Oakton received recognition for its 141st birthday – and a resolution from Fairfax County officials – Jan. 24 during the Providence District New Year Open House.
Supervisor Dalia Palchik (D-Providence) detailed the community’s history in a board matter she presented Jan. 23.
Oakton began in 1883. The community previously had been known as Flint Hill, but the U.S. Postal Service declined to establish a post office with that name because a locality in Rappahannock County already had that moniker, Palchik said.
Because large oak trees dotted the area, the community’s first postmaster, Squire Ernest Smith, suggested the name of “Oak’s Corner,” but the government went with a shorter version, Oakton, on Jan. 24, 1883, when it established a post office at Hunter Mill and Chain Bridge roads.
Formerly dominated by horse farms, Oakton began to gain more people, development and transportation options at the turn of the 20th century following the introduction of a trolley line there.
Palchik credited community organizations such as the Hunter Mill Defense League, Oakton Women’s Club, Options for Oakton and Save Blake Lane Park for working with county officials to achieve community priorities, such as construction of Oakton Library, establishment and beautification of local parks, pedestrian-safety upgrades and saving the last remaining Oakton “witness” tree, which existed in close proximity to some momentous events in the Civil War.
The community’s spirit got a boost from the Vale Club, Friends of the Oakton Library and other organizations, Palchik said.
The Greater Oakton Community Association also provides beneficial programs for residents, promote civic engagement, advocates for community improvements and seeks to preserve Oakton’s historic and environmental assets, she said.
“In addition to the many local events held in Oakton’s parks and community spaces, community groups and passionately engaged residents have always worked closely with the Providence District in a partnership that is a model for community-driven governance,” Palchik said.
