Editing Springfield, Virginia (section)

==History==
===19th century===
A saw and grist mill was constructed in the vicinity of present-day Springfield between 1796 and 1800. Owned by James Keene, it gave its name to today's [[Virginia State Route 644 (Fairfax County)|Old Keene Mill Road]]. The mill served farms in the area for around sixty years before its discontinuation when William H. Keene was convicted and imprisoned for the 1855 murder of Lewis Quincy Hall. Nothing remains of it today save for two [[mill race]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=104|title=Keene Mill Marker|work=hmdb.org|access-date=13 March 2015}}</ref>
[[File:Springfield, Virginia - 2.jpeg|thumb|Apartment complex in Springfield]]
[[File:02.MetroPark.SpringfieldVA.4October2011 (6292653231).jpg|thumb|MetroPark complex of offices]]

The  Springfield post office was completed sometime after 1851. It was in existence at the time of the [[American Civil War]], being the site of a skirmish on October 3, 1861, and a [[Confederate States Army|Confederate]] raid on August 3, 1863. The station served as the first Springfield Post Office from 1866 to 1868.<ref name="hmdb.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=156|title=Springfield Station Marker|work=hmdb.org|access-date=13 March 2015}}</ref>

In 1877, Richard Moore petitioned for a post office, which he named Moor; it was located about a little over a mile south of the station, near the intersection of Fairfax (now Old Keene Mill) and Backlick roads. The post office name was changed in 1881 to Garfield to honor the late [[President of the United States|President]] [[James A. Garfield]], who had been assassinated that year. 

===20th century===
In 1907, the Garfield post office closed and a new postal station named Corbett, after the then-landowner, opened back at the railroad station.<ref name="hmdb.org"/> The name "Springfield" was reinstated for good on June 27, 1910,<ref>Yearbook, The Historical Society of Fairfax County, Volume 29, 2003–2004, Jack Hiller</ref> although the name Garfield continued to appear on maps at least through the 1930s.<ref>[http://digitool1.lva.lib.va.us:5881/ImageServer/dtlimagenav.jsp?filename=L2R0bF9zdG9yZS92aGkvMjAxMi8wNC8xOS92aGlfMS8xMjkzNTE= Map of Fairfax County.] Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Highways. Richmond, VA: June 1, 1932. Revised July 1, 1936. Library of Virginia Digital Collections. Retrieved 25 October 2012.</ref> The post office was moved to a new site in 1933.<ref name="hmdb.org"/>

Until at least 1946, Springfield remained a rural crossroads, when real estate developer Edward Carr decided to subdivide the area for suburban development along the recently opened Henry Shirley Highway (now I-95/I-395). Carr believed this to be the last easily accessible tract within {{convert|12|mi|km}} of [[Washington, D.C.]], and the newly developed area grew quickly.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hellovirginia.com/l_welcome-alexandria-kingstowne-springfield-virginia-real-estate.asp |title=Alexandria, Kingstowne and Springfield Virginia real estate listings, home buying, selling and relocation information – NUMBER1EXPERT(tm) |publisher=Hellovirginia.com |access-date=2012-05-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205090506/http://www.hellovirginia.com/l_welcome-alexandria-kingstowne-springfield-virginia-real-estate.asp |archive-date=2008-12-05 }}</ref> 

In 1950, the area had an estimated population of 1,000; [[Springfield United Methodist Church]] was established in 1954 and John Lewis High School (Formerly Robert E. Lee) was built in 1957. By 1960, the population was reported as over 10,000; it grew past 25,000 by 1970 with the North and West Springfield neighborhoods.<ref>Number of Inhabitants, Bureau of the Census 1960 and 1970</ref>

Between 1973 and 1975, Springfield became a major retail destination with the opening of the [[Springfield Mall (Virginia)|Springfield Mall]], now Springfield Town Center.<ref>Fairfax County Department of Taxation, DTA Property Search profile</ref> (the second regional shopping center in Northern Virginia after Tysons Corner), as well as the Springfield and Brookfield shopping centers.

In the 1980s and 1990s, retail and high-density housing expanded in the area, at least until the opening of the Franconia-Springfield Parkway in 1996, and the Franconia-Springfield Metro and Virginia Rail Express Station in 1997.

===21st century===
The mall was renovated and re-opened in 2014.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/digger/wp/2014/09/04/springfield-town-center-reopens-oct-17-heres-what-it-looks-like-now/|title=Springfield Town Center reopens Oct. 17. Here's what it looks like now.|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=13 March 2015}}</ref>