Mount Gilead/Centreville Fort Sites Public Planning Process

Mount Gilead Master Planning

Park Design/Use Questionnaire

11/07 Newsletter¹

10/23/07 Public Meeting Presentation¹

Summary of Public Comments

Map of Centreville Fort Sites
and Mount Gilead

02/27/07 Existing Conditions and Missing or Partial Features¹

11/28/06 Public Meeting Presentation¹

11/28/06 Public Meeting Minutes¹

History of Centreville Presentation¹

¹These files are available for download in Adobe Acrobat portable document format. You must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 (or newer) installed on your computer to view and print these files.

Announcements

The Fairfax County Park Authority held a second public meeting to develop a master plan for public sites in the Mount Gilead area of Historic Centreville on Tuesday, October 23, 2007. The presentation¹ from the meeting is available online. A summary of public comments received is also available.

Comments are encouraged and can be sent via e-mail to: Parkmail. We also have placed a short questionnaire online. We welcome your input. Written comments may also be addressed to Pat Rosend, Project Manager, Planning & Development Division, Fairfax County Park Authority, 12055 Government Center Parkway, Suite 421, Fairfax, Virginia 22035. A project mail and e-mail list has been established so interested participants can receive planning updates directly.

Expanded Scope

The Park Authority has recently acquired several parcels in the Centreville Historic District. These parcels contain remnants of the major Civil War era fort that was located in this district and will be included in the Mt. Gilead Park master plan process that was initiated last year. Incorporating these various park parcels in one park master planning process will allow for the examination on how to best relate, protect and interpret these important historic elements of one of the first Civil War Fort sites. This map shows the parcels that will be included in the master plan process.

The Site

Mount Gilead is an 18th-century residential property located within the community of Centreville. The property was recently transferred from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to the Park Authority.

The 6.9-acre property is located within the Sully District at 5714 Mount Gilead Road, not far from the intersection of Lee Highway and Braddock Road. It comprises approximately one-third of the 17-acre Centreville Historic Overlay District¹ and is one of five properties listed as contributing to the historic district. The other four properties include St. John's Episcopal Church, the Centreville Methodist Church, Havener House, and Harrison House. (Inventory of Historic Sites for Sully District)

The site is rich with cultural resources spanning three centuries. Known features include

• 18th century Mount Gilead house
• Early 20th century garage
• Sears kit house
• Small outbuildings
• Family cemetery
• Springhouse
• Archaeological remains of 18th-century tanyard operations
• Remnants of formal gardens
• Traces of former roads

The Process

The Park Authority is developing a master plan to guide the development of the Mount Gilead property as a cultural resource-based park. The goal of the master plan is to preserve both cultural and natural resources, provide for county recreational needs, and satisfy community desires. The Park Authority anticipates that the master plan for this site will emphasize preserving and interpreting cultural resources within the property and linking the site to Historic Centreville and the greater Sully area. Park Authority staff working on the master plan is comprised of a diversity of professionals.

The Park Authority process is designed to engage the public in discussion of preferences for the site. Together, the Park Authority and the public assess recreational needs; determine site assets and liabilities; develop and evaluate alternatives; choose a preferred option; and develop an effective park master plan. For a more detailed explanation of the public master planning process, please take a look at the Park Planning and Development homepage.

An important preliminary step in the process has been completed: the Mount Gilead Cultural Landscape Report is now complete.

The Future Park

The grounds are open to the public and you are welcome to visit. However, we ask that you exercise caution while on the site, both for your safety—areas of the site have uneven terrain and thick vegetation, and there are no marked trails at this time—and for the protection of cultural resources and other artifacts. Also, please note that the house is currently a private residence, and we ask that you respect the occupant’s privacy.

Additionally, please exercise care around work that is underway on the site. The recent transfer of the Mount Gilead property from the Board of Supervisors to the Park Authority brought with it some funding that is being be used to stabilize some of the more fragile elements on the site, among them the Sears house and the Jamesson Cemetery.

No determination has been made as to just when the site will be fully operational as a public park. Typically, site design and construction timing is determined by the Park Authority Board as part of the adoption of the Capital Improvement Program and through Park Bond initiatives. The current Park Bond and Work Program does not include any funding for designing and constructing this park at this time. Although park planning should be complete by late 2007, the Park Authority Board must identify funding to develop the park. Less frequently, proffered money from other developments is used to provide facilities at parks.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Park Authority will post answers to questions received (including those raised at the public meetings.)

¹You must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 (or newer) installed on your computer to view and print this file.