINGFIELD, Va. — In front of West Springfield High School stands a marker that reminds us that history is often hidden beneath the places we know best.

An 1856 property inventory for the land where the school currently stands recorded the names, ages, and occupations of 16 enslaved African Americans whose labor sustained the plantation that once occupied this site. While countless enslaved people remain anonymous in the historical record, this rare document preserves the identities of these individuals, ensuring they are remembered as people—not simply as property.

The West Springfield 16 Historical Marker acknowledges a difficult, but essential chapter of Fairfax County's past. It invites students, teachers, and visitors to recognize that today's classrooms stand on land shaped by the lives and labor of enslaved men, women, and children.

By commemorating the West Springfield 16, the marker transforms an ordinary school campus into a place of reflection, remembrance, and learning. It is a powerful example of how public history can honor those whose stories were too often overlooked and help us better understand the foundations of our community. Remembering the West Springfield 16 helps ensure their lives remain part of Fairfax County's story.

📸: absolonkent.net/photogallery/index.php?/category/713

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