History Commission - Local History Books


Purchasing Information 

Some of the publications listed below are available for purchase at the Virginia Room City of Fairfax Regional Library 10360 North Street Fairfax, VA 22030-2514 Telephone: 703-293-6227, unless otherwise specified. The books are available for loan through the Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL). Check for location and availability through their on-line catalog.


Annandale, Virginia: A Brief History
by Robert M. Moxham. Edited by Estella K. Bryans-Munson
  This study begins with the Fitzhughs' Ravensworth grant in the late 17th century. Moxham traces the village's early commercial, social, and religious development. Includes the Civil War's impact and local politics during Reconstruction. The concluding chapters cover Annandale's development from 1880-1980.

Fitzhugh genealogy and index, maps, photographs, tables, and drawings.
1992. 124 pp. $7.00 (Currently Unavailable)

The Battle of Chantilly (Ox Hill): A Monumental Storm
by Charles V. Mauro
 

On a stormy September 1862 afternoon, weary Confederate and Union soldiers clashed in Fairfax County's most significant Civil War battle near the present day Fair Oaks Mall. Author Charles V. Mauro combines well-drafted maps and modern photographs to draw the reader into a fast-paced narrative of The Battle of Chantilly (Ox Hill). This armchair tour also explores the action's impact on the local neighborhood, the commemorative ceremonies occurring since then, and the battlefield's disappearance from our landscape.

Includes photographs, maps, tables, and an index.
2002 96 pp. $16.95


Beginning at a White Oak: Patents and Northern Neck Grants of Fairfax County, Virginia
by Beth Mitchell
  Includes abstracts of 708 patents and grants of original owners of Fairfax County lands from 1651, surveys, drawings, photographs, and an index.

1977, 1979, 1988. 346 pp. (Currently Unavailable)

Carlby
by Barbara T. Spann
  Documents the moving of a colonial home from Sussex County, Virginia, to property on the banks of the Potomac River, with a history of the land in the vicinity of Mount Vernon.
Includes photographs, architectural drawings, and maps.
1976. 168 pp. $7.00 (Currently Unavailable)

The Cartography of Northern Virginia: Facsimile Reproductions of Maps Dating from 1608-1915
  Compiled with an introduction by Richard W. Stephenson. Edited by Donald M. Sweig.

Seventy selected maps and two atlases reproduced on 122 plates.
Introduction, bibliography, and index.
1981. 145 pp. $20.00 (Currently Unavailable)

Centreville, Virginia: Its History and Architecture
by Eugenia B. Smith
  A study of the origins of Centreville, its role in the Civil War, and the architecture and history of several local structures. Includes photographs, maps, and floor plans.
1973. 118 pp. $7.00 (Currently Unavailable)

City of Canvas: Camp Russell A. Alger and the Spanish-American War
by Noel Garraux Harrison
  A history of a temporary encampment of the Spanish-American War era in northern Virginia.
Includes maps, photographs, and an index.
1988. 98 pp. $10.95 (Currently Unavailable)

Colchester: Colonial Port on the Potomac
by Edith Moore Sprouse
  A study of an 18th-century Fairfax port town. Includes information about early merchants, commercial activities, tobacco and flour warehouses, railroads, the Revolutionary War, and archaeological sites. Sprouse chronicles the sales of the town's 42 lots laid out in 1754. She uses a huge variety of historical documents to provide detailed descriptions of the lifestyles of Colchester's merchants and tavern owners in the days when tobacco and flour were used as currencies.
1975, 1977, 1992. 196 pp. $7.00 (Currently Unavailable)

The Colvin Run Mill
by Ross D. Netherton
  A study of milling in northern Virginia and the history of Colvin Run Mill in Fairfax County. Includes photographs, architectural drawings, and maps.
1976. 54 pp. $7.00 (Currently Unavailable)

Courts Were Appointed in Convenient Places": A Lecture Presented on the Occasion of the Bicentennial of the Fairfax County Courthouse, April 2000
by Donald M. Sweig
  This publication is a revision of a lecture presented by Dr. Donald Sweig on April 8, 2000 as part of the official Fairfax County and Fairfax City commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the first meeting of the Fairfax Court in the Fairfax County Courthouse.
Includes photographs.
2001. 30 pp. $Free  (Currently Unavailable)

Dunbarton, Dranesville, Virginia
by Charles P. Poland
  Traces the ownership of a 19th-century stone house and the Dranesville community of which it is a part.
Includes photographs, maps, and Civil War information.
1974. 128 pp. $6.00 (Currently Unavailable)

Fairfax County and the War Between the States
  A reprint of a 1961 publication compiled by the Fairfax County Civil War Centennial Commission. The Battle of Ox Hill (Chantilly) receives special attention.
Includes maps, drawings, photographs, and index.
1989. 73 pp. $8.00  (Currently Unavailable)

Fairfax County, Virginia: A Historical Tour Map and Guide to Places of Interest
  Describes and shows locations of historical places in Fairfax County, with a brief history of the county and the area.
Illustrated, full color.
18" by 24", double- sided. $Free  (Currently Unavailable)

Fairfax County, Virginia in 1760: An Interpretive Historical Map
by Beth Mitchell and Donald M. Sweig
  This map and its explanatory text provide a unique view of Fairfax County in the pre-revolutionary era.
1987. 101 pp. (Currently Unavailable)

Fairfax County, Virginia: A History
by Nan Netherton, Donald Sweig, Janice Artemel, Patricia Hickin, and Patrick Reed
  A history of Fairfax County from prehistoric times to the late 20th-century.
Illustrated and indexed.
1992. Hardcover. 784 pp. $25.00 (Currently Unavailable)

The Fairfax Family in Fairfax County: A Brief History
by Kenton Kilmer and Donald Sweig
  A description of the Northern Neck Proprietary and a study of Fairfax County properties held by the proprietors.
Includes biographies, photographs, surveys, and maps.
1975. 119 pp. $7.00  (Currently Unavailable)

A Fairfax Friendship: The Complete Correspondence Between
George Washington and Bryan Fairfax, 1754-1799
edited by Donald M. Sweig and Elizabeth S. David
  Printed transcriptions of the 69 extant letters between Washington and his life-long friend Bryan Fairfax, from 1754 until 1799. Published in commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the birth of George Washington.
1982. 170 pp. $9.00  (Currently Unavailable)

Fractured Land: Fairfax County's Role in the Vote for Secession, May 23, 1861
complied by Brian A. Conley
Fractured Land: Fairfax County's Role in the Vote for Secession, May 23, 1861 Transcripts of the original handwritten poll lists and Reconstruction-era newspaper articles give an enticing view of politics in Virginia on the eve of the Civil War. Various opinions about Virginia Convention candidates Alfred Moss and William H. Dulany, and the results of the February 4, 1861 election, are included in this volume. Mr. Conley presents the full text of the Ordinance of Secession. He concludes with carefully compiled results of the April 17, 1861 vote "For Ratification" and "Against Ratification" during which white males publicly declared their votes at Fairfax County's 14 precincts.

Index
2001 98 pp. $14.00

Frying Pan Farm
by Elizabeth Brown Pryor
  A study of modest farms and farming communities in Fairfax County, 1918-1940, with a history of Frying Pan Park.
1979. 140 pp. $7.00 (Currently Unavailable)

George Mason and the Bill of Rights
by Donald J. Senese
  Reprints of two articles from the Fairfax Chronicles exploring George Mason's role in the creation of the U.S. Bill of Rights.
1988. 14 pp. $Free (Currently Unavailable)

George Mason and the Legacy of Constitutional Liberty: An Examination of the Influence of George Mason on the American Bill of Rights
edited by Donald J. Senese
  A collection of new and reprinted essays by different authors.
1989. 192 pp. $16.50 (Currently Unavailable)

Green Spring Farm, Fairfax County, Virginia
by Ross D. Netherton and Nan Netherton
  The story of a brick house near Annandale which dates from ca. 1760.
Includes agricultural, social, religious, and political history, photographs, estate inventories, and maps.
1970. 82 pp. $5.00 (Currently Unavailable)

Gum Springs: The Triumph of a Black Community
by John Terry Chase
  A study of the development of the Gum Springs community from 1833 to 1988.
Includes maps, drawings, photographs, and an index.
1990. 98 pp. $10.00  (Currently Unavailable)

Hope Park and Hope Park Mill
by Martin Petersilia
  The history of Hope Park, an 18- and 19th century plantation that was the home of Edward Payne, David Stuart, and others, and the associated mill where grain was ground until about 1905.
Includes biographical sketches, Civil War history, maps, drawings, and photographs.
1978. 191 pp. $7.00  (Currently Unavailable)

Huntley: Mason Family Country House
by Tony P. Wrenn
  A study of a brick country house, and its numerous brick outbuildings, built ca. 1820 and associated with Thomson Mason.
Includes photographs, architectural drawings, and maps.
1971. 56 pp. $5.00 (Currently Unavailable)

The Legacy of the Constitution in Fairfax County
by Donald M. Sweig
  An overview of Fairfax County's contributions towards creation of the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights from 1785 to 1791.
1988. 6 pp. $Free (Currently Unavailable)

Legato School: A Centennial Souvenir
edited by Tony P. Wrenn, Virginia B. Peters, and Edith Moore Sprouse
  A brief history of the Fairfax County public school system since 1870 and the one-room Legato schoolhouse.
Illustrated.
1976. 110 pp. $4.00 (Currently Unavailable) 

Maplewood
by Diane N. Rafuse
  A study of the history and architecture of a brick Victorian mansion built ca. 1870 near Tysons Corner, and of Strawberry Vale Manor built ca. 1787.
Includes photographs, architectural drawings, and maps.
1970. 64 pp. $6.00  (Currently Unavailable)

Moorefield: Home of Early Baptist Preacher Jeremiah Moore
by Thomas V. DiBacco
  The history of a late 18th-century wooden house built in what is now Vienna, the life of Jeremiah Moore, and of early Baptist activities in northern Virginia.
Includes architectural descriptions and photographs.
1971. 52 pp. $5.00 (Currently Unavailable)

Mount Air, Fairfax, Virginia
by Edith Moore Sprouse
  A study of a Greek Revival mansion near Fort Belvoir.
Includes biographies of several owners, a botanical inventory, photographs, drawings, and maps.
1970. 112 pp. (Currently Unavailable)

Catalogue of the Photographic Archives of Fairfax County, Virginia
compiled by Nan Netherton and Eric Grundset
  An alphabetical listing of the photographs of Fairfax County in the photo collection of the Fairfax County Library.
1981. 170 pp. $10.00 (Currently Unavailable)


The Preservation of History in Fairfax County, Virginia
by Ross Netherton and Nan Netherton
  A must-read for interested citizens, planning professionals, and historic preservationists, this significant and considerable book explores the stewardship of Fairfax County's wealth of historic resources. Begun as a history of the county's History Commission, authors Ross and Nan Netherton document the challenges and celebrations inherent in historic preservation.

Includes maps, tables, appendices, and an index.
2002 528 pp. $40.00 (hardbound)




Registration of Free Negroes: Commencing September Court 1822, Book No. 2 and Register of Free Blacks 1835, Book 3...1822-1861
by Donald M. Sweig
  Exact transcriptions of manuscript registrations of free blacks in Fairfax County before the Civil War. Registrations specify age, name, color, stature, distinguishing marks, and the basis of claim to freedom.
Includes introduction, analytical tables, and index.
1977. 292 pp. $8.00 (Currently Unavailable)
 
Return to Union: Fairfax County's Role in the Adoption of the Virginia Constitution of 1870
compiled by Brian A. Conley

Return to Union: Fairfax County's Role in the Adoption of the Virginia Constitution of 1870 After the Civil War, the U. S. Congress divided the former Confederate states into military districts. Mr. Conley briefly reviews the conditions that Virginia needed to comply with in order to be readmitted into the Union. He uses excerpts from the Alexandria Gazette newspaper to illustrate the political climate leading up to the October 27, 1867 election to call a constitutional convention in Richmond. Transcripts of the results of the July 9, 1869 election in favor of returning to the Union include the names of all the Fairfax County men who cast their secret ballots.

Index
2001 135 pp. $14.00
 

Salona, Fairfax County, Virginia
by Ellen L. Anderson
  A study of a brick house in McLean tracing it from the "Langley" grant through the Civil War to the late 20th-century.
Includes photographs, architectural drawings, and maps.
1979. 99 pp. $6.00 (Currently Unavailable)

Stone Ground: A History of Union Mills (1710-1930)
edited by Paula Elsey
Stone Ground: A History of Union Mills (1710-1930) The once-bustling settlement of Union Mills was nestled in the hilly stream valleys along Bull Run near Clifton in Fairfax County, Virginia. Although it never coalesced into a town, Union Mills was home to many people for many reasons. Historians and archaeologists lend their expertise in documenting Union Mills' contributions to our country's history. Explore water-powered mills, the Orange & Alexandria Rail Road, partisan rangers, Union encampments, soapstone quarries, and much more in this fascinating neighborhood's history.

76 illustrations, name index, subject index and bibliography.
2003 176 pp. $19.00

Sully: The Biography of a House
by Robert S. Gamble
  A study that traces the history of Sully Plantation, near Dulles Airport, since the land was originally acquired by the Lee family in 1725.
Includes information on Quaker settlement in northern Virginia, Civil War history, photographs, maps, and drawings.
1973. 228 pp. $5.00 (Currently Unavailable)

Wakefield Chapel
by D'Anne A. Evans
  The history of a small country church near Annandale and the 19- and 20-century community that grew up around it.
Includes a brief history of the Ravensworth tract, photographs, drawings, and maps.
1977. 87 pp. $6.00 (Currently Unavailable)

Walney: Two Centuries of A Northern Virginia Plantation
by Elizabeth B. Pryor
  A study of a stone house near Centreville and a history of the property from 1793 to 1973.
Includes Civil War history, photographs, and maps.
1984. 118 pp. $7.00 (Currently Unavailable)

The Battle of Chantilly (Ox Hill) : A Monumental Storm
by Charles V. Mauro
  On a stormy September 1862 afternoon, weary Confederate and Union soldiers clashed in Fairfax County's most significant Civil War battle near the present day Fair Oaks Mall. Author Charles V. Mauro combines well-drafted maps and modern photographs to draw the reader into a fast-paced narrative of The Battle of Chantilly (Ox Hill). This armchair tour also explores the action's impact on the local neighborhood, the commemorative ceremonies occurring since then, and the battlefield's disappearance from our landscape. Includes photographs, maps, tables, and an index. 2002 96 pp. $16.95
Books and Beyond: Fairfax County Public Library's First 50 years
by Nan Netherton
  History of the Fairfax County library system. 1989, 84 pp. $9.50

 



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