Lake Barcroft in is one of the hidden gems that residents of the Fairfax County, Virginia can miss if they don't know about the area.   The neighborhood was named for Dr. John Barcroft who came to Virginia in 1849 and built his home and a mill on Holmes Run.  He was the community doctor in the area until the Civil War when the area was occupied by the Confederate Army. 

In 1913 the area was badly in need of water resources and a decision was made to build a dam on Holmes Run that led to the creation of Lake Barcroft.  The massive dam was 400 feet wide and 63 feet above the stream bed.  Once the dam was finished it created a 115 acre lake with over 5 mile of shoreline.  However by the 1940's the water needs for the area outgrew what the dam could support and the in 1950 the water company sold the lake and about 600 acres of land to Colonel Joseph Barger for $1 million dollars.

For anyone familiar with Fairfax County in the 1950's once you started to head south or west of DC you were immediately in the country.   Route 7 was a winding two lane road, Seven Corners, the closest large shopping area to Lake Barcroft was non-existent and Bailey's Crossroads was the home of a small local airport.  The area surrounding Lake Barcroft had few roads and none into what would become Lake Barcroft Estates.

None of this deterred the families who saw an opportunity to buy a piece of property in a wonderful area  close to Washington DC with a great recreational lake.  It is reported that some families even camped out on their new property while their homes were being completed.   Over the last fifty-five years the community has grown, yet retained the same feel of a connected community.  The lake and the five community beaches are a popular place for families to go.  The biggest scare in the community came in 1972 when Hurricane Agnes washed away part of the dam and the lake emptied.   By 1974 with funds raised within the community the dam was rebuilt and the lake refilled.

The rural surroundings are long gone, replaced with the Seven Corners Shopping Center, Baileys Crossroads and major commuting routes into the city.   Yet even today when you drive through the winding streets of Lake Barcroft you would never know that civilization was just minutes away.

Living in Lake Barcroft isn't cheap.  Current home prices range from $610,000 to $1,799,000.  The highest price sale in the neighborhood in 2008 was an incredible 6BR/5.5 BA direct waterfront home on almost an acre of property which sold for $2,725,000 by the original owner.

If you are looking for a neighborhood with loads of trees, homes styles from traditional to contemporary and access to one of the best community lakes in Northern Virginia then Lake Barcroft maybe what you are looking for.

Current homes for sale in Lake Barcroft

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