With a mixture of residents and businesses, Bailey’s Crossroads is a thriving, prosperous community. Bailey’s Crossroads is located in the Mason District of Fairfax County, Virginia.
Bailey’s Crossroads is located on what is now called Leesburg Pike. In pre-Columbian America Leesburg Pike was a buffalo trail and an Indian trail. The trail lead from the Potomac River to the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. In the colonial era, the land here was part of the original Fairfax land grant. That land was parceled out over time, and as a result George Washington owned land which now is occupied by the Skyline complex of condominiums. In 1809, Bailey’s truly became a crossroads with the construction of the Washington Graveled Turnpike which is now know as Columbia Pike.
The name Bailey derives itself from New York entrepreneur Hachaliah Bailey, of Barnum & Bailey fame, who purchased land at the crossroads in the mid 19th century. He used the land as a place to house and display America’s first elephant.
During the Civil War, Bailey’s Crossroads changed hands several times and as a result nearby homes were used to garrison Confederate and Federal troops. Union President Abraham Lincoln ordered a large military review here after the Union defeat at the Battle of Bull Run.
In 1913, the Alexandria Water Company built a reservoir named Lake Barcroft near here. (Barcroft Park is nearby in Arlington County.) By the second world war, the area had transformed into a bedroom community for Washington DC. By the 1950′s the Seven Corners Shopping Center was considered a model of the American future by many. As a result, in 1953 US President Dwight D. Eisenhower brought Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev to the Seven Corners at Bailey’s Crossroads. A few years later, the shopping center was enclosed and became Northern Virginia’s first shopping mall.
The Skyline complex appeared in the early 1970s and is now home to Skyline Square, Skyline Plaza, Skyline House and more condominiums.
Schools located in or near Bailey’s Crossroads include
- Bailey’s, Beech Tree Elementary School,
- Belvedere Elementary School,
- Glen Forest Elementary School,
- Graham Road Elementary School,
- Parklawn Elementary School,
- Sleepy Hollow Elementary School,
- Timber Lane Elementary School,
- Westlawn Elementary School,
- Gasgow Middle School,
- and JEB Stuart High School.
Bailey’s Crossroads Revitalization Corporation is a group of individuals who want to help achieve a better community by involving themselves in activities such as traffic enhancements, streetscape, and residential landscaping. For more information about condos or real estate near Baileys Crossroads, please Nesbitt Realty 703 765 0300.
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