Where a Community Took a Stand: The Birthplace of Rural Civil Rights Resistance
Working with NAACP attorneys, the CCPL fought to delay and ultimately prevent the enforcement of the segregation ordinance. Their resistance helped keep the law from taking effect, and in 1918, their persistence was recognized: the NAACP granted them a charter, making the Tinner Hill group the first rural branch of the NAACP in the United States.
From living rooms and churches to courtrooms and city hall, the people of Tinner Hill demonstrated extraordinary resolve. Their civil rights work not only changed Falls Church—it inspired movements in other rural communities across Virginia and the South.
Joseph Tinner served as the branch’s first president, Dr. Henderson as secretary, and Mary Ellen (Nell) Henderson, Dr. Henderson’s wife, as a key organizer and recruiter. Together, they built a movement grounded in community, legal advocacy, and nonviolent protest.
Today, their legacy continues through the work of the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation, ensuring that this powerful history of local resistance and unity is never forgotten.
In the early 1900s, the Black community of Tinner Hill in Falls Church, Virginia, faced increasing threats of segregation. In response, residents came together to form the Colored Citizens Protective League (CCPL)—a grassroots organization led by Joseph Tinner, a skilled stonemason, and Dr. Edwin Bancroft Henderson, an educator and civil rights activist.
The group was created in 1915 after the Falls Church Town Council proposed a law banning Black residents from buying or renting homes in certain neighborhoods. Despite facing intimidation, including Ku Klux Klan activity, the CCPL organized public protests, wrote letters to town officials, and launched a legal challenge.