Seven Corners Built on Land Owned by Former Slave
http://ghostsofdc.org/2013/12/29/seven-corners-built-land-owned-former-slave/

This is a fascinating article that we dug up in The Washington Post from February 26th, 1953. We were doing a little research on the history of Seven Corners and came across this piece about the land selling and being prepared to house, what was back then, a giant shopping mall.

A 33-acre tract at Seven Corners, bought by a former slave for $500 after the Civil War and left to his children, has been sold conditionally for $750,000.

Sale of the property to the Lynne Investment Corp., of Washington, has been approved by Fairfax Circuit Court.

The land was bought by Frederick Foote, Sr., 88 years ago. The tract is located, generally, at the intersection of Leesburg Pike and Lee blvd. at busy Seven Corners, now called Fort Buffalo.

Foote left the land to his five children and stipulated in a will dated 1880 it could never be sold or leased. One child disappeared in 1912 and has been declared legally dead.

A son, Forrest D. Foote, conveyed his interest in the land to a sister, Mrs. Margarette Foote Jackson, 65, a Census Bureau employe who lives at 615 44th st. ne. The other two children, Frank C. Foote, 76, and Mrs. Virginia Foote Jackson, 83, live on the property.

Mounting taxes on the unproductive land forced the three heirs involved to seek court relief last December.

Prior to 1951 taxes amounted to $358, but a reassessment boosted the annual to over $3000. Judge Paul E. Brown broke the will and appointed commissioners to receive offers for the land.

The Lynne Investment Corp. headed by Garfield I. Kass and Irving D. Berger of Washington, contracted to buy the land on the condition all of it be zoned for commercial usage. About seven acres now is zoned commercial, the rest as suburban residential.

There you have it. Some really good Falls Church trivia for you. Now we have a Barnes & Noble (not for long) and a Starbucks! What more could you want?
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To add a little perspective: $750,000 in 1953 is about $6.5 million in today's dollars.

And a little more on the remarkable Mr. Foote. Found this reference in "New Perspectives on the Civil War: Myths and Realities of the National Conflict" (via Google Books: http://books.google.com/books?...

"Legal, church-sanctioned weddings were sought by slave couples who escaped to Union lines. They formally renewed their marriage vows with the words 'till death do us part.' One newspaper announces, 'Married at Falls Church, Alexandria, Sunday evening, January 24th, 1864, by Rev. J.R. Johnson, missionary of the American Missionary Association, Mr. Frederick Foote and Miss Margaret Carter. Frederick has been six times sold as a slave. He has buried one wife, has six children in slavery, and now owns more than thirty aces of land. He thinks, and we think, too, that he can take care of himself and his family.'" (From Ervin L. Jordan Jr.'s essay, "Mirrors beyond Memories: Afro-Virginias and the Civil War" in a 2002 Roman & Littlefield edition, p. 161)

Also this, from a Oct. 3, 1956, Washington Post story on Seven Corners:

"Foote was born in 1800 on the historic Ravensworth Farm near Burke, Va. He earned the $500 to buy the land at Seven Corners by selling wood, working on the C&O Canal and serving as a guide for Union forces during the first Battle of Bull Run."

Quite a life!

What was the equivalent of $500 in 1865 to today's market?

Marf Wrote:
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> What was the equivalent of $500 in 1865 to today's
> market?

According to the inflaction calculator that would be about $7,142.86 in 2013.

http://www.davemanuel.com/inflation-calculator.php

Wow, the good old days when Niggers actually worked.

lol How old is this picture? Judging from the parked cars I'd say no later than 1996.

eesh Wrote:
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> src="http://www.fairfaxunderground.com/forum/file.
> php?2,file=117982,filename=seven-coerns.jpg">
>
>
>
>
> lol How old is this picture? Judging from the
> parked cars I'd say no later than 1996.


Sadly no, I'd bet its no older than 4 years. Drive Route 50 you'll see those same cars.

Its 7corners Wrote:
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> eesh Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > >
> src="http://www.fairfaxunderground.com/forum/file.
>
> > php?2,file=117982,filename=seven-coerns.jpg">
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > lol How old is this picture? Judging from the
> > parked cars I'd say no later than 1996.
>
>
> Sadly no, I'd bet its no older than 4 years. Drive
> Route 50 you'll see those same cars.


Image details shows:
2008-07-08 11:01:15

The date on the image may have just been when it was saved by someone, or when it was edited. I don't think anyone has owned a Lumina minivan after the late 90s.

JustanFYI Wrote:
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> Image details shows:
> 2008-07-08 11:01:15



http://exifdata.com/


If you look at the EXIF data, it was modified with Adobe CS3 on Mon Feb 19 2007.

Who knows how old the original picture is...

I noticed a VW Fox sitting there. Havent seen one of those in a long time.

Ralph Pootawn Wrote:
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> I noticed a VW Fox sitting there. Havent seen one
> of those in a long time.



Yeah, and all the license plates use the old font that hasn't been around in at least 13 years.

Ah, the good ole days.

Interesting article at the Dead Malls site.


http://deadmalls.com/malls/seven_corners_center.html

We used to ride dirtbikes on that property in the 70s. It was creepy back in there, but it was cool for riding.

Well, I guess its only right that all the white people who live on or own businesses on that land, you need to get the fuck out of there. Only niggers should be allowed to use that land.
That's called reparations! and while we're at it, I want that Jeff Davis Highway name changed, pronto, to Baracka Obama Highway!

eesh Wrote:
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> Interesting article at the Dead Malls site.
>
>
> http://deadmalls.com/malls/seven_corners_center.ht
> ml

Edward Stroger's Commentary
http://deadmalls.com/malls/seven_corners_center.html

Seven Corners Center was located at the intersections of VA Rte 7 (Leesburg Pike), Wilson Blvd, and US 50 (Arlington Blvd) in Falls Church, VA. This mall happens to be the first regional shopping center in Northern VA. It was believed to be built in the early 1950s.

I believe the original mall contained two or three anchors Woodward & Lothrop, Raliegh's, and a Garfinkel's (all 3 department stores went out of business in the late 80s and early 90s.) In the late 80's or early 90's a Ross: Dress for Less or Marshall's was put in the mall and the mall possibly died because of demographic changes around that time. There was a department store on across the street believed to be once a Lord & Taylor (stand-alone). It was believed to have closed in the late 80s and a Caldor replaced the space. Since the bankruptcy, a Sears now occupies the space... Not far from the shopping center is a Syms which has been there for years.

In the late 1990s the mall was demolished and the Ross Dress for less is still there. The current shopping center is now a large strip mall with a Shoppers Food Warehouse, Best Buy, DSW Shoes (not sure), Home Depot, Barnes & Noble Bookstore, and other national and small chain store. In Oct 2002, the mall made national news for the sniper shooting of a woman coming out of Home Depot with the accomplice of John Allen Mohammed. Restaurants and fast food includes a Wendy's and Uno's.

I believe that the mall failed initially with the closing of Woodward & Lothrop, Raliegh's and Garfinkels. These stores were some of the original prominent stores in Washington D.C. There were other locations of these 3 stores including - Springfield Mall (Springfield, VA), Landmark Center (Alexandria, VA), Fair Oaks Mall (Fairfax, VA), and Tysons Corner Center (McLean, VA).

I believe this is all I could possibly contribute or remember. I've seen an aerial view of the Seven Corners area of Falls Church at one of the Fairfax County Libraries...

Links
saulcenters.com/prop/vaprop/nova/7corners/index.html - Seven Corners Center As It Is Today

Great article folks....but, I and many others have contributed some great shots in "Old pictures of Fairfax county, love em!" thread...for example...
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Wasn't there an airport there before the mall? Or am I thinking of the wrong mall?

@395runner...not here..an airport was located at Lohemann's Plaza in Falls Church and one not too far down the street in Bailey's Crossroads. Sleepy out...

I was thinking of Bailey's Crossroads, thanks.

Who owned Bailey's Crossroads?

What is that place on the far left in the top picture?

Fuck you crackers!!!
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