The Oldest African American Community in Fairfax County
NGSCA is a 501(c)(4) IRS tax exempt community organization that represents the residents of Gum Springs, which is the oldest African American community in Fairfax County, VA.  
Established 1833
Gum Springs is within walking distance of Sherwood Regional Library, INOVA Mount Vernon Hospital, Mount Vernon Governmental Center that houses the Mount Vernon Police Station and the Mount Vernon Magisterial District Supervisor Office and churches of various denominations to include Bethlehem Baptist Church, Harvest Assembly Baptist Church, St. John Baptist Church, Greater Morning Star Apostolic Church and Mt. Vernon Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses.   
Gum Springs Demonstration to Protest 13-lanes on Richmond Highway
The New Gum Springs Civic Association would like to thank the numerous individuals, organizations and elected officials who came out on September 9th to support Gum Springs demonstration to protest VDOT's proposal to widen Richmond Highway to 13-lanes.  Thank you to Fairfax County Police--Mount Vernon Station for keeping us safe and the news media for covering the event.

Special Sponsors
  • Jube Shiver, Jr.
  • Nelson Greene, Jr.
Sponsors
  • New Gum Springs Civic Association
  • Gum Springs Historical Society & Museum
Supporters
  • Audubon Naturalist Society
  • Coalition for Smarter Growth
  • Families for Safe Streets
  • Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling
  • Greater Morning Star Apostolic Church
  • Mount Vernon Council of Citizens Associations
  • NACCP
  • Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation
  • South County Task Force
  • United Community
  • Woodlawn-Faith UMC
Speakers:
  • Jube Shiver, Jr., Owner, Spring Garden Apartments
  • Ron Chase, Founding Director, Gum Springs Historical Society & Museum
  • Karen Camplin, President, NAACP
  • Sonya Breehey, Northern Virginia Advocacy Manager, Coalition for Smarter Growth
  • Jeff Gauger, Bicyclist, Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling
  • Mary Paden, Chairman, South County Task Force
  • Michael Doyle, Founding Member, Families for Safe Streets
  • Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck
  • Lee District Supervisor & Chairman of Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Public Safety Committee Rodney Lusk
  • Virginia State Senator Scott Surovell (D-36)
Click on the media name to view the coverage by NBC4, WJLA7 and  Washington Post Online :
​Does Gum Springs have adequate housing for the underprivileged?  Click here  to read a Letter to the Editor on page 4 in the Mount Vernon Gazette.

Regular Community Meeting - September 14th @7:30 p.m.

Virtual community meeting with VDOT and FCDOT for an update on traffic concerns discussed during the February 9, 2021 meeting.  To refresh your memory about the February 9th meeting, view slides under Meeting Info/Meeting Documents tab.  VDOT & FCDOT will also discuss the proposed 13-lanes at Richmond Highway & Sherwood Hall Lane.

Gum Springs Glen Re-activates its Tenant Council

​Gum Springs Glen is a 60-senior affordable complex in Gum Springs owned by Fairfax County.  After being managed by Fairfax County staff for 20-years, the county hired an outside management company on July 1, 2021 to provide property maintenance services.  In the meantime, unresolved management problems continues to include no on-site maintenance person and certain activities that affects the health and welfare of the seniors and their overall quality of life.  As a result, the seniors/residents have officially designated the Civic Association as its Tenant Council instead of selecting internal residents.  

The Civic Association is working with the tenants to develop a maintenance request form and a process to have tenant input into the performance evaluation of on-site management staff.
New Fairfax County Police Recruitment Website
Answer The Call -- Find Your Purpose
Ready to serve?  Open the door to the new Fairfax County Police Department recruitment website:  www.JoinFCPD.org.  Click here or the button below and check it out!

Things Get Solved...When You Get Involved!
One Gum Springs!
The New Gum Springs Civic Association (Civic Association) embarked on a new community initiative, One Gum Springs to:
  1. ensure Gum Springs is one community and speaks with one voice and that voice is the Civic Association; which now may be referred to as One Gum Springs;
  2. protect the legacy of Gum Springs;
  3. ensure concerns of Gum Springs are not easily dismissed or usurped by another community organization;
  4. enhance its relationship with government officials and staff; and
  5. prevent boundary changes such as the one instituted by Holland Court Property Owners Association (HCPOA) for its 11-homeowners to achieve white privilege in a black community. 
One Gum Springs retains the vision of West Ford, a freed slave who founded Gum Springs more than 188 years ago.  The 214 acres that identifies Gum Springs boundaries have not changed since established by West Ford.    
Gum Springs is one community...a community not separated by race.
Note:  Although NGSCA is a 501(c)(4) IRS tax exempt organization, your donation is not deductible. However, your donation will be greatly appreciated! All funds are used for solely to support and communicate with the community led by a cadre of volunteers. So, please consider making a donation.
Support Gum Springs by Paying your dues
or
Donate today! 

It's safe and easy via PayPal.

Click on the Donate button!
Please note that the Community Calendar is at the end of this page.  Scroll to bottom to view calendar of events.

Buffalo Soldier Day is July 28th

This infomercial is provided to the Gum Springs community by the Civic Association,
​Bethlehem Baptist Church, Harvest Assembly Baptist Church and St. John Baptist Church.
Thank You Community Day Sponsors!
Although not all sponsors attended Gum Springs Community Day and not captured in a photograph, here are four sponsors; two who presented their sponsorship during the event.  We will update this section for a special Thank You blast to our sponsors.  In the meantime, Thank You!!!
Evan Kaufman (Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation--SFDC), Queenie & Kevin McNulty (Cox Communications)
Ronald Lofton, Sr., Psi Alpha Alpha Chapter Fairfax County Ques President Willie J. Williams, Jr., Queenie, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay, Ben Floyd, Kenneth Younger, Craig Spraggins and Virginia State Delegate Paul Krizek.

Queenie & Gil Davenport (Mount Vernon District Democratic Committee)
Sponsors not pictured were:
  • Anonymous
  • Mimi & Will Friedman
  • Dominion Energy
  • Gum Springs Community Center Advisory Board
  • Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., micron Theta Zeta Chapter
Here are some photos from
Gum Springs Community Day/Juneteenth
June 19, 2021
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Jeff McKay kicked off the event with opening remarks and presenting Gum Springs with a Proclamation.  The community also heard from Lee District Supervisor and Chairman of the BOS Public Safety Committee Rodney Lusk, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis, State Senator Scott Surovell (D-36) and Virginia State Delegate Paul Krizek (D-44). 

Ronald L. Chase, Founding Director, Gum Springs Historical Society/Gum Springs Museum gave a brief but tantalizing history about Gum Springs and Juneteenth.

The petting zoo, trackless train and turbo tubs were a hit with the attendees!  The steel drum band was outstanding!  Their music was relaxing and soothing to the ears.
Picture
More than 100 bags were given out with the box lunches.

SIGN OUR PETITION OPPOSING MVCCA & HOLLAND COURT

Gum Springs needs your support!  11-homeowners on Holland Court have been strategically taking action to separate Gum Springs into another community.  Gum Springs was founded by a freed slave 188 years ago.  The homeowners on Holland Court embarked on this community separation plan approximately 3-years ago.
Click here to sign our online petition opposing MVCCA and Holland Court
The struggle is not over.  After purposely choosing to move and live in a black community founded by a freed slave, 11-homeowners on Holland Court/HCPOA have taken action to sever their one street from Gum Springs to be identified as a separate community to exercise white privilege through residential segregation and racism.  Such action is nothing more than a methodically process to minimize the achievements of our founding father and contributions of certain Gum Springs residents and to eliminate and change the course of Gum Springs history.  Click here or visit page from top of menu on Home page.  Do not forget to sign our opposition petition mentioned above.
Things Get Solved---When You Get Involved!
Click here to Support Your Community--
Pay Your Dues and/or Donate to
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​Click here to sign up for eNews to stay current about Gum Springs
Scroll to end of page for Upcoming Calendar of Events and to post YOUR event!
Be Proud You Live in Gum Springs! 
Know who speaks and represents the Gum Springs community. 
​It's not your Condo or HOA or POA (C/H/P/OA)!!!
Changing your covenants, bylaws or Articles of Incorporation will not circumvent the fact that the Civic Association represents the entire Gum Springs community in matters that affects the Gum Springs community regardless of the C/H/P/OA standing.   The simplest way to avoid conflict and dissension within the community is to join YOUR community association in addition to your C/H/P/OA.​
Click here to view the Gum Springs Redevelopment Plan which is a guiding document for proposed development/redevelopment projects in Gum Springs.
​Click here to view the draft Gum Springs Conservation Plan submitted to Fairfax County during August 2015.  As of today, Gum Springs is still waiting for a response from Fairfax County Redevelopment & Housing Authority and Fairfax County Department of Planning & Zoning.
Gum Springs was not transformed from a "muddy hole" to a diverse community overnight.  The Gum Springs Conservation Plan and Neighborhood Improvement Plan were instrumental in what you see as Gum Springs today.
If you are "bounded" by Richmond Highway, Boswell Avenue/Schellhorn Road/Sherwood Hall Lane/Holland Road and Little Hunting Creek, you live in Gum Springs!
To list your community event on the community calendar, click on the Suggest an Event link below.