#84 – Explore Jennie Dean Park

Jennie Dean Park, located in Arlington’s historic Green Valley (also known as Nauck) neighborhood at the corner of South Four Mile Run Drive and South Shirlington Road, is one of the most historically significant parks in the county. The park is named for Jennie Serepta Dean (1848–1913), a formerly enslaved woman who founded the Manassas Industrial School for Colored Youth in 1893 — the only school offering higher education for Black students across five Northern Virginia counties. During segregation, the park served as the primary recreational space for Black Arlingtonians from across the county, hosting baseball games, festivals, track meets, and community celebrations for decades.

In May 2022, Arlington County completed a $15.5 million renovation of the park, adding more than two acres, modernizing the playground and baseball fields (named for community leaders Ernest Johnson and Robert Winkler), and installing a history walk with embedded plaques and public art. The centerpiece sculpture, Wheelhouse, is a striking green stainless steel pavilion inspired by both a mill that stood here in the 1700s and the park’s rich baseball heritage. Pennants of historic Green Valley baseball teams fly along the outfield fence. Admission is free. Visit arlingtonva.us for more information.