Department of Planning and Development

Fairfax County, Virginia

CONTACT INFORMATION: Regular hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday - Friday. Check the DPD Operating Status webpage for more information.

703-324-1380
TTY 711

Email Us

12055 Government Center Parkway
Fairfax, VA 22035

Tracy Strunk,
Director

Department Resources

Related Resources

Fairfax County History Commission Historical Highway Markers

Fairfax County's Historical Marker Program began in January 1998 when the Fairfax County History Commission approved a design and agreed to fund a distinctive marker for Fairfax County. While this marker was generally modeled after Virginia's roadside markers, by state code it had to have a distinctive appearance. With colors derived from George Washington's Fairfax Militia uniform, these buff and blue roadside markers are emblazoned with the Fairfax County seal.

Visit the Fairfax County History Commission for more information on Historical Marker Guidelines and procedures for nominating a Historical Highway Marker.

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Action at Annandale

Action at Annandale
Marker Text:	The roadbed for the unfinished Manassas Gap Railroad was located in this immediate area and crossed Indian Run creek in Poe Terrace Park. The stone bridge abutments are still visible. Financial problems caused work to stop on the railroad in 1857, but the roadbed provided a route that both the Federal and Confederate armies used during the Civil War. Where the roadbed crossed Little River Turnpike, approximately 200 Confederate cavalrymen overran a barricade defended by the 45th New York Volunteers on 2 December 1861. The skirmish ended when reinforcing troops from the 32nd New York Regiment joined the fight and the Confederates retreated west toward Centreville.
Year Erected:	2010
Location:	Annandale, at the intersection of Little River Turnpike (Virginia Route 236) and Hillbrook Drive
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Bailey's Crossroads

Bailey's Crossroads
Marker Text:	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 after 1840. During the Civil War Union officers and their families boarded at Moray. All that remains of the original estate is Moray Lane, which led directly to the house.
Year Erected:	2000
Location:	Falls Church, in Crossroads Center Shopping Center Moray Lane near Crossroads Center Way
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Beacon Field Airport

Beacon Field Airport
Marker Text:	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 World War II and the Korean conflict trained under the GI Bill at the Lehman/Reid flying school. Many became commercial pilots. Beacon Field Airport closed 1 October 1959.
Year Erected:	2009
Location:	Alexandria, northwest of the intersection of Memorial Drive and U.S. Route 1 in the Beacon Center parking lot
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Benvenue

Benvenue
Marker Text:	Benvenue was part of the 3402 acre Woodberry estate granted by Lord Fairfax in 1724 to George Turberville. Charles Lee Corbin Turberville was deeded 400 acres in 1796, which included 198 acres that became known as Benvenue when acquired by Capt. Thomas AP Catesby Jones, USN, in 1830. The sandstone house reportedly was named after the Louisiana plantation where Jones recovered from wounds received in defending New Orleans on 14 Dec. 1814. During the Civil War the Army of the Potomac's Fourth Corps occupied the surrounding area. Benvenue served as a field hospital from Oct. 1861 to Mar. 1862. Later the spelling was changed to Benvenue, French for welcome.
Year Erected:	2001
Location:	McLean, At 6800 Churchill Road, north of Dolley Madison Boulevard/Route 123
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Bethlehem Baptist Church

Bethlehem Baptist Church
Marker Text:	According to tradition, the earliest congregation, which would become the Bethlehem Baptist Church, was organized circa 1863 by Samuel K. Taylor, a former slave, who preached in the homes of the African-American residents of Gum Springs. Shortly after the Civil War ended the first building was used as both a house of worship and school. The cornerstone was laid for a new church in April 1884. Third and fourth edifices were built respectively in 1930 and 1993. The church grew with the African-American community and continues to be an important center of religious activity in Gum Springs.
Year Erected:	2014
Location:	Alexandria, In front of church at 7836 Fordson Road
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Bog Wallow Ambush

Bog Wallow Ambush
Marker Text:	On 4 December 1861, fifty-five men of the 3rd New Jersey Infantry, Col. George W. Taylor commanding, set an ambush nearby in retaliation for attacks on Union pickets. They stretched two telegraph wires across Braddock Road at the eastern end of a perfect bog hole to dismount riders. Near midnight, twenty-four Georgia Hussars cavalrymen, led by Capt. J. Fred. Waring, entered the trap from the west. A sheet of fire erupted from the tree line along the swamp's edge. The Confederates returned fire and escaped with four men wounded and one captured. Union losses were one killed, two wounded and one captured.
Year Erected:	2013
Location:	Burke, Intersection of Braddock Road and Dunleigh Drive
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Carrolltown

Carrolltown
Marker Text:	Between 1899-1903 George Carroll purchased 121 acres adjacent to the original 10 acres bequeathed to him by Dennis Johnston, owner of his mother, Jane. By 1918 Carroll had sold 51 acres to family including the Kelly, Baker, Carter, Harris, Horad and Carroll families. The prosperous community Carrolltown that developed here consisted of these extended family units. These families, who were committed to the community’s success, donated lumber from Carrolltown to build the Laurel Grove School and Church. Children from Carrolltown attended the school. George Carroll was a respected community member, a licensed business owner, and a trustee at the Laurel Grove Church.
Year Erected:	2003
Location:	Alexandria, At the intersection of Kingstowne Village Parkway and Summer Ridge Road
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Cartersville Baptist Church

Cartersville Baptist Church
Marker Text:	According to tradition, free African-Americans established a religious congregation, which met in private homes, in this area as early as 1863. Rose Carter, a member of the community, donated land for a church in 1903. The church served the residents of Cartersville and the nearby enclave of Woodentown. The building also served as a school after 1927. The original church stood until 1951 when it was rebuilt. After a fire in 1972 the church was rebuilt again and rededicated in 1979. The church still serves as a place of worship for many descendants of the original congregation who are buried here.
Year Erected:	2006
Location:	Vienna, On the east side of Hunter Mill Road, north of Sunrise Valley Drive, In front of Cartersville Baptist Church at 1727 Hunter Mill Road
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Chantilly

Chantilly
Marker Text:	The community of Chantilly, Virginia was named after the Chantilly mansion built by Charles and Cornelia Calvert Stuart on this site about 1817. The name “Chantilly” originated in France with the Château de Chantilly, just north of Paris. Cornelia’s grandfather, Richard Henry Lee, a statesman and signer of the Declaration of Independence, had previously named his 1763 Westmoreland County plantation “Chantilly.” The stone house, possibly an old tavern built about 1823, is all that remains of the Chantilly farm. Chantilly, Virginia and Chantilly, France share a friendly relationship in light of their common name.
Year Erected:	2010
Location:	Chantilly, at the intersection of Lee Jackson Memorial Highway (U.S. 50) and Plaza Lane
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Chesterbrook

Chesterbrook
Marker Text:	Lincolnville, a farming community that developed along Kirby Road after the Civil War, was renamed Chesterbrook ca. 1897. The "First Colored Baptist Church of Fairfax County" was founded ca. 1866 by Reverend Cyrus Carter. The one-room Chesterbrook School opened in 1906 on present-day Linway Terrace. The school moved to Kirby Road in 1926. Chesterbrook Methodist Episcopal Church, South, formed in 1906, worshipped in the schoolhouse, then relocated to Kirby Road in 1921. Classes for the Chesterbrook Colored School were held in the Odd Fellows Lodge adjacent to the general store, which the Stalcup family operated for many years.
Year Erected:	2015
Location:	McLean, Intersection of Park and Kirby Road
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Civil War at Frying Pan Spring Meeting House

Civil War at Frying Pan Spring Meeting House
Marker Text:	The Frying Pan Spring Meeting House witnessed much Civil war activity. Union and Confederate military records mention the location numerous times as a meeting place and a site of skirmishes. In 1861 and 1862, encampments of Confederate troops occupied the surrounding woods and fields. Confederate Cavalry General J.E.B. Stuart and partisan ranger Colonel John Singleton Mosby and their men often stopped here. Nearby, Mosby and his men received crucial information from Confederate sympathizers. The building was pressed into service as a field hospital for the sick and wounded by the Confederate Army. At least three Confederate veterans are buried in the cemetery.
Year Erected:	2013
Location:	Intersection of Centreville Road (County Route 657) and Copper Ridge Drive
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Civilian Conservation Corps

Civilian Conservation Corps
Marker Text:	During the Depression, in 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration established the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to help unemployed men, ages 18 to 25. CCC men created state parks, improved soil conservation, conducted reforestation and constructed fire trails. The men received food, clothing, shelter, health care, education and were paid $30 monthly, of which $25 was sent home. Projects of the racially segregated Fort Belvoir CCC camp, Army 3 VA-2399 C (Colored), included building fire trails through forested areas of Fairfax County. One such trail started at Old Keene Mill Road, crossed nearby Accotink Creek, then intersected with several old logging roads.
Year Erected:	2008
Location:	Springfield, In Lake Accotink Park. On Accotink Park Road near Southern Drive
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Clover Hill

Clover Hill
Marker Text:	Clover Hill, the residence of Alexander Turley, was built near here ca. 1823 on a high point of Turley's 450-acre farm. The two-story brick house featured Alexander Turley's initials incorporated into the chimney using glazed bricks. Slave cabins were located near the dwelling. The planned right-of-way for the Loudoun Branch of the Manassas Gap Railroad crossed the property. Charles W. Turley inherited Clover Hill from his father in 1853. His son, Richard Turley, served with Mosby's Rangers during the Civil War. The house, later known as Turley Hall, was lost to fire in 1995.
Year Erected:	2015
Location:	Centreville Road near intersection with Lees Corner Road
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Copperthite Racetrack

Copperthite Racetrack
Marker Text:	In 1897 Henry Copperthite, a Georgetown businessman, purchased Silas Burke's Farm. In 1907 he constructed, according to a newspaper account, the "very best" harness racing facility "of its kind in the country." The grandstand, which opened on July 4, 1908, held 2,000 people. Horse, motorcycle and car races were also featured. Special trains form the Washington, D.C. area brought visitors to Burke where they could stay at a new hotel. Families enjoyed Fort Myer cavalry drills, agricultural fairs, balloon ascensions, baseball games, athletic contests and dances at the pavilion. For nearly a decade thousands were entertained at the Copperthite racetrack and fairground.
Year Erected:	2016
Location:	Burke, Burke Rd. north of Parakeet Dr.
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Cross Farm

Cross Farm
Marker Text:	In the 18th century, John Cross was a tenant farmer on Robert Carter Jr.'s Piney Ridge land grant. His son Benjamin Cross, a slave owner and War of 1812 veteran, bought 550 acres from Carter's heirs in 1835. The farm produced Indian corn, wheat, apples, peaches, and honey. In 1869, five acres of land were sold to Charles Brooks, an emancipated slave. Benjamin Franklin Cross inherited a portion of the farm and built a house here ca. 1871 that later burned. His son, Albert Judkins Cross, built the current farmhouse ca. 1905 where descendants lived until 1959.
Year Erected:	2017
Location:	Centreville, At the southwest corner of the intersection of Walney Park Drive and Autumn Glory Lane
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

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David R. Pinn Community Center

David R. Pinn Community Center
Marker Text:	After the Civil War, a small community of African Americans lived on Route 654, now known as Zion Drive. The Wrights, Hamiltons, Whites, and Pinns were farmers and laborers. In 1904, David R. & Sarah F. Pinn donated an acre of land to build Little Bethel Baptist Church. In 1946, the church building was purchased by the Immediate Relief Association, which helped neighbors in need. The Sideburn Civic Community Association acquired the parcel in 1973, and the David R. Pinn Community Center was established. After more than 100 years, many of the descendants of the original families continue to live in this community.
Year Erected:	2009
Location:	Fairfax, at the intersection of Zion Drive (Virginia Route 654) and Windsor Hills Drive
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Deputy Sheriff George A. Malcolm

Deputy Sheriff George A. Malcolm
Marker Text:	In this vicinity, on Thursday, 6 April 1905, Deputy Sheriff George A. Malcolm was shot while attempting to arrest a man who had been harassing students at the Lorton Valley School. He died the following day at the Emergency Hospital in Washington, DC. Malcolm had been a sworn deputy sheriff for ten months. He also served as a teacher at the Lorton Valley School and as Deputy Treasurer of the Mount Vernon and Lee Districts. He is interred at Pohick Church Cemetery. He was the first known Fairfax County law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty.
Year Erected:	2014
Location:	Lorton, 9409 Lorton Market Street
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Fairfax Station

Fairfax Station
Marker Text:	Fairfax Station, established on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad in 1851, was originally known as Lee's Station until 1852. It served the town of Providence, location of the Fairfax County Court House. A small community, mostly Irish, grew near the station with a post office in 1852 and Saint Mary of Sorrows Catholic Church in 1860. Between 1897 and 1921 the area was called Swetnam, reverting back to Fairfax Station in 1921. In 1907 this area was known as a "progressive and enterprising village" with two churches, two stores, a school and a blacksmith's shop. The principal occupations were farming, dairying and lumbering.
Year Erected:	2012
Location:	Fairfax Station Rd. East of Smoke Rise Ln
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Franconia

Franconia
Marker Text:	Franconia 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 was relocated after a fire in 1903 to the north side of Franconia Road. Regular service at Franconia Station was discontinued c. 1953.
Year Erected:	2001
Location:	Alexandria, On the south side of Franconia Road/Route 644 west of Beulah Street/Route 613. In the parking lot of Franconia Governmental Center at 6121 Franconia Road
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Guinea Road Cemetery Reinterment Marker

Guinea Road Cemetery Reinterment Marker
Marker Text:	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 slaves and Freedmen are believed to have been buried at the Guinea Road Cemetery. The remains were reinterred at this site by the Virginia Department of Transportation in 2006.
Year Erected:	2006
Location:	Annandale, In Pleasant Valley Memorial Park at 8420 Little River Turnpike/Route 236
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Gooding's Tavern

Gooding's Tavern
Marker Text:	The Gooding Tavern served Little River Turnpike travelers and stagecoach passengers from 1807-1879 and was famous for “the best fried chicken” and “peaches and honey.” For the community, the tavern served as a social and commercial gathering place. The Goodings also operated a blacksmith shop and stable. Several Civil War skirmishes occurred around the tavern. On 24 August 1863, Confederate partisan ranger Major John S. Mosby was severely wounded by the Union 2nd Massachusetts Cavalry. Two of his officers were killed and three men wounded. Union losses included two killed, three wounded and nine prisoners taken. The tavern burned down in 1879.
Year Erected:	2011
Location:	Little River Turnpike (Virginia Route 236) east of Wakefield Chapel Road
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

The Huldah Coffer House

The Huldah Coffer House
Marker Text:	Built ca. 1876 for Huldah Coffer, this house was constructed on farmland that had been in the locally prominent Coffer family since the 18th century. Widowed at age 22, Coffer became a farmer, growing wheat, oats, and Indian corn and raising a modest number of sheep and milk cows on her 261 acre farm. She shared her home with her daughter, Ella, and son-in-law, M.D. Hall, a lawyer and educator who was Superintendent of Fairfax County Schools from 1886 to 1929. Hall oversaw the transition from district school boards to the consolidated School Board of Fairfax County in 1922.
Year Erected:	2014
Location:	Burke, near the intersection of Downeys Wood Court and Wards Grove Circle
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Hunter Mill Road

Hunter Mill Road
Marker Text:	Considered to be a main north/south route from Fairfax Court House, Hunter Mill Road served as a key passageway for Union and Confederate traffic during the Civil War. The road was used to travel to and from the great battles of First and Second Manassas, the Peninsula Campaign, Antietam, and Gettysburg. Farm families sympathetic to Union and Confederate forces contributed to great tension in the area. The corridor provided an abundance of water and rick farmland for foraging, which were essential to support the movement and encampment of armies and cavalry. The devastating damage from foraging by both armies lingered for decades.
Year Erected:	2010
Location:	Oakton, Oakton Schoolhouse Park/Hunter Mill Road north of Chain Bridge Road (Virginia Route 123)
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Hybla Valley Airport

Hybla Valley Airport
Marker Text:	Virginia's first airport permit was granted to Elvin W. Robertson's Hybla Valley Airport in February 1929. As President of Mount Vernon Airways, he utilized the airfield as a site for barnstorming and air circuses. Robertson, Fairfax Supervisor Chairman W.F.P. Reid, and the president of Germany's Zeppelin Company envisioned the field to be an ideal airport for the Hindenburg's passenger and mail service. Additionally, the site was a contender for the Washington regional airport. US Navy pilots trained and government surplus aircraft were sold here during World War II. Ashburn Flying Service operated the field from 1945 until its closing 1956.
Year Erected:	2010
Location:	Alexandria, At the intersection of Richmond Highway (U.S. 1) and Fordson Road
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Ilda

Ilda
Marker Text:	Ilda, a community located at the intersection of Guinea Road and Little River Turnpike, came into existence after the Civil War and lasted into the first half of the twentieth century. It originated when two freedmen, Horace Gibson and Moses Parker, purchased property from the Gooding family on the north side of the turnpike and established a blacksmith shop. In time, a racially mixed community grew to include a post office. According to tradition, the name Ilda was a contraction of the name Matilda Gibson Parker. Descendants of Gibson and Parker were probably buried in a nearby cemetery, perhaps originally created to accommodate Gooding family slaves. The remains were relocated in 2008.
Year Erected:	2009
Location:	Annandale, at the intersection of Little River Turnpike (Virginia Route 236) and Guinea Road, on the left when traveling west on Little River Turnpike
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Ivakota Farm

Ivakota Farm
Marker Text:	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 the program until her death in 1925. Ivakota included a school, nursery, health clinic, dormitories, a commercial farm and a cemetery. After leasing to charitable organizations NFCM sold the land in 1962.
Year Erected:	2007
Location:	At the intersection of Balmoral Forest Road and Compton Road (County Route 659)
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

James Lee Elementary School

James Lee Elementary School
Marker Text:	The James Lee Elementary School opened in February 1948. It was built on land purchased in 1866 by African American James Edward Lee (1839-1919) who was born free. In 1945, James Lee's son sold a portion of the original property to the Fairfax County School Board to build a school for black children. When completed it was the first black school in Fairfax County with indoor plumbing, heating, a classroom for each grade, auditorium, library, cafeteria, and clinic. The James Lee Elementary School closed in 1966 when Fairfax County integrated its schools. The original building is now part of the James Lee Community Center.
Year Erected:	2021
Location:	In front of the James Lee Community Center - 2855 Annandale Rd, Falls Church, VA 22042
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Keene's Mill

Keene's Mill
Marker Text:	A saw and grist mill built by James Keene between 1796 and 1800, when it was expanded, stood on the north side of the original Keene Mill Road right-of-way just to the east of this marker. The mill served the surrounding farm community for approximately sixty years and provided the landmark after which Old Keene Mill Road was named. Two mill races are all that remain on the site.
Year Erected:	1999
Location:	Springfield, East side of Huntsman Boulevard between Old Keene Mill Road/Route 644 and Cork County Court
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

The Laughlin Building

The Laughlin Building
Marker Text:	This building, dedicated in 1988 by William and Dara Laughlin, replaced a long-standing McLean landmark. In 1906, Matthew J. Laughlin, owner of a nearby dairy farm, purchased this lot. He built a residence/store here, which became a focal point of the community. Its location was across from the Great Falls and Old Dominion Railroad stop at Chain Bridge Road, known as McLean by 1910. Subsequent Laughlin generations conducted their real estate businesses here, eventually becoming Laughlin Realtors. Painted blue in the 1960s, the landmark "Blue House" was razed in 1987 and replaced by this award-winning financial office center.
Year Erected:	2011
Location:	McLean, at the intersection of Old Dominion Drive (Virginia Route 309) and Chain Bridge Road
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Laurel Grove Colored School and Church

Laurel Grove Colored School and Church
Marker Text:	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, the Jaspers deeded another half acre for construction of a sanctuary next to the school.
Year Erected:	2008
Location:	Alexandria, On the west side of Beulah Street/Route 613, north of Franconia Springfield Parkway/Route 7900/Manchester Boulevard
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Luther P. Jackson High School

Luther P. Jackson High School
Marker Text:	Luther P. Jackson High School, opened in 1954, was the first and only high school in Fairfax County created to serve the African-American community. The school was named after Luther Porter Jackson, a prominent historian, educator and founder of the Negro Voters League of Virginia, who chaired the History Department at Virginia State College in Petersburg, Virginia. The school a remained racially segregated public school until 1965 when it became a racially integrated school for grades seven and eight.
Year Erected:	2005
Location:	Falls Church, On the west side of Gallows Road, north of Arlington Boulevard/Route 50. In front of Jackson Middle School
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

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Manassas Gap Railroad Independent Line

Manassas Gap Railroad Independent Line
Marker Text:	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.
Year Erected:	2003
Location:	Fairfax, In The Cloisters of Westmore subdivision off Shirley Gate Road, south of Lee Highway (Route 29)
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Manassas Gap Railroad Independent Line (Centreville)

Manassas Gap Railroad Independent Line (Centreville)
Marker Text:	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 with the Orange and Alexandria Railroad in 1867. Tracks were never laid along the Independent Line.
Year Erected:	2004
Location:	Centreville, In Cub Run Stream Valley Park
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

McAtee's Tavern

McAtee's Tavern
Marker Text:	This building's exterior is a reproduction of a tavern built on this site in 1807 by Harrison McAtee. This location, on a section of the Little River Turnpike that opened in December 1806, was advantageous for farmers conveying goods from western counties to Alexandria. McAtee suffered financially from an economic depression caused by the Panic of 1819. McAtee sold the tavern in 1822. The building was later used as a residence. The Mitchell, Wrenn, and Weeks families were among the subsequent owners. The stone of the chimneys and the log siding on the front porch are original materials.
Year Erected:	2017
Location:	Chantilly, On the south side of Lee Jackson Highway/Route 50, west of Lees Corner Road
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

McLean

McLean
Marker Text:	McLean originated in this vicinity after the electrified Great Falls and Old Dominion Railroad began operating in 1906. Its tracks crossed Chain Bridge Road between the villages of Lewinsville and Langley, near the Ingleside community. By 1910 the area was renamed McLean, after John R. McLean, an owner of the railroad and publisher of the Washington Post. Storm's General Store and Post Office was built at this site between the tracks and Elm Street. Franklin Sherman School opened nearby in 1914, and the McLean Volunteer Fire Department was incorporated in 1923. Train service ended in 1934. The rail bed is now Old Dominion Drive.
Year Erected:	2003
Location:	McLean, On the north side of Old Dominion Road/Route 309, at its intersection with Chain Bridge Road and Elm Street
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

McLean Volunteer Firehouse

McLean Volunteer Firehouse
Marker Text:	The McLean Volunteer Fire Department incorporated in 1923 in Fairfax County. A two-bay firehouse was built and a Ladies Auxiliary formed in 1925. Construction of a rear addition in 1932 provided work during the Depression and offered space needed for equipment and community activities. For several years, the firemen organized the McLean Carnival to raise funds for the department. An air raid observation tower was added during World War II. In 1948 a four-bay station replaced the previous building. A new station opened on Laughlin Avenue in 1988, ceding the vacant firehouse to Fairfax County that the McLean Community Center converted into a teen center.
Year Erected:	2020
Location:	In front of the McLean Old Firehouse Center - 1440 Chain Bridge Rd, McLean, VA 22101
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Mosby Attacks Annandale

Mosby Attacks Annandale
Marker Text:	Shortly before 5 A.M. on Wednesday, 24 August 1864, Lt. Col. John Singleton Mosby with about 300 Confederate Rangers and two field artillery pieces opened fire from the west side of the Accotink Creek valley on a Union stockade located in Annandale. The bombardment lasted over one hour. Three times the demands to surrender were refused by Capt. Joseph Schneider, Co. C, 16th New York Cavalry in command of approximately 170 men. Mosby suddenly broke off the attack and withdrew west on Little River Turnpike, probably to avoid Federal reinforcements.
Year Erected:	2010
Location:	Annandale, Corner of Championship Drive and Frontage Drive
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Mount Air

Mount Air
Marker Text:	The original 522~acre plantation was granted to Dennis McCarty in 1727 and passed through the hands of only three additional families: the Chichesters, Landstreets and Kernans. Mount Air represents in microcosm a history of Fairfax county-the rise and fall of an economy based on tobacco in the 18th century; the subdivision of vast tracts of land after the American Revolution; and the damage that occurred from military occupation during the Civil War. Fire destroyed the Greek Revival style house in 1992. The charred foundation, gardens and outbuildings are a testament to the changes in fortune and fashion reflecting the lives of many generations of owners.
Year Erected:	2007
Location:	Lorton, On Fisher Woods Drive west of Accotink Road, Near the entrance to Mount Air Historic Site
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Mount Pleasant Baptist Church

Mount Pleasant Baptist Church
Marker Text:	Mount Pleasant Baptist Church was founded in 1867 during post-Civil War Reconstruction. Freedmen were given one acre of land for religious and educational purposes and a burying ground for colored people. The first church was a one-room wooden structure build by individuals using lumber provided by the Freedmen's Bureau. A subsequent wooden structure was built ca. 1881 and was replaced by a Depression-era brick church in 1931. This structure was later renamed the Pinkett and Sheppard Memorial Chapel after two former pastors. The church played a vital role in the Mount Pleasant community where freedmen settled, many of whom were farmers.
Year Erected:	2017
Location:	Alexandria, Lincolnia Rd.
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Newington

Newington
Marker Text:	Newington was the name given to the second Truro Parish Glebe House completed in 1760 after it became the private residence of Richard and Sarah McCarty Chichester after 1767. The William Nevitt family acquired the house and 1000 acre tract in 1828 and occupied the house until it burned in 1875. In April 1872, the Alexandria and Fredericksburg Railroad, originally built on Cinder Bed Road, opened the Long Branch Station on Nevitt property. By 1918 the station, renamed Accotink, was linked by a spur to Camp Humphreys, later renamed Fort Belvoir, to transport troops during World War I. In 1971 the station, last known as Newington, was closed.
Year Erected:	2005
Location:	Lorton, On Newington Road west of Telegraph Road/Route 611, At the entrance to Levelle W. Dupell Park
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Odrick's Corner

Odrick's Corner
Marker Text:	In 1872 Alfred Odrick, a former slave and carpenter, purchased 30 acres and built a house on the south side of Lewinsville Road, later intersected by Spring Hill Road to form Odrick's Corner. By 1879 a one-room schoolhouse, Odrick's School, had been built there. Tradition links Odrick to its establishment. The school was also used for community meetings and the first services of the Shiloh Baptist Church. The original frame schoolhouse was eventually replaced with a brick structure, which was closed, sold in 1953, and later demolished. A vibrant African-American community grew around the school and church.
Year Erected:	2002
Location:	McLean, On the north side of Lewinsville Road/Route 694, west of Spring Hill Road
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

The Orange and Alexandria Railroad Trestle

The Orange and Alexandria Railroad Trestle
Marker Text:	The original bridge crossing Accotink Creek was built in 1851 as part of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. During the Civil War the wooden trestle was an attractive target for Confederate soldiers. In his 28 Dec. 1862 raid on Burke's Station, Confederate Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart sent twelve men under the command of Brig. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee to burn the trestle. Although termed an "inconsiderable structure" by the Union press, the raid was alarming to many because of its close proximity to Alexandria. The trestle was quickly rebuilt, allowing the Union to continue transporting vital supplies along the line for the remainder of the war.
Year Erected:	2004
Location:	Springfield, In Lake Accotink Park Near the main parking lot south of Lake Accotink
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Original Mount Vernon High School

Original Mount Vernon High School
Marker Text:	The original Mount Vernon High School was located here on 8.8 acres that were once part of George Washington's Mount Vernon estate. Fairfax County purchased the land for $400 per acre in November 1938. Construction funding was provided by Fairfax County and the Depression-era Federal Public Works Administration. The school opened in January 1940 and continued here until 1973, when the new school opened nearby. Melvin B. Landes served as principal from 1945 to 1973 during a period of rapid population growth and integration. Former Virginia Governor and United States Senator Charles S. Robb is among the notable graduates.
Year Erected:	2016
Location:	Alexandria, Richmond Hwy. (Route 1) and Gregory Drive
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

The Pines

The Pines
Marker Text:	At the turn of the 20th century, a close-knit African American community was established here. The Johnson, Robinson, Sprigg and Collins families were the first to purchase lots. They cleared pine trees to enable truck farming and saw mill operations. Residents created a vibrant community through worshipping at First Baptist Church of Merrifield, school functions and social gatherings. Situated in this park is the Liberty Lodge Cemetery where church members are buried. In the 1960s, during a period of school desegregation and population growth, the public school system purchased land through eminent domain, displacing numerous families. A school was never built.
Year Erected:	2016
Location:	At the entrance road of Pine Ridge Park in the Mason District
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Price's Ordinary

Price's Ordinary
Marker Text:	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 State of Virginia and the United States of America in general, do depend on the speedy Adoption of the system of Government recommended by the late General Convention of the United States . . ."
Year Erected:	1999
Location:	Annandale, At the northeast corner of the intersection of Braddock Road/Route 620 and Backlick Road/Route 617
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

R-Z

Rose Hill

Rose Hill
Marker Text:	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.
Year Erected:	2001
Location:	Alexandria, On Rose Hill Drive south of Franconia Road In front of John Marshall Public Library at 6209 Rose Hill Drive
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Saint Mark's Episcopal Church

Saint Mark's Episcopal Church
Marker Text:	Saint Mark's Episcopal Church is one of several congregations that evolved from the efforts of nineteenth century students from the Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria. The first congregation met at the original Groveton Schoolhouse on Popkins Lane and Richmond Highway in 1880, providing the farming community its first place of worship between Alexandria and Woodlawn Plantation. In 1903 the Groveton Mission built a church on the west side of Richmond Highway on land donated by Franklin Pierce Reid, adopting the name Christ Protestant Episcopal Church of Groveton. When the congregation moved to this location in 1958 on land given by Carl and Beulah Tavenner, the present name was adopted.
Year Erected:	2011
Location:	Alexandria, at 6744 South Kings Highway (Virginia Route 633) north of Telegraph Road
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Salisbury Plain

Salisbury Plain
Marker Text:	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 Sully, and Theodorick Lee who acquired the southeastern portion of the estate.
Year Erected:	2005
Location:	Chantilly, On the north service drive of Lee Jackson Highway/Route 50, west of Lees Corner Road
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Salona

Salona
Marker Text:	Salona was built on part of the 1719 Thomas Lee 2,862 acre grant known as Langley. During the War of 1812, the estate's owner, the Rev. William Maffitt, reputedly gave refuge to President James Madison as the British burned Washington. Civil War Camp Griffin occupied Salona, then owned by Jacob Smoot, through the winter of 1861/62, the house serving as headquarters for Union General William "Baldy" Smith. A working farm until the Smoot family began selling acreage in 1947, Salona was purchased in stages by Clive and Susan Duval beginning in 1953. The Duval family later arranged for the preservation of the house and property.
Year Erected:	2010
Location:	McLean, on Dolley Madison Blvd
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Shiloh Baptist Church

Shiloh Baptist Church
Marker Text:	According to tradition, African Americans from the Mason Neck area and others who had recently moved to Virginia from Maryland formed a religious congregation in 1869. They built a log church on the north side of Gunston Road in 1878 where their cemetery remains. In 1900 the congregation purchased the "Gunston White School," built about 1883, located on the south side of Gunston Road. That building has been incorporated into an expanded church structure. The church continues to be a center of community life on Mason Neck.
Year Erected:	2011
Location:	Lorton, at or near this postal 10704 Gunston Road
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Springfield Station

Springfield Station
Marker Text:	The first Springfield Station was located on the south side of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad near this location. Built after 1851, when the railroad was completed to Henry Daingerfield's "Springfield Farm," the station was the site of a Civil War skirmish on 3 October 1861 and a Confederate raid on 3 August 1863. The station served as the first Springfield Post Office from 1866 to 1868. It was reinstated as Corbett Post Office in 1907. The name changed back to Springfield in 1910 and so remained. The Springfield Post Office was moved to another location in 1953.
Year Erected:	1999
Location:	Springfield, On Hechinger Drive east of Backlick Road/Route 617 at the Backlick Road Commuter Rail Station parking lot
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Sydenstricker Schoolhouse

Sydenstricker Schoolhouse
Marker Text:	In 1897 Barney Deavers deeded land to build Pohick School #8 on this site. The school burned down in July 1928 and a new schoolhouse was constructed and opened four months later. Locally known as Sydenstricker School, it was the last public one-room schoolhouse built in Fairfax County. After closing in 1939, it continued to be used by the community for social and civic events. The Upper Pohick Community League, organized in 1948, purchased the schoolhouse property from the School Board in 1954 and was influential in the improvement of local roads, public utilities, and the development of the surrounding community.
Year Erected:	2017
Location:	Springfield, On Hooes Road south of Sydenstricker Road (Virginia Route 640)
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Waple's Mill

Waple's Mill
Marker Text:	Approximately 1,200 feet southeast of this marker, on the west side of Difficult Run, was located Waple's Mill. George Henry Waple built it in 1867. For twenty-three years beginning in 1890 the grist and sawmill was owned and operated by Edward Millard. It returned to the Waple family in 1913 and served the surrounding farm community until the 1920's. It functioned as a small custom mill grinding grain, mostly corn, for the local market. There were numerous such mills built in the 19th century Fairfax County several were located along Difficult Run.
Year Erected:	2001
Location:	Oakton, On the south side of Waple's Mill Road, west of Fox Mill Road and just east of Waple's Glen Court
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Vale School/Vale Community House

Vale School/Vale Community House
Marker Text:	Vale School was built as a one-room public school ca. 1884. A second room was added in 1912. The school closed in 1931 when many small Fairfax County schools were consolidated. In 1934, women of this farming community formed Vale Home Demonstration Club, affiliated with Virginia's Cooperative Extension Service. In 1935, Vale Club received permission to turn the abandoned schoolhouse into a community house. The first neighborhood fair was held in 1936 and the first 4-H Club organized in 1937. By 1938, Vale Club had raised $270 and purchased the property, which members later described as a place to tie to.
Year Erected:	2009
Location:	Oakton, On the north side of Vale Road, just west of Fox Mill Rd
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

William Watters

William Watters
Marker Text:	William Watters (1751-1827) was appointed to a circuit at the first American Methodist Conference in Philadelphia in 1773, making him the first officially appointed American-born Methodist itinerant circuit rider. During the Revolutionary War, American Methodism, a movement within the Church of England grew, although most English-born Methodist ministers left the country. In 1780 Watters helped avert a division between northern Methodist societies and those farther south over preachers performing the ordinances of communion and baptism. Following American independence, the Methodist Episcopal Church was formed and American preachers were ordained. Watters, who served circuits in Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey, is buried nearby.
Year Erected:	2015
Location:	McLean, Small cemetery off Linway Terrace
Map Link:	Locator Map/Street View

Department Resources

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