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 contact Will Nesbitt of Condo 1 Alexandria.
