Save Woodlawn Stables: The Blog: Tally Ho!

Welcome to the blog for Save Woodlawn Stables! We are a local, grassroots organization, founded in April 2012 in response to the news that the Route 1 widening plans would cut directly through the property leased by Woodlawn Stables. We have worked to gather petition signatures, lobby our politicians, and worked with Federal Highways and Fairfax County to try and create a plan that would preserve Woodlawn Stables and the equestrian property owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation at Woodlawn. Our newest effort will be this blog, and we are excited to have you along for the ride!

Numerous articles have been written this spring and summer by our local Mount Vernon Patch, Mount Vernon Gazette, Fairfax Times and even the Washington Post about some of the issues and concerns of the many people who will be affected by the Route 1 widening through Woodlawn. What I will be doing with this blog will be more comprehensive, educational, interactive, and hopefully, deeply informative as this process continues.

Many of you may be wondering, "What is there left to talk about? I thought this Route 1 business was over already." To that I say, we have a great deal of work ahead of us. And by "us" I mean the Mount Vernon community, not just those of us involved with preserving the stables. There is a story to tell about what has happened at Woodlawn and what will happen to the property in the future. It is not just a story about horses and historic houses, or the battle over a road, or the tension between national and local preservation priorities. It is about the stewardship of this nationally significant site and how it is being protected for this generation and the next.

Route 1 will be constructed in phases between 2013 and 2016. We will be reporting on phases of construction as they come on line, updating the public about the plans for the new barns at Woodlawn (yes, we are getting new barns), and posting about the history of Woodlawn and Route 1 and how the public process got us all to this point.

I will be the primary blogger for Save Woodlawn Stables. I will be helped by my fellow Save Woodlawn Stables supporters and various guest bloggers. I am excited about sharing news and perspectives with you on our blog.

Next Post: September Updates & Beyond!