Community Partnerships

The Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation is proud to work with partners in our community to develop learning models and educational materials for students and families.

George Mason University African American Studies Program

George Mason and the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation created 100 Years of Black Falls Church, providing access to primary source materials relating to the African American community of Falls Church, Virginia. The website is complemented by a sidewalk virtual tour of African American homes, churches, and landmarks in Falls Church, Virginia.

Virginia Tech

On Feb. 21, 2009 we partnered with VA Tech and Primary Source Learning to present at a teachers’ institute featuring collections from Tinner Hill and the Library of Congress. The primary source materials and local history supported the Virginia Standards of Learning.

Virginia Tech and the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation jointly apply for grants in the areas of oral history and architecture. Virginia Tech provides academic, professional, and administrative support while Tinner Hill provides technical, administrative, and community-based support in fulfilling the obligations of the grants. To date, the partnership has resulted in a successful architectural contest for the design of the Tinner Hill Historic Site and the initiation of an oral history project at Tinner Hill.

NOVA Parks

Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation worked with the City of Falls Church and Fairfax County to create Tinner Hill Historic Park located at 106 Tinner Hill Road in Falls Church, VA. The historic park is the site of what was home to Joseph and Elizabeth Tinner, the couple who fought segregation laws after the borders of neighboring towns were redrawn to cut directly through their thriving community. The Tinner’s actions led to the first rural branch of the NAACP.

Visit the park’s picnic pavilion today and see the Zig Zag Monument, a sculpture that follows the original location of the segregation line.

Fairfax County 

The County purchased one lot on Tinner Hill and provided a 40-year lease with an option to buy for the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation.

The National Park Service Heritage Preservation

Two grants have been administered that will allow the Foundation to develop the resources to build the Tinner Hill Historic Site and the John Jackson Center for Piedmont Blues. These funds were appropriated through Congressman Jim Moran.

The City of Falls Church

The City purchased one lot on Tinner Hill and provided a 40-year lease enabling the Tinner Hill Historic Site.