4601 Green Spring Road, Alexandria
By: M. Callahan
In 1784, John Moss purchased a brick house near the natural springs that flowed on a 540 acre farm. Here he cultivated grains and raised cattle and pigs until 1843 when his grandson, Alfred, sold the estate. Fountain Beattie became the next recorded owner from 1878 to 1917. He raised twelve children and cattle while cultivating fruit and vegetables. In 1942 Michael and Belinda Straight purchased the house and thirty-three acres. Michael Straight was a publisher and editor, not a farmer. He did manage to raise cattle but did not cultivate crops at Green Spring. He and his wife were known to entertain many notable figures while in residence including Aldous Huxley and Hubert Humphrey. Beatrix Farrand, a highly regarded landscape architect, designed both the formal and informal garden spaces adding extensively to the variety of plantings.
In 1970 the Straights deeded their house and 16 acres to the Park Authority with the expressed wish for the land to remain a park. Today the Historic House hosts a series of informative and fascinating formal English Tea Programs and is surrounded by the most beautiful gardens to include many huge boxwoods, azaleas, and rhododendrons from the Straight era.
Photograph: Courtesy Historic Home, Green Spring Gardens, Fairfax County Park Authority
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