Herndon in Fairfax County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

The Route of Old West Ox Road

Photographed by William Tyler, December 8, 2024

1. The Route of Old West Ox Road Marker

Inscription. Here the Old West Ox Road, cut by the sawyers of Robert "King" Carter of Westmoreland County in 1729, traversed this park. Built to connect Carter's short-lived copper mining venture of the headwaters of nearby Frying Pan Run with a landing on the Occoquan River near Colchester, this road became an important farm-to-market route in western Fairfax County during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. During the Civil War, General Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson led a Confederate force up West Ox Road on the way to the Battle of Antietam in August 1862.

Erected 1996 by Rocks Engineering Company.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Roads & Vehicles • War, US Civil • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical month for this entry is August 1862.

Location. 38° 57.276′ N, 77° 25.227′ W. Marker is in Herndon, Virginia, in Fairfax County. It can be reached from Sayward Boulevard west of Liberty Loop, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2444 Little Current Dr, Herndon VA 20171, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally,

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this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area

and in Northern Virginia.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Historical Site of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Story of Arrowhead Farm (approx. 0.6 miles away); Mosby’s Rock (approx. 0.6 miles away); Laura Ratcliffe (approx. 0.7 miles away); a different marker also named Laura Ratcliffe (approx. one mile away); Frying Pan Meeting House (approx. 1.1 miles away); Pin Oak (approx. 1.1 miles away); a different marker also named Frying Pan Meeting House (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Herndon.

Another marker is no longer

Photographed by William Tyler, December 8, 2024

2. The Route of Old West Ox Road Marker

nearby. Mosby's Rock (was approx. 0.7 miles away but has been confirmed missing).

Credits. This page was last revised on July 25, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 10, 2024, by William Tyler of Herndon, Virginia. This page has been viewed 508 times since then and 72 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 10, 2024, by William Tyler of Herndon, Virginia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.