Joseph Tinner
The small community of Tinner Hill was developed by Black stone mason Charles Tinner and his wife Mary Elizabeth in the late 1800s. He subdivided the land, once part of a tobacco plantation, into 10 home lots, one for each of his children.
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.
Joseph B. Tinner was especially known throughout the area as the most respected and sought-after stonemason in the region. While many of his monuments and buildings were built to last hundreds of years, they were all destroyed, mostly in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, and replaced with inferior, poorly built structures, designed to last only a few decades. All that remains of his life as a stonemason are the foundations of many elegant homes, a few fireplaces and chimneys, and some pictures of his magnificent monuments.
Tinner was a deeply religious man (Methodist), strong, and bore a confidence that came from a supportive extended family. He was widely recognized as a leader of people and a powerful speaker. It was said that whenever he spoke, people stopped to listen.
His beliefs on civil rights and his conviction about fairness and equality were well-known. In 1915, when the Falls Church Town Council voted to segregate the area and restrict land-ownership rights of African-Americans, Mr. Tinner was immediately elected as the leader of the group to respond. Minutes of the first and ensuing meetings indicate that Tinner tirelessly spoke before Council, church groups, and other organizations throughout Northern Virginia. He was both the voice and the "presence" for the rights of African-Americans. His leadership in civil rights continued up to his early death in 1928.
Little is known of this great man who stepped forward and made himself the target for white supremacists from both the Ku Klux Klan and the ruling Town Council. It is a goal of the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation to seek further information.
Joseph Tinner has been honored by the Fairfax Branch of the NAACP, and a plaque honoring him and his work sits at the base of the Tinner Hill Monument.
Explore More 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.
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Harriet Foote Turner was an enslaved woman who escaped from the nearby Cook -Fitzhugh plantation in the late 1850s (American Battlefield Trust ). Harriet played an important role in the pathway to freedom for many enslaved people in the Falls Church area. In 1858, Harriet used forged passes to lead 12 newly enslaved people to freedom in Canada by posing as their owner (The VDHR Historical Marke r Database ). Harriet Foote Turner, lived where the Falls Church tobacco barns were located on what is now South Maple Avenue. She was the aunt of E.B. Henderson (HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 350 - Commending Henderson House ). Harriet Foote Turner is buried at Galloway Methodist Church .
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George and Harriet Brice were previously enslaved people who became prominent African American landowners of Falls Church. Harriet Brice gained freedom prior to 1860. She lived and owned land in Falls Church at the beginning of the Civil War. George Brice gained freedom after fleeing to the Union in 1861, shortly after in 1863 he joined the 6th Regiment United States Colored Troops. The couple raised their family in Falls Church. Harriet purchased land in 1864. George farmed this land and the land of absent landowners in exchange for a portion of what he grew on the property.
In 1867, George and Harriet Brice helped to buy land for what was then known as Watkins Chapel, now the Galloway Methodist Church (blackpast.org).
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Louisa Henderson was the mother of E.B. Henderson and the daughter in law of Eliza Henderson. Louisa helped to run Eliza’s grocery store until the 1930’s. She was a member of the nearby Second Baptist Church and donated a portion of the land the church campus sits on today.
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Frederick Forrest Foote Jr., a prominent African American merchant and landowner was elected as town constable in 1875. He later went on to serve on the Falls Church Town Council for four terms from 1880 to 1889. Foote was the first African American Council Member. Foote owned a popular grocery store in town which was later purchased by his cousin Eliza Henderson. His father, Frederick Forrest Foote Sr., owned over 30+ acres on the east end of Falls Church.
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Ollie Tinner was a leader in civil rights efforts around education equality, justice in courts, and African American participation in civic and governmental affairs. For over 20 years, he lobbied alongside Mary Ellen Henderson for a new school for African American Children as well as for funding for new school supplies and books for African American children. Ollie was also the author of “The Colored Citizens' News” in the Fairfax Standard. Many of his articles can be viewed on the Virginia Chronicle. Ollie was a member of the nearby Second Baptist Church and is buried there. 3. The Henderson House 307 S Maple Ave | RPC: 52-306-018 Source: Virginia Department of Historic Resources The Henderson House is located at 307 S Maple Avenue. The property is significant as it was home to Dr. Edwin Bancroft Henderson and Mary Ellen Henderson, husband and wife, who were prominent figures in Falls Church and civil rights advocacy. Dr. Henderson was a founding member of the first rural branch of the NAACP in 1915 and Mrs. Henderson was a principal in then segregated Falls Church schools and a mem