This black community in Fairfax County was founded by patriarchal freedman West Ford, a former slave of George Washington's family, who acquired the property in 1833. Gum Springs became a place for "runaways" and recently freed slaves to live. Helped by Quakers, freed slaves worked in the trades they had learned as estate slaves. Many activities celebrate the long continuity and the families of this historic black community. Exhibits and information are available at the Gum Springs Historical Society, Inc.