History of Thomas Jefferson Library
By Stephanie Mensh By Dave Conway, April 2004
A little over 50 years ago, Buck Carter, operator of the Family Barber Shop located in the Graham Road Shopping Center, offered the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors a vacant room in the rear of his shop at a rental charge of $25.00. The space would be for a library to serve the section of the county west of Falls Church. The Board of Supervisors, in turn, appropriated money for a part-time librarian and $5,000 worth of new books.
The branch opened its doors on 9 January 1954 in this temporary dwelling until a new branch could be built. This branch would later become the Thomas Jefferson Library, so the story goes.
In honor of this moment in Fairfax County history, the staff and Friends of Thomas Jefferson Library celebrated the library's 50th anniversary with several programs on 24 April 2004.
Fifty years from the back room of the family barbershop to the building's present location, this branch has been instrumental in serving the community needs of this neighborhood.