More Information About Huntley Meadows Park
Wetlands
Huntley Meadows lies in a wet lowland that was carved out by an ancient meander of the Potomac River. The resulting freshwater wetland is one of the rarest habitats left in Fairfax County. Acre for acre, a healthy wetland supports more life than almost any other habitat. Wetlands also purify polluted water and control the destructive power of floods and storms.
History
In colonial times, this land was part of the extensive plantation holdings of George Mason IV. Mason family ownership lasted into the early 1900s, with sections of the land sold for family farms. In the late 1920s, entrepreneur and aeronautic enthusiast Henry Woodhouse reassembled the parcels, purchasing 1,500 acres from 10 landowners. But his dream of creating the nation's greatest air center failed, and the federal government then acquired the land. During the 1940s, the Bureau of Public Roads used the site to test asphalt road surfaces. In the 1950s, the Virginia National Guard's Battery D, 125th Gun Battalion provided anti-aircraft protection for the Nation's capital. Last, the Navy conducted highly classified radio communication research before declaring the land surplus around 1970.
In
1975, President Gerald Ford signed papers authorizing
the donation of 1,261 acres to the citizens of Fairfax
County, "exclusively for public park or public recreation
purposes in perpetuity." The Park Authority purchased
an additional 163 acres in 1992.
For a more comprehensive History of the Park, please visit
historygems.com
This is the personal website of Shirley Scalley, a long time park volunteer who has done a wonderful job researching the history of the land and people of what we now know as
Huntley Meadows Park.
