School History: Drew-Smith Elementary School

Remembering Our Past

Drew-Smith Elementary School opened during the 1952-53 school year, and was closed in June 1965. The majority of Drew-Smith students were integrated into Bucknell, Gunston, Hollin Hall, Hollin Meadows, Hybla Valley, and Mount Vernon Woods elementary schools. Drew-Smith was converted into a special education center and became a pilot site for the “Culturally Disadvantaged Program” (the forerunner of the Head Start program). The building currently houses the Gum Springs Community Center and the Gum Springs Museum.

Visit the Gum Springs Museum
Black and white aerial photograph of Drew-Smith Elementary School.
Drew-Smith Elementary School, 1958. Courtesy of the Virginia Room, Fairfax County Public Library.

Location

Map showing the location of Drew-Smith Elementary School.
Current Address: 8100 Fordson Road, Alexandria, Virginia 22306

Land Records

  • Research in progress.

Construction Records

  • Designed by architect Robert A. Willgoos
  • Built by Eugene Simpson & Brother Construction of Alexandria, Virginia
  • School Board Meeting Contract Award: February 12, 1952
  • Contract Amount: $248,972

Educators

The following persons once taught at Drew-Smith Elementary School.

  • Sylvia Jennings Alexander
  • Ruth S. Branch
  • Mary Mann Brown
  • Deloise H. Corbin
  • Margaret Beckwith Faucette
  • Naomi B. Gray
  • Geneva Walker Jones
  • Augustus L. Lacey
  • Mary Laura McPhail (Librarian)
  • Saunders B. Moon (Principal)
  • Annabel M. Patterson
  • Earl L. Pulley (Principal)
  • Barbara A. Ridley (Librarian)
  • Mabel M. Roscoe
  • Eva P. Scott
  • Bernice G. Tate
  • Alice A. Williams

Desegregation: The Schools

School Histories