Hayfield Plantation (Fairfax, Va.)

In 1881, William Jasper and his wife Georgianna deeded one-half acre of land from their thirteen-acre farm to the local Franconia school district. Jasper, a former slave, cited in a Freedmen’s Register as a “black man 5 foot 6 1/2 inches high, scar on the back of the left hand, scar on the ankle”, joined Middleton Braxton, George Carroll, Thornton Gray and others in the community to address the urgent need of educating their children.

The school was built and sustained by the parents of the children who attended. Little help with furnishings, textbooks, or other necessities were provided by the County, which paid for one cord of wood per school year and the teacher’s salary. Students walked several miles to attend and helped the teacher with daily chores to prepare the classroom each day.

Laurel Grove School served students in grades one through seven from the early 1880’s until 1932, when it was closed by the County.

Physical Description

Founder William Jasper was enslaved on Hayfield Plantation, owned by William Haywood Foote. His grandparents, Dick and Charity Jasper, were enslaved on the Dogue Run Plantation, owned by George Washington. Jasper was freed in 1846 by Foote’s will, and purchased 13 acres of land in February 1860, deeding 1/2 acre to build Laurel Grove School in 1881. William and his wife Georgianna’s daughter’s children attended the school in the early 1900’s, and four of the five continued their education after attending Laurel Grove, taking a train into Washington, DC to attend high school. These four became teachers; two taught in Fairfax County during segregation. William and Georgianna Jasper deeded 1/2 acre of land to the Laurel Grove Baptist Church trustees in May, 1884.