Lake Barcroft History Book

The years 1959-60 changed the course of history for the
United States in general and for Lake Barcroft in
particular. John F. Kennedy defeated Richard M.
Nixon for the presidency of the United States, and Stuart
Finley became president of the Lake Barcroft Community
Association. While Kennedy’s presidency would end after a
thousand days, Finley’s association with the lake and the
community would endure for the next forty years, with no end
in sight!
The Community Grows
Lake Barcroft achieved upscale status in the beginning of the
1960s. Notable politicians such as President Kennedy’s press
secretary, Pierre Salinger, Attorney General Ramsey Clark, and
congressmen Wayne Hays, Melvin Price and Charlie Bennett
moved into the community. Over a few short years, the
number of families living at Lake Barcroft increased
substantially: from 368 in 1956, to 650 in 1958, and 783 in
1960. By mid-1960, LABARCA membership had reached a
record high: of the 783 families living in Lake Barcroft, 614—
78 percent—were members of the association. Real estate
prices were rising as well. By 1960, a number of comparable
new homes purchased for $23,500-$25,000 in the mid- to
late-fifties were reselling for approximately $32,000. Mary
Price, a realtor as well as a resident, remarked, “I’m not here by
accident. There is nothing in the Washington area that can
hold a candle to Lake Barcroft.”
The value of lots increased as their availability decreased. The
days of $3,000 plots were over, and the price of off-lake lots
reached $10,000. Lakefront property, which originally had
sold for $12,000, now commanded $20,000. One realtor
estimated that the lowest-valued lot on the water in the Middle
Area was listed at $22,500 at that time. To close out his
enterprise, Colonel Barger continued to sell home sites and
parcels of lots to builders; for example, in 1960, one builder
gladly paid $18,000 for a pair of lots that had been valued at
$8,500 in 1958.
Finley Elected President
CHAPTER FIVE
Stuart Finley Takes the Helm
By the early 1960s, LABARCA had become an important part
of community life, and the success of Lake Barcroft could be
attributed to the hard work of association members during the
preceding decade. The first competitive election for association
president in LABARCA’s history, which took place in late
17
1959, featured two candidates, each highly qualified and
dedicated to the community. Ralph Spencer, an official at the
U.S. Department of Agriculture, had been asked to run in
recognition of his work as chairman of the association’s
Planning Committee. Prior to his chairmanship, a committee
had studied the idea of constructing a community center to be
located in an undeveloped area near the dam compound. The
majority of association members favored the concept; a 1958
survey polled 273 for and 72 opposed. Spencer promoted the
community center despite pessimistic arguments against
establishing a “dance hall” on the lake. Ralph agreed to be
nominated, and members naturally associated him with
the project.
A faction of members who favored dredging the lake
convinced Stuart Finley to enter the race based on his expertise
in issues dealing with sediment and erosion; he had produced a
fifty-part television series called Our Beautiful Potomac.
Because funding for silt removal had already been approved by
Fairfax County and BBI, association pressure mounted to
resolve a festering sore point—the gradual decay of the lake.
Finley also enjoyed name recognition since he worked as a
television news announcer for the local RCA station, WNBW
(now WRC-TV). Stuart Finley won the amicable, low-key
election, and Ralph Spencer pitched right in, volunteering to
take on the task of procuring and maintaining street signs, a
responsibility he shouldered for over forty years.
First Steps
Stuart Finley’s first report to the membership was published in
the association’s January 1960 newsletter and stressed a point
articulated by Ellen Oshins: “Sometimes we forget that when
we formed the Lake Barcroft Community Association several
years ago, our primary motivation was to protect and enhance
a community which is a wonderful place to live and where the
people are fine neighbors and good friends.” To this end,
Finley realigned the various committees, dividing some and
creating new ones, including Constitution and Bylaws,
Directory, Finance, Law and Order, and Silt Surveillance. The
reorganization distributed responsibilities more widely and
relieved some overburdened volunteers.
With Finley’s firm grip on the wheel, the board called for
action: modernization of the bylaws, revitalization of street
signs, reduction in dues from $5 to $3.50 and administration
of complaints. The board placed new emphasis on an old