The Story
Bailey's Crossroads sits at the intersection of Leesburg Pike and Columbia Pike. Let's go into it's history!
George Washington owned the Skyline Complex's land.
John Luke Jr. owned the area around the current crossroads and Glen Forest. He built a mansion and rented a house to Jacob Bontz who turned it into Bontz's Tavern Hotel.
The crossroads was built in 1809 as the Washington Graveled Turnpike.
In 1837, Hachaliah Bailey of Westport, NY, bought John Luke's land and named it Bailey's Crossroads. It became the winter headquarters for his small circus which featured America's first elephant. He lived at the mansion and housed the animals in a nearby barn. They held circus shows there until the weather warmed and they went on tour.
Later, the Bailey family upgraded Bontz's Tavern into the Crossroads Inn. They fed and housed travelers, circus personnel, and cattle drivers until 1861 when the Civil War put an end to the circus.