| Virginia (Fairfax County), Alexandria — Beacon Field Airport |
| | In 1929, Airway Beacon No. 55, a pilot’s navigation aid, was installed on this site owned by W.F.P. Reid. Beacon Field is named for the beacon tower. Under the Civilian Pilot Training Program established in 1938, Ashburn Flying Service trained hundreds of pilots at Beacon Field for military service to support World War II. In 1942, the airport was temporarily closed for security reasons. The Civil Aeronautics Administration Region One Safety Office moved here following the war. Veterans of . . . — Map (db m21861) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Alexandria — E-70 — Colonial Fort |
| | Nearby at John Mathew’s land on Hunting Creek, Governor William Berkeley constructed a fort authorized by the Virginia House of Burgesses on 21 Sept. 1674. Militiamen from Lancaster, Middlesex and Northumberland Counties garrisoned the fort under command of Capt. Peter Knight. The fort defended the northern frontier of the colony against the Susquehannocks and other Indian groups. Berkeley planned for it and other forts to serve as buffers and thereby enable the English and the Indians to . . . — Map (db m775) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Alexandria — E-81 — Defenses of Washington |
| | During the Civil War, the U.S. Army constructed a series of forts and artillery batteries around Washington to protect it from Confederate attack. Forts O’Rourke, Weed, Farnsworth, and Lyon stood just to the north, and Fort Willard which still exists, to the east. These fortifications constituted the extreme southern defense line of the city. By the war’s end, a line of 163 forts and batteries extended about 37 miles around Washington, but today only a handful survive. A century later, during . . . — Map (db m2330) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Alexandria — E-102 — Fort Lyon |
| | In this vicinity stood Fort Lyon, the major fortification on the left flank of the Federal defenses guarding the city of Washington during the Civil War. Named in honor of Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon, the fort covered an area of nine acres with its forty gun-emplacements. New York, Massachusetts and Ohio troops garrisoned here controlled the Hunting Creek valley, the Little River Turnpike. and the railroad depot as well as the town of Alexandria. On 10 June 1863, President Lincoln personally . . . — Map (db m8029) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Alexandria — Fort Washington—The Capital’s Guardian |
| | Fort Washington, directly across the river, is the oldest existing fortification erected for the defense of the national capital. It was begun in 1814 to replace the first fort which was destroyed during the War of 1812 with Great Britain.
George Washington selected the location in 1794 when construction of a fort on the Potomac was considered. The high masonry walls, gun positions, dry moat, and drawbridge all illustrate principles of military science and architecture used during the nation’s early life.
— Map (db m880) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Alexandria — Fort Willard |
| | Civil War Fort constructed in 1862 as part of the defense system for Washington, D.C. Site donated by the developers of Belle Haven Gene and Helen Olmi, Sr. Gene and Natalie Olmi, Jr. Fairfax County Park Authority — Map (db m13360) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Alexandria — George Washington, Farmer |
| | One of the most progressive farmers of his day, George Washington believed America’s future depended on improvements in agriculture. From 1754-1799, he worked to improve his farming methods at Mount Vernon. Abandoning tobacco, which depleted the soil, Washington made wheat his major crop. He exchanged information through extensive correspondence with like-minded farmers around the country and abroad.
(Photo Caption) Detail from Washington as a Farmer at Mount Vernon, Junius Brutus . . . — Map (db m829) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Alexandria — E-94 — Gum Springs |
| | Gum Springs, an African-American community, originated here on a 214-acre farm bought in 1833 by West Ford (ca. 1785-1863), a freed man, skilled carpenter, and manager of the Mount Vernon estate. The freedman’s school begun here in 1867 at Bethlehem Baptist Church encouraged black settlement. In 1890 the Rev. Samuel K. Taylor, William Belfield, Lovelace Brown, Hamilton Gray, Robert D. King, Henry Randall, and Nathan Webb formed the Joint Stock Company of Gum Springs and sold lots. Gum Springs has remained a vigorous black community. — Map (db m952) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Alexandria — Historic Jones Point |
| | In the distance is Jones Point, designated as the southern corner of the District of Columbia by President George Washington. In 1790 Congress established the nation’s capital with a ten-mile square of land ceded by Virginia and Maryland. Alexandria City and what is now Arlington County were Virginia’s contribution. In 1846, at the urging of many Alexandria citizens, Virginia petitioned the federal government and regained its territory. Jones Point, however, continued as an important landmark . . . — Map (db m798) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Alexandria — E-69 — Little Hunting Creek |
| | The Washington family land south of here, named Mount Vernon in the 1740s, was part of a grant made in 1677 by the Northern Neck proprietors to Col. Nicholas Spencer and Lt. Col. John Washington. George Washington’s great-grandfather. John Washington’s son Lawrence Washington took possession of the eastern half of the grant on Little Hunting Creek. George Washington inherited it in 1761. Across Little Hunting Creek, the Brent family also was granted land in the 17th century. Margaret Brent, . . . — Map (db m794) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Alexandria — The Thirteen Adjacent Elms |
| | 1732–1932.
The thirteen adjacent elms representing the thirteen original colonies were planted in commemoration of the bicentennial celebration of George Washington’s birth and to revere the ancient and honorable artillery company of Massachusetts organized 1637. — Map (db m939) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Alexandria — These Trees |
| | These trees were planted in commemoration of the eight Presidents of the United States who were sons of Virginia.
George Washington, 1789-1797
• Thomas Jefferson, 1801-1809
• James Madison, 1809-1817
• James Monroe, 1817-1825
• Wm. Henry Harrison, 1841-1841
• John Tyler, 1841-1845
• Zachary Taylor, 1849-1850
• Woodrow Wilson, 1913-1921.
— Map (db m814) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Alexandria — To Commemorate the 250th Anniversary |
| | To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the birth of George Washington the citizens of the original Washington, Tyne and Wear, England present to the people of the United States 250 trees planted along the Mount Vernon Memorial Highway. 1732-1982 — Map (db m940) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Annandale — T-41 — Little River Turnpike |
| | The earliest private turnpike charter in Virginia was granted by the General Assembly to the Company of the Fairfax and Loudoun Turnpike Road in 1796. By 1806 the 34-mile-long road connected Alexandria with Aldie on the Little River in Loudoun County. The company placed wooden tollhouses along the road at five-mile intervals, and one stood near here until 1954. The Little River Turnpike became a free road in 1896. In Fairfax County, only this portion of the road in Annandale retains its original name. — Map (db m7374) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Annandale — T-50 — Mason’s Hill |
| | During the Civil War, Confederate Col. J. E.B. Stuart used Mason’s Hill and nearby Munson’s Hill as outposts for the First Virginia Cavalry from late July to the end of Sept. 1861. Capt. Edward Porter Alexander of the Signal Corps established a signal station on Mason’s Hill. On the Mason residence’s observation tower, he installed a six-foot “astronomical glass” to observe Washington, D.C. The telescope could “count the panes of glass in the windows in Washington.” . . . — Map (db m6926) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Annandale — Price’s Ordinary |
| | At the intersection of Backlick and Braddock Roads stood Price's Ordinary, established by David Price about 1773 and remaining in operation until 1802. Price's offered refreshment and shelter for travelers and a common meeting place for local residents. Here, on 2 October 1787, 29 freeholders unanimously approved the newly proposed Federal Constitution and resolved, in part, that: “We, the Freeholders of the County of Fairfax, conceiving that the Peace, Security and Prosperity of the . . . — Map (db m20895) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Annandale — The Cannon |
| | This Model 1905 three inch field gun
saw service in the Mexican Campaign
against Pancho Villa, and was
originally obtained by a local veterans
organization during the mid-1950s.
In the early 1980s, American Legion
Bicentennial Post 1976, Annandale,
obtained stewardship of the cannon
and initiated a restoration project
that included new wooden wheels
handcrafted by a master wheelwright.
The cannon and memorial are
maintained by Post 1976 as reminders
of the sacrifices of our veterans
in maintaining freedom
around the world. — Map (db m6919) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Annandale — The Guinea Road Cemetery Reinterment |
| | Virginia aristocrat William Fitzhugh was granted 21,996 acres in 1694: The Ravensworth tract, which was divided into northern and southern halves in 1701 and subsequently subdivided among Fitzhugh heirs throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. The cemetery located at Guinea Road and Little River Turnpike (Route 236) was part of the northern half of the original tract. The community of Ilda grew around this cemetery in the late 19th century. Families of local tenant farmers, African American . . . — Map (db m617) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Baileys Crossroads — T 48 — Bailey’s Crossroads Civil War Engagements |
| | After the First Battle of Manassas, Confederate troops led by Col. J.E.B. Stuart occupied nearby Munson's and Mason's Hills from late July until they abandoned their position about 29 Sept. 1861. Confederate troops fought skirmishers of the Union 2d and 3d Michigan Infantry around Bailey's Crossroads for several days starting 28 Aug. 1861. The Federals and Confederates suffered a small number of casualties. Union forces in Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac occupied the . . . — Map (db m5926) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Burke — BW 3 — Burke Station |
| | Burke Station was raided in December, 1862, by Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart. It was from this site, originally Burke Station Depot, that he sent his famous telegram to Union Quartermaster General Meigs complaining of the poor quality of the Union mules he had just captured. — Map (db m12) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Burke — Lee Chapel Church — 1871 - 1951 |
| | On this site stood Lee Chapel, a Methodist Episcopal Church, built 1871 and named in honor of General Robert E. Lee. Lee Chapel replaced Mount Carmel Church which had been located at Ox Road and present day Lee Chapel Road and had been destroyed by fire. Many Sundays were spent here in worship and fellowship by some of the oldest and most respected families of Fairfax County. Around 1928, combined circumstances, including impassable roads, made it necessary to close the church; however Lee . . . — Map (db m11) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Burke — E 95 — Silas Burke House |
| | Here lived Lt. Col. Silas Burke (b.1796–d.1854) and his wife, Hannah Coffer. Burke, for whom Burke's Station on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad was named, served as a director of the railroad and the Fairfax Turnpike Company. An innkeeper and farmer, Burke was elected president of the Fairfax Agricultural Society in 1850. He held many county offices with distinction, including road surveyor, commissioner of public buildings and schools, county court justice, presiding justice, and sheriff.
— Map (db m42) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Centerville — Blackburn’s Ford — Guarding the Fords |
| | By the early summer of 1861, Americans in both the North and South greeted the outbreak of war with patriotism and expectations of a quick decisive battle to end the conflict. In the North, the public clamored for immediate invasion to crush the rebellious South. While professional soldiers urged patience, President Lincoln, bowing to public pressure, ordered Gen. Irvin McDowell to submit a plan to advance on the important railroad junction at Manassas. On July 17, 1861, anticipating the . . . — Map (db m2257) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Centerville — Blackburn’s Ford — Bullets “Humming Like a Bee-hive” |
| | On July 18, 1861, Gen. Irvin McDowell, the Union army commander, learned that the Confederate army had withdrawn from its Centerville earthworks to a strong defensive position behind Bull Run. McDowell ordered Gen. Daniel Tyler to reconnoiter the stream but not bring on an engagement. Tyler accompanied Col. Israel Richardson’s brigade to Blackburn’s Ford. Arriving about noon, Tyler and Richardson found a cleared field sloping down from woods to the creek’s banks, which were thick with . . . — Map (db m2259) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Centreville — A Place on the High Ground — Centreville Civil War Forts & Earthworks |
| | In the fall of 1861, after their July defeat at Manassas (Bull Run), Union forces retreated to Washington, D.C. to organize and retrain. Confederate forces concentrated in Centreville to bolster their defense of Northern Virginia and protect access to the Orange and Alexandria Railroad which led to Richmond, the Southern Capital. As winter set in, 40,000 men constructed a 5-mile defensive line along the high ground of Centreville extending from Cub Run to the west, around Centreville to Little . . . — Map (db m8028) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Centreville — Battery Ridge |
| | Located 40 ft. south of this location is the Flagler and Forsyth Family Cemetery, 1866. ————— Located 80 ft. to the north is a Civil War Fortification, 1861- 1862. This was a part of a large military complex that extended from Centreville to Manassas. — Map (db m15004) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Centreville — C-40 — Campaign of Second Manassas |
| | Seven miles south is Manassas, where Jackson, on his turning movement around Pope, destroyed vast quantities of supplies, August 26–27, 1862. Hill and Ewell of Jackson's force, coming from Manassas, reached Centreville on their way to Jackson's position north of Groveton, August 28, 1862. — Map (db m411) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Centreville — Centreville, Virginia |
| | In October 1861, nearly 40,000 troops of the Confederate Army encamped at Centreville. Over the winter they constructed approximately 17 miles of forts, trenches, rifle pits and batteries along the ridge from Centreville to Union Mills and between Occoquan and Dumfries.
One of the most significant fortifications of these earthworks is located approximately 1200 feet northeast along this trail. This fort, forming the angle between the north and east fronts of the Centreville earthworks, . . . — Map (db m531) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Centreville — Civil War Fortifications |
| | In the winter of 1861-1862, Centreville was the linchpin of extensive fortifications erected by Confederate troops to protect their winter quarters and block anticipated Union advances. The earthworks stretched nearly eight miles south and west of town. More than 40,000 troops occupied the area that winter.
The map shows the major features of the works around Centreville in relation to the roads as they existed at that time. — Map (db m679) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Centreville — C-21 — Confederate Defenses |
| | Here while the Confederate army camped at Centreville, Gen. Joseph E. Johnston built strong fortifications in the winter of 1861–1862. In Feb. 1862, President Jefferson Davis ordered Johnston to evacuate them and move his army closer to Richmond, the Confederate capital. Outnumbered by Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac, Johnston complied. On 10 March, McClellan found "Quaker cannon," logs painted black, in the abandoned trenches to deceive his scouts. McClellan, . . . — Map (db m412) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Centreville — 169-Z — Fairfax County / Prince William County |
| | Fairfax County. Area 417 square miles. Formed in 1742 from Price William and Loudoun, and named for Lord Fairfax, Proprietor of the Northern Neck. Mount Vernon, George Washington's home, is in this county.
Prince William County Area 345 square miles. Formed in 1730 from Stafford and King George, and named for William Augustus, Duke or Cumberland, second son of King George II. The first and second battles of Manassas took place in this County. — Map (db m421) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Centreville — C-20 — First Battle of Manassas |
| | McDowell gathered his forces here, July 18, 1861, to attack Beauregard, who lay west of Bull Run. From here a part of the Union army moved north to cross Bull Run and turn the Confederate left wing, July 21, 1861. This movement brought on the battle. — Map (db m409) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Centreville — Manassas Gap Railroad Independent Line |
| | The roadbed of the Independent Line of the Manassas Gap Railroad ran through this area. Conceived to extend the Manassas Gap Railroad from Gainesville to Alexandria, grading on this part of the line began in September 1854. The nearby stone bridge abutments were built to carry tracks across Cub Run. Financial problems stopped the work in May 1857. In various places the roadbed provided shelter from attack and a route for troop movements during the Civil War. The Manassas Gap Railroad merged . . . — Map (db m655) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Centreville — C-17 — Military Railroad Terminus |
| | Half a mile west is the terminus of the Centreville Military Railroad, the first railroad in the world constructed exclusively for military purposes. Built by the Confederate army late in 1861 because of impassable roads, it supplied the soldiers in their
winter camps at Centreville. Trains from Manassas Junction ran here until March 1862 when Confederate forces withdrew southward.
Nearby on 9 Dec. 1862, Privates Michael O’Brien and Dennis Corcoran of Maj. Chatham R. Wheat’s . . . — Map (db m887) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Centreville — Mount Gilead Historic Site |
| | Mount Gilead, built in the second half of the 18th century, is the sole survivor of Newgate village, a colonial settlement and trading center, renamed Centreville in 1792, when an act of the Virginia assembly gave it town status. Presenting an excellent example of local Potomac River architecture with porches and end chimneys, Mount Gilead served as an ordinary and a private residence until the Civil War came to Centreville.
In October 1861, Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston brought . . . — Map (db m529) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Centreville — Old Stone Church — Haven for the Wounded |
| | Here, where the Warrenton Turnpike turned west from Braddock Road, the Union army marched from Centreville to meet Confederate forces in the first great battle of the Civil War on July 21, 1961. The afternoon, Union soldiers passed by here again, fleeing from the Manassas battlefield to reach Washington, D.C., the next day.
To your right is the “Old Stone Church” used as a Union hospital by Assistant Surgeon David L. Magruder, who later wrote that he “took possession of a . . . — Map (db m530) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Centreville — On This Site — In 1861 |
| | Confederate forces constructed this defense bunker in the winter of 1861. The bunker site was chosen due to the relatively high elevation of the Centreville area and it's excellent vantage. Confederate forces held the bunker from the time of its construction until Union forces captured it in March of 1862. It remained under Union control until the end of the war. — Map (db m15301) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Centreville — C-42 — Panic at Cub Creek Bridge |
| | First Battle of Manassas. In the afternoon of 21 July 1861, after Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's and Brig. Gen. P. G. T. Beauregard's Confederates defeated Brig. Gen. Irvin McDowell's Union army, the bridge over Cub Run was jammed with retreating Federal soldiers as well as civilians who had come to watch the battle. Capt. Delaware Kemper's Confederate artillery fired a few parting rounds toward the bridge, and one shell burst directly overhead. The crowd panicked and upset a wagon, thereby . . . — Map (db m413) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Centreville — C-22 — Second Battle of Manassas |
| | Here Pope gathered his forces, August 30–31, 1862. From this point he detached troops to check Jackson at Ox Hill while the Union army retreated to the defenses at Alexandria. — Map (db m410) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Centreville — C-23 — The Stone Bridge |
| | Originally built of native sandstone in 1825, the turnpike bridge over Bull Run became an important landmark in the Civil War battles at Manassas. Union Brig. Gen. Danial Tyler's division feigned an attack on Col. Nathan G. Evans's brigade guarding the bridge as the First Battle of Manassas began on the morning of 21 July 1861. When the confederates withdrew from the region, they blew up the bridge on 9 Mar. 1862. The rear guard of Maj Gen John Pope's retreating army, defeated at the Second . . . — Map (db m420) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Chantilly — B 11 — Battle of Chantilly (Ox Hill) |
| | The Battle of Chantilly (Ox Hill) took place here 1 September, 1962. Union General John Pope's Army, retreating after defeat by Lee at Second Manassas, clashed with Jackson's divisions which were attempting to prevent Pope from reaching Washington. Although Union generals Kearny and Stevens were killed, Jackson's men were held off by the smaller Union force. The battle ended the Second Manassas campaign and led to Lee's invasion of Maryland. — Map (db m532) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Chantilly — B 12 — Colonel John Singleton Mosby |
| | This road, along which many of his skirmishes took place, is named for Colonel John Singleton Mosby, commander of the 43rd Battalion of Confederate Partisan Rangers. Their activities in this area helped keep the Confederate cause alive in Northern Virginia toward the end of the Civil War. — Map (db m2669) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Chantilly — Mitchell-Weeks House |
| | This building is a reproduction of a typical "Potomac Valley Farmhouse" built at this location circa 1789 by Benjamin Mitchell. It was one and a half story log house, with a sloping front roof extending over a porch, which in time became a community landmark. Ownership passed to James Wrenn, who married Mitchell's granddaughter, in 1835. Their eight unmarried daughters lived here through approximately 1940. After 1952, Charles and Edith Weeks and subsequent owners made many renovations and . . . — Map (db m109) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Chantilly — Salisbury Plain |
| | This land was the eastern most boundary of a 3,111 acre grant, known as Salisbury Plain, acquired by Henry Lee from Thomas 6th Lord Fairfax in 1725 when it was part of the Stafford County frontier. This area became Prince William County in 1730, Fairfax County in 1742, Loudoun County in 1757 and back to Fairfax County in 1798. In 1787 the Lee property was divided between his two grandsons - Richard Bland Lee, the first United States Congressman to represent northern Virginia and the builder of . . . — Map (db m4533) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Chantilly — C 18 — Sully Plantation |
| | The dwelling house at Sully Plantation was built in 1794 by Richard Bland Lee on land that had been patented in 1725. Lee was the first congressman from Northern Virginia and an early member of Phi Beta Kappa. His vote brought the capital city to the banks of the Potomoc. Lee was appointed by President Madison as one of the three commissioners to superintend the restoration of federal buildings burned by the British in 1814. Born at Leesylvania in Prince William County in 1761, Lee died in Washington in 1827. — Map (db m216) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Chantilly — The Cross Farmhouse |
| | The Alfred Judson Cross Farmhouse was built in 1905, replacing an earlier structure built by Cross's father and lost to fire earlier that year. The house was rebuilt on the same foundation using timber cut on the farm and sawn at a local mill. The Cross Farm was part of Robert Carter Jr.'s 18th century land grant from Thomas, Sixth Lord Fairfax. Cross's grandfather bought the land from the Carter heirs in 1825. Cross's father, a slave owner and veteran of the War of 1812, settled on the land . . . — Map (db m8346) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Chantilly — The Sully Farms — Alone in Dixie |
| | At the time of the Civil War, the farms of Sully and Little Sully (no longer standing) were the homes of the Barlow and Haight families respectively. These families, connected by marriage, had come to Virginia from Dutchess County, New York, and found themselves Unionists in a secessionist neighborhood. After the men fled to avoid capture, the women of Sully operated both farms for most of the war. Maria Barlow wrote to family members in New York that "we out here alone in Dixie have no . . . — Map (db m217) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Chantilly — The Walney Dairy — The Role of the Dairy at 19th Century Walney |
| | This stone building was the Machen family dairy from about the 1850s until the 1890s. Originally just one room, the dairy was a place to cool milk and to make butter and cheese. Before the Civil War, Caroline Machen made butter and cheese for her family and the farmhands and may have sold any extra to neighbors.
The Civil War, however, changed life at Walney. The land was severely damaged by occupying Confederate and Union armies. After the War, money was scarce, machinery expensive and . . . — Map (db m8356) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Chantilly — The Walney Dairy — Anatomy of a Dairy |
| | The Perfect Location
The Machen’s chose this site to take advantage of the natural flow of the spring. Water was easily directed from the spring through the building and out the other side. As it passed through, the cold spring water preserved the milk and other products. The temperature inside the building remained fairly cool—about 50 degrees Fahrenheit—because of the water and surrounding ground.
Stone Construction
This building is made of local sandstone and . . . — Map (db m8358) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Chantilly — The Walney Dairy — 19th Century Dairying: A Cottage Industry |
| | Butter
Before the Civil War, the Machen women and a slave named Sally made butter for the family in this room every week. By 1880 the farm was making butter for commercial sale and men did the work.
In the room to your left, several keelers filled with milk probably sat on work tables in the center of the room. Keelers were shallow so cream could rise to the top of the container within 24 hours. Cream was collected from the keelers in the morning with a skimmer and held in . . . — Map (db m8362) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Chantilly — Walney House |
| | Honoring Walney House whose history as a farm, dairy, & country retreat, reflects many facets of the development of western Fairfax County since the Eighteenth Century. — Map (db m8342) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Chantilly — Walney Outbuildings — Outbuilding Foundation |
| | “They have a queer way of building one thing after another, the great point being to have a separate shed or out-house for every purpose…You will find a carpenter’s shop, tool room, coach-shed, pig-house, stable, kitchen, two or three barns, and half a dozen negro huts, besides the main house.” —Theodore Lyman, Union officer stationed in Northern Virginia
The stones on the ground in front of you are the foundation of one or several attached outbuildings. As with . . . — Map (db m8344) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Chantilly — Walney Outbuildings — Smoke House |
| | Caroline Machen (at Walney) to Lewis Machen, December 1849 “You speak of making our pork into bacon before selling it. I do not think it would answer well in many accounts. Our smoke house is too small…”
James Machen (at Walney) to Lewis Machen, 17 December 1853 “The hogs were killed this week—25 in no. [sic] making 3700 lbs. This with the cutting up, salting, etc. consumed a good portion of the week…”
The restored smoke house in front of you is . . . — Map (db m8351) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Chantilly — Walney Outbuildings — Icehouse |
| | Emmeline Machen (at Walney) to Arthur Machen, December 1853 “As to the Ice-house I remind James of it daily and indeed almost every time I see him. … Campbell promised to come today to commence digging it, but has failed to make his appearance. …Father seems more in favor of it than ever before and has given his consent to its construction on the old site. I do hope that we may this year not only fill one, but obtain one that will keep [sic] filled.”
James Machen (at . . . — Map (db m8352) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Clifton — E-101 — Devereux Station |
| | In 1863, during the Civil War, Pennsylvanian Herman Haupt, a noted bridge designer and the superintendent of Union military railroads, commissioned John Devereux, the railroad superintendent in Alexandria, to build a siding on the Orange & Alexandria R.R. on this site, later known as Devereux Station. When a passenger station was built in 1868, the name was changed to Clifton Station. The station spurred the development of Clifton as a commercial and resort community, with its greatest growth . . . — Map (db m7402) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Clifton — Ivakota Farm |
| | On this land stood Ivakota Farm, founded as a Progressive Era reform school and home for unwed mothers and their children. In 1915 Ella Shaw donated her 264-acre farm to the National Florence Crittenton Mission (NFCM). Named for the states where she had lived—Iowa, Virginia and North Dakota—Ivakota provided a rural setting for inspirational, physical, domestic and religious education primarily for delinquent girls. Social reformer and NFCM president Dr. Kate Waller Barrett oversaw . . . — Map (db m7401) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Clifton — Union Mills Historic Site |
| | In the late 18th century, following the American Revolution, this area of Fairfax County began to be referred to as Union Mills. Covering five or six square miles between Popes Head Run and Johnny Moore Run, it was recognized for its water powered mills. In addition to milling, local industries included talc quarrying, farming, grazing and lumbering. During the Civil War, Union Mills became strategically important to the Confederates due to the routing of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad . . . — Map (db m11464) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Dunn Loring — Camp Alger |
| | In May 1898 the Spanish-American War came to Northern Virginia with the establishment of Camp Russell A. Alger (below). The 1,400-acre camp, south of where you are now located, encompassed the fields and forests of the former Woodburn Manor farm. Some 23,000 soldiers from 16 states were trained here, but most would never see combat. In December the United States signed a peace treaty with Spain, and the war was over. Pvt. George B. Thayer of the First Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, . . . — Map (db m24873) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Dunn Loring — Dunn Loring Station |
| | As an attraction for potential home-buyers, the Loring Land and Improvement Company constructed a railroad station on the site just to your right for the planned subdivision of Dunn Loring. An 1880s advertisement notes that "Good railroad accommodations are provided; a tasteful and comfortable depot has been erected...and telegraph and postal arrangements have been made." Unlike most other stations, which were built in a standardized style by the railroad, the Dunn Loring station reflected the . . . — Map (db m24875) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Dunn Loring — Tracks into History — The Washington & Old Dominion Railroad |
| | The railroad that became the Washington & Old Dominion was born in Alexandria in response to the competition in shipping posed by the port in Baltimore, which was served by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. The B&O was diverting farm produce from the Shenandoah Valley away from Alexandria by way of its junction with the Winchester & Potomac Railroad. It also had access to the rich coalfields of the Ohio Valley.
A group of Northern Virginia businessmen formed the Alexandria, Loudoun & Hampshire . . . — Map (db m24874) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Fairfax — Battle of Chantilly - Ox Hill |
| | On September 1, 1862, Confederate forces under the command of Major General Thomas J. (Stonewall) Jackson moved across and to the southwestern edge of this site to engage Union forces determined to prevent a glancing movement on demoralized Union troops fleeing the field at Second Manassas. The ensuing battle raged on for a little less than three hours terminating in ferocious hand-to-hand combat in a violent late afternoon thunderstorm. Tactically the battle ended in a stalemate leaving . . . — Map (db m110) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Fairfax — B 13 — Battle of Ox Hill (Chantilly) |
| | Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's wing of the Army of Northern Virginia reached here 1 Sept. 1862. Jackson's march from the battlefield of Second Manassas turned the position of Maj. Gen. John Pope's army at Centreville and threatened the Union line of retreat near Fairfax Court House. Here at Ox Hill, the Confederates encountered Federal troops of the IX and III Corps and a fierce battle was fought amid storm and darkness. Union generals Isaac Stevens and Philip Kearny were killed. . . . — Map (db m115) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Fairfax — E 98 — Fairfax Nike Missile Site |
| | During the Cold War a ring of Nike anti-aircraft missile sites defended the nation’s capital, reminiscent of the perimeter of forts that protected it during the Civil War. Just east of here was located the launch control equipment for one of the three Nike complexes in Fairfax County. To the west stood the missiles, poised on above-ground launchers. The U.S. Army (1954–1959) and the Army National Guard (1959–1963) operated this battery. Built to oppose Soviet air attack, this . . . — Map (db m2093) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Fairfax — Manassas Gap Railroad Independent Line |
| | The Independent Line of the Manassas Gap Railroad ran through this area. Conceived to extend the Manassas Gap Railroad to Alexandria, grading on this part of the line began in September 1854. Financial problems stopped the work in May 1857. In various places the roadbed provided shelter from attack and a route for troop movements during the Civil War. The Manassas Gap Railroad merged with the Orange and Alexandria Railroad in 1867. Track was never laid along the Independent Line. — Map (db m528) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Fairfax — B 29 — Maryland (Antietam / Sharpsburg) Campaign |
| | Following the Battle of Ox Hill (Chantilly) on 1 Sept. 1862, Gen. Robert E. Lee pondered his options and strategy. Encouraged by Confederate victories and Federal disorganization, Lee acted quickly to continue the offensive. On 3 Sept., Lee's Army of Northern Virginia marched north towards Leesburg, from where it could cross into Maryland, flank the Washington fortifications, and draw the Union army out of Virginia. The troops of Maj. Gens. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson and James Longstreet . . . — Map (db m111) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Fairfax — Pozer Garden |
| | Old Town Fairfax
Pozer Garden honors Kitty Barrett Pozer, who owned the adjacent historic Ratcliffe-Allison House from 1927 until she bequeathed it to the City at her death in 1981. Mrs. Pozer had a lifelong interest in horticulture and was the Washington Post's gardening columnist for many years. — Map (db m9095) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Fairfax — Reid-Ballard House — Once a Prominent Landmark — Ox Hill (Chantilly) Battlefield |
| | The historic Reid-Ballard House once stood 140 yards west-northwest of this marker. The original log structure was built by Joseph Reid before the Revolution on land inherited by his wife, Barbara Walker Reid. The house and land passed to succeeding generations of Reids and upon his death in 1860, Col. John Reid willed the house, 143 acres and two slaves, Daniel and Harriet, to his granddaughter, Mary Lillie Reid Thrift.
On September 1, 1862, during the Second Manassas Campaign, the Reid . . . — Map (db m3216) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Fairfax — The Battle of Ox Hill — The Death of Generals Stevens and Kearny — Second Manassas Campaign |
| | The Battle of Ox Hill (or Chantilly) was fought here, in rain and storm, on September 1, 1862. It was a bloody aftermath following the Second Battle of Manassas (August 28-30) where the Union Army under Gen. John Pope was defeated and driven across Bull Run by the Confederate forces of Robert E. Lee. Pope retreated to Centreville seven miles west of here. To turn Pope's position, Lee sent Stonewall Jackson moving around Pope via the Little River Turnpike (Route 50) in order to cut the Union . . . — Map (db m116) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Fairfax — The Battle of Ox Hill — The Attack and Death of General Stevens |
| | Acting to protect Pope’s line of retreat along the Warrenton Turnpike, Brigadier General Isaac Stevens, commanding the 1st Division, IX Corps, seized the initiative and ordered an attack. With storm clouds threatening and artillery fire booming overhead, Steven’s infantry moved briskly in three lines across the Reid lane and up the slope toward the woods. As Stevens’ first line came within 200 yards of the woods, Captain Lusk of the 79th New York “Highlanders” shouted, There is no . . . — Map (db m15160) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Fairfax — The Battle of Ox Hill — The Battle of “Chantilly” (Ox Hill) — Then & Now |
| | This early 20th-century photograph of the “Chantilly” battlefield was published by Fairfax County in 1907. The photo was taken from a vantage point a short distance ahead and to the right, beyond the park. It shows the pasture of the old Reid farm, at that time virtually unchanged since the day of the battle. The view today is unrecognizable. The attack by General Isaac Stevens’ 1st Division, IX Corps came north across this pasture (toward you). In the foreground, the Union . . . — Map (db m15162) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Fairfax — The Battle of Ox Hill — Attack of General Birney’s Brigade |
| | A courier with an urgent request galloped up to 1st Division, III Corps commander Major General Philip Kearny on the Warrenton Turnpike. General Stevens’ division had intercepted Stonewall Jackson’s column on the Little River Turnpike and was in desperate need of support. “By God, I’ll support Stevens anywhere!” exclaimed Kearny. He ordered General David Birney’s brigade to hasten forward. General John Robinson’s and Colonel Orlando Poe’s brigades were directed to follow. . . . — Map (db m15163) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Fairfax — The Battle of Ox Hill — The Death of General Kearny |
| | As a rainy darkness enveloped the battlefield, Major General Philip Kearny rode eastward to investigate the reported gap in the Union line. Reigning up in the pasture, Kearny became alarmed that Stevens’ division had abandoned that part of the field after being repulsed. Finding remnants of the 21st Massachusetts, Kearny immediately ordered them into the cornfield to protect Birney’s flank. They protested that their ammunition was wet and the cornfield was full of rebels. Kearny vehemently . . . — Map (db m15165) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Fairfax — The Battle of Ox Hill — Boulders and Quartz Stone — The Spot Where General Stevens Fell |
| | The boulders and quartz stone beside this fence mark the location where Union General Isaac Stevens fell with the flag of the 79th New York “Highlanders” during the initial Union assault. Here, Stevens’ troops threw down the fence and drove Hay’s Louisiana brigade back through the woods. In 1883, Hazard Stevens, the general’s son and adjutant, and Charles Walcott of the 21st Massachusetts, returned to this field and identified the places where generals Stevens and Kearny were . . . — Map (db m15168) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Fairfax — The Battle of Ox Hill — Kearny and Stevens Monuments |
| | In July 1915, John and Mary Ballard deeded a 50x100-foot lot on their farm to six trustees, three from Virginia and three from New Jersey, General Kearny’s home state. The small lot was reserved for monuments to any Confederate or Federal soldier who fell in the Battle of Ox Hill (Chantilly). Subsequently, these monuments to generals Isaac Stevens and Philip Kearny were dedicated on October 2, 1915. Captain Hazard Stevens, John Watts Kearny, Lieutenant John N. Ballard and Colonel Edmund . . . — Map (db m15170) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Fairfax — The Battle of Ox Hill — Kearny's Stump and the Monument Lot |
| | The history of this small granite monument, marked simply “Kearny’s Stump,” is a mystery. According to tradition, a tree stood here at the time of the Ox Hill battle that subsequently became known as the “Kearny Tree.” It was said to be either the place where General Kearny was killed, or where his body lay after the battle ended. Both of these scenarios are doubtful. Kearny was definitely killed in the cornfield west of here. The Confederates recovered his body and . . . — Map (db m15172) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Fairfax — The Battle of Ox Hill — General Reno's Probe East of Ox Road |
| | While General Stevens’ division attacked the Confederates on this side of Ox Road, part of General Jesse Reno’s division entered the woods east of the road to protect Stevens’ flank and probe the Confederate line. Reno’s two leading regiments received vague orders to “find the enemy.” Just before 5 p.m., the 21st Massachusetts stumbled through the darkened woods, their line of battle broken by fallen trees and underbrush. As the thunderstorm erupted, the regiment halted to reform . . . — Map (db m15180) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Fairfax — The Battle of Ox Hill — Aftermath: The Invasion of Maryland |
| | The clash at Ox Hill ended the Second Manassas Campaign. A small force of 6,000 Union soldiers had battled to a stalemate a much larger Confederate force of 17,000 of whom about 10,000 were engaged. In little more than two hours, the Confederates lost 516 men killed, wounded and missing. Union forces lost at least 1,000 casualties and withdrew during the night to Jermantown and Fairfax Court House, leaving behind nearly 250 severely wounded. The next day Pope’s army escaped to the safety of . . . — Map (db m15184) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Fairfax — The Battle of Ox Hill |
| | (Kiosk Panel): Ox Hill Battlefield Park & Interpretive Trail This small park is the last remnant of Fairfax County’s only major Civil War battlefield. The Battle of Ox Hill, also known as the “Battle of Chantilly,” lasted but a few hours on the afternoon of September 1, 1862. Here, some 6,000 Union troops encountered and attacked about 17,000 Confederates of General Stonewall Jackson. It was a “beastly, comfortless conflict” fought during a ferocious . . . — Map (db m15599) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Fairfax — The Battle of Ox Hill |
| | (Kiosk Panel): Sequel to Second Manassas The Battle of Ox Hill, September 1, 1862 The Confederate victory at Second Manassas (August 28-30, 1862) forced Union General John Pope’s Army of Virginia to retreat to the heights of Centreville. To dislodge Pope from his strong Centreville positions, Confederate General Robert E. Lee, commanding the Army of Northern Virginia, ordered General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson’s 17,000 troops on a flank march to cut off Pope’s army . . . — Map (db m15618) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Fairfax — The Battle of Ox Hill |
| | (Kiosk Panel): Wounds Suffered at Ox Hill (Chantilly) September 1, 1862 Union Soldiers 4th Maine, 2nd Brigade (Birney), Kearny’s Division: Pvt. Lorenzo E. Dickey, Co. A, Age 21: At Chantilly, received gunshot would in right thigh. Taken to a field hospital “in the vicinity of the battleground” where the leg was amputated at the upper third, four days after the battle. Arrived at Douglas Hospital, D.C. Sept. 8. On Oct. 16, twenty ounces of blood lost in . . . — Map (db m15620) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Fairfax Station — Clara H. Barton — Founder of the American Red Cross |
| | Here at Fairfax Station in early Sept. 1862, after the Second Battle of Manassas and the action near Chantilly, Clara Barton ministered to the suffering. By her humane and tireless efforts this Angel of the Battlefield helped move over 3000 wounded soldiers to safety. — Map (db m102) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Fairfax Station — Fairfax Station — “The angel of the battlefield.” |
| | The first Fairfax Station depot, built by Irish immigrants in 1852, was a stop on the Orange
and Alexandria Railroad from Alexandria to Gordonsville. Early in 1862, after Confederate forces withdrew, the railroad carried military supplies
and letters and packages from home to Union soldiers
camped north of the Occoquan River and at
nearby Fairfax Court House.
In Sept. 1862, wounded Union soldiers were transported here after the Second Battle of
Manassas for evacuation to Alexandria . . . — Map (db m885) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Fairfax Station — Skirmish at St. Mary’s - Victory or Death |
| | Monday, August 8, 1864, was a hot and sultry day. Capt. John McMenamin of the 15th New York Volunteer Cavalry and Capt. James Fleming of the 16th New York Volunteer Cavalry had stopped at St. Mary's Church on the Ox Road (now Fairfax Station Rd.), Fairfax. Their Command of 60 troppers was resting, eating supper and feeding their horses.
Shortly after 5 p.m., vedettes sounded the alarm that Confederate cavalry were approaching, coming north on the Ox Rd. (now Vogue Rd.). The Union troopers . . . — Map (db m186) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Fairfax Station — St. Mary’s Catholic Church |
| | Dedicated September 19, 1858 by Rt. Rev. John McGill, Bishop of Richmond. — Catholic workers, who were employed in building the Fairfax Railroad pass, began work on the structure in 1856. They were assisted by members of the nearby Hamill family. Shortly after the dedication, Norther Virginia was ravaged by the Civil War, resulting in the church being requisitioned as a shelter for the wounded. Here, under the direction of Clara Barton, the idea of the Red Cross was developed. The . . . — Map (db m184) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Falls Church — Bailey’s Crossroads |
| | In 1837 Hachaliah Bailey (1774-1845) from Westchester County, New York, purchased 526 acres in the northeast quadrant formed by the intersection of Leesburg and Columbia Pikes. Here he built his home, known as "Moray," which was destroyed by fire in 1942. Before moving to Fairfax County Bailey operated a traveling "menagerie" of elephants. His son, Lewis Bailey (1795-1870), introduced the canvas circus tent to the world and owned a traveling circus before settling on this land that he farmed . . . — Map (db m632) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Falls Church — T 40 — Lincoln Reviews Troops at Bailey’s Crossroads |
| | After the Union defeat on 21 July 1861 at the First Battle of Manassas, Lincoln appointed Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan as commander of the demoralized army. A superb organizer, McClellan rebuilt the army and on 20 November 1861 staged a formal military review here, between Munson's Hill and Bailey's Crossroads. Lincoln and his entire cabinet attended. Occupying nearly 200 acres, some 50,000 troops, "including seven divisions—seven regiments of cavalry, ninety regiments of infantry, [and] . . . — Map (db m180) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Fort Belvoir — ‘Thermo-Con’ House |
| | In 1948, the Department of Defense worked with Higgins Industries to develop a standard house design to meet the Army’s housing shortage. Higgins Industries designed and mass-produced landing craft during World War II and held the patent for ‘Thermo-Con,’ a cement material that expanded as it cured. The renowed industrial architects, Albert Kahn & Associates, designed the prototype in the International style and the 410th Engineer Battalion (Construction) completed the building in 1949. Due to . . . — Map (db m9440) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Fort Belvoir — E 60 — Belvoir |
| | Belvoir, meaning "beautiful to see," was built about 1741 for William Fairfax, land agent for his cousin Thomas, sixth baron Fairfax of Cameron and Northern Neck proprietor. George Washington was introduced to Belvoir and its gentry culture while in his mid-teens, during stays at Mount Vernon with his half-brother Lawrence, who married William Fairfax's daughter Anne. After the house burned in 1783, Washington wrote to George Fairfax that "the happiest moments of my life had been spent there" . . . — Map (db m7691) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Fort Belvoir — E 64 — Fort Belvoir |
| | Fort Belvoir is named for the 18th-century plantation that was owned by William Fairfax. The house burned in 1783. The U.S. War Department acquired much of the Belvoir tract in 1912 as a training center and named it Camp A. A. Humphreys for Maj. Gen. Andrew A. Humphreys, a former Chief of Engineers. During World War I the camp was enlarged and the Engineer School moved there. The camp was renamed Fort Humphreys in 1922. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt changed the name to Fort Belvoir. . . . — Map (db m7689) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Fort Belvoir — Non Commissioned Officers’ Service Club |
| | The Office of the Quartermaster General designed this building as an NCO club and the 13th Engineer Regiment constructed it in 1939. The building was constructed with materials appropriated from the post. Prior to this time, a “Hostess House” served enlisted and civilian personnel on post. The NCO club was built on the edge of the NCO housing area. The building was designed in the same Colonial Revival style as the adjacent housing, and was centrally located near community . . . — Map (db m9444) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Franconia — E 125 — Birthplace of Fitzhugh Lee |
| | To the north stood Clermont, the birthplace of Fitzhugh "Fitz" Lee. Born on 19 Nov. 1835, Lee was the nephew of Gen. Robert E. Lee. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1856. During the Civil War, Fitzhugh Lee was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Confederate army and became a major general in 1863. He served with Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stewart and commanded cavalry at Sharpsburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. Lee was the governor of Virginia from 1886 to 1890. He served as Consul . . . — Map (db m161) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Franconia — Carrolltown |
| | In this vicinity a small African-American settlement grew from ten acres of land given to Jane Carroll by her owner, Dennis Johnston, before 1856. Jane's son, George, acquired an additional 121 acres from Johnston's heirs in 1899 and 1903. In 1904 George Carroll sold approximately 50 acres to family members. In 1881 and 1884 William Jasper, a former slave of William Hayward Foote of Hayfield Farm, donated land for a school and the Laurel Grove Baptist Church on Beulah Street. A community grew . . . — Map (db m163) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Franconia — Franconia |
| | “Frankhonia Farm” was situated on 191 acres purchased in 1859 by Alexandria merchant and businessman William Fowle from Joseph Broders of Oak Grove Farm. His son, Robert Rollins Fowle, sold 18 acres to the Alexandria & Fredericksburg Railway Company in 1871 for a station, which was named after the farm. The station served as the Garfield Post Office from 1881 to 1890 and again from 1898 to 1907. Initially situated south of Franconia Road near the present day Fleet Drive, the station . . . — Map (db m158) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Franconia — Laurel Grove Colored School and Church |
| | In the early 1880's, former slaves organized a congregation and held church services near a grove of laurel on Beulah Road. The trustees including Middleton Braxton, George Carroll, Thornton Gray, and William Jasper focused on education. In 1881, Georgianna and William Jasper, a former slave of William Hayward Foote of Hayfield Plantation, deeded one-half acre from his thirteen acre farm to the segregated Virginia School System for $10.00. The school served the community until 1932. In 1884, . . . — Map (db m15341) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Franconia — Rose Hill |
| | The community of Rose Hill was created in 1954. The land was part of an 18th century plantation known as Rose Hill, established by Daniel French, the builder of Pohick Church. The house was the site of a raid by Confederate Maj. John S. Mosby on 28 Sept, 1863. On that occasion French Dulany, one of Mosby's raiders, captured his own father, Col. Daniel F. Dulany, who remained loyal to the Union. The original frame house was destroyed by fire in 1895. — Map (db m160) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Great Falls — A Globally Rare Environment |
| | The Potomac River Gorge "In more than twenty-five years of field work, I have not seen another site with a comparable diversity of land forms, plants, and natural communities." -Gary Fleming, Ecologist, Virginia DCR Look around you. Have you noticed the unusual landscape here? Because of this landscape's wild river and rocky terrain, this is one of the country's most biologically diverse areas. Bedrock terraces high above the river, precarious ledges and floodplains have become a . . . — Map (db m4974) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Great Falls — Forestville School |
| | Once the site of a Forestville School, this building has served the citizens of the Great Falls community for a century. Constructed alongside the Georgetown Pike in 1889, the school consisted of one room until 1911 when a second building, the Floris Elementary School, was added to the original. After 1922, the structure was successively used as a residence, realty office, bank, and public library. During the 1950s, the building was purchased and used by members of the nearby Grange whose . . . — Map (db m2181) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Great Falls — Great Falls Canal and Locks |
| | National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark Great Falls Canal and Locks Constructed 1785-1802. Operated until 1821 ——— These works were the major feature of the first river navigation system for trade with the west. This pioneer waterway was begun under the leadership of George Washington as president of the Potowmack Company, 1785-89. — Map (db m4975) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Great Falls — T 46 — Great Falls Nike Missile Site |
| | Just to the southeast were radar and other control equipment that formed a portion of one of three Nike anti-aircraft missile complexes in Fairfax County. The site was operated by the U.S. Army between 1954 and 1962. Established during the Cold War to defend Washington from Soviet air attack, this complex, along with those at Fairfax and Lorton, was among the thirteen sites that encircled Washington and Baltimore. The ring of Nike missile sites was reminiscent of the perimeter of forts that . . . — Map (db m2091) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Great Falls — E 112 — Old Road To The West |
| | Colvin Run Road is a remnant of an 18th-century wagon road from the Shenandoah Valley to Alexandria that probably originated as an Indian path. George Washington passed by here in 1753 and 1754 en route to persuade the French on the Ohio River to withdraw from English territory. In 1755, during the French and Indian War, a brigade of Maj. Gen. Edward Braddock’s army traveled the road on its ill-fated march to Fort Duquesne. The road was incorporated into Middle Turnpike before 1840. A century . . . — Map (db m1861) |
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