The History of Tinner Hill
The events that took place in Tinner Hill transformed an ordinary community into a historically significant site.
Tinner Hill has become a quiet symbol of an African American community that fought to maintain its identity and its place within the city, despite institutional efforts at separation and segregation.
In 1914, two men in Falls Church, Joseph B. Tinner and Edwin Bancroft Henderson, got their neighbors together. They formed a group called the Colored Citizens Protective League (CCPL). They did this to fight a new town rule that would have stopped Black people from buying any more property in Falls Church.
This was important because earlier, in 1890, the town had already changed its borders unfairly to remove many Black families. The new rule the CCPL fought against could have pushed out the remaining Black landowners.
The CCPL won their fight and stopped the unfair rule. Because of this success in protecting Black property owners from unfair laws, their group became the first countryside chapter of the NAACP (a large organization fighting for Black rights).
However, later on, the building of Lee Highway and the new buildings around it cut through the area. This divided important properties and broke up the community.
Thinking about Tinner Hill today reminds people of that struggle to keep their property and their community together. The place might look ordinary now, but important history happened there. That normal look is actually part of why it's historically important.
We often remember big moments in the Civil Rights movement, like Rosa Parks on the bus or Martin Luther King Jr.'s march in Selma. But the Tinner Hill story shows how the fight for Black Americans' rights also happened in local towns. It was about everyday people fighting to protect their land, families, and neighborhood.
People of Tinner Hill
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In 1915, a son, Joseph Tinner, joined with neighbor Dr. E. B. Henderson and others to protest a proposed city segregation ordinance that would have forced Black residents to sell their homes and move to one part of town, much like Nazis would do just a few years later in Europe. They formed a group they called the Colored Citizens Protective League, which in 1918 became the first rural branch of the NAACP.
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Before civil rights became a popular movement, Dr. Henderson was the voice for change for African-Americans in the entire metropolitan region. His letters were published in newspapers throughout the eastern United States. To honor his work and achievements in this area and to inspire youth to follow this same path, the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation, along with the Washington Post and Diener and Associates, CPAs, sponsors the annual E. B. Henderson, "Dear Editor" Contest for high school students in Northern Virginia.
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Ms. Henderson is recognized for her many outstanding accomplishments. To honor this great woman, the school board for the City of Falls Church decided to name its new middle school for Mary Ellen Henderson. The school opened this Fall and is a fitting tribute to her impact on the students of yesterday as well as today. Her poignant story demonstrates how one person can make a difference in the lives of young people.