Relocation Of Mary Read Memorial Approved By Fairfax County

ANNANDALE, VA — Fairfax County's Park Authority and Land Development Services approved a plan to relocate a memorial to Mary Read, who was killed in the mass shooting at Virginia Tech in 2007, to a new area outside a floodplain in Canterbury Woods Park in Annandale.

The existing bench and plaque will be moved, and greenery will be planted at the new site for the Mary Read Memorial. The new location will be to the north of the parking lot at Canterbury Woods Park, out of the flood plain and roughly the same size as the original site.

The memorial honors Read, a 2006 Annandale High School graduate who was one of 32 people killed during the shooting at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007. Read, 19, was a freshman at Virginia Tech.

The memorial, consisting of a plaque, stone bench and plantings, is near the intersection of Braddock Road and Wakefield Chapel Road in Annandale. The site is often flooded, leaving the memorial in poor condition.

Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw and his staff, together with Read’s family and local advocates, worked to find a new location in the park that would be more appropriate and accessible.

"I'm pleased that we will be able to relocate and improve this memorial so that we can continue to honor Mary Read," Walkinshaw said in a statement Monday. "I thank the community members who raised awareness and worked with my office to ensure that the project could succeed. This is all about remembering Mary Read with a lasting memorial, which is what she deserves."