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Historic Fairfax
Where History Meets the Present Day
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Historic Fairfax
the City of Fairfax has a rich history. From its perfectly preserved historic building (including the site of the first fatality of the Civil War) to Civil War grafitti on the site of the Blenheim Estate, to a chance to learn the lore of spies and secrets at The Fairfax Museum and Visitors Center, you’ll find plenty of wonders to choose from, and an opportunity for your children to learn about and appreciate the historical heritage of this important city.
Historic Blenheim & Civil War Interpretive Center
The City of Fairfax purchased the historic Blenheim estate in early 1999 to preserve and develop into a Civil War house museum and open-air park. Blenheim is a c.1855 central-hall-plan brick farmhouse on 12 acres located at 3610 Old Lee Highway. The property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in early 2001. It is nationally significant for the 100+ signatures, art, and poetry created by Union soldiers, a "diary on walls" providing insight into typical soldier life, during the Civil War. Another historic property, the c.1840 Grandma's Cottage, was moved to the Blenheim complex in early 2001. Both buildings are associated with the Willcoxon family, instrumental in the early-19th-century history of Fairfax.
Tues-Sat Noon-4pm
Fairfax Museum and Visitors Center
Built in 1873, this is the oldest brick two-story school remaining in Fairfax County. Its bricks were made at the Farr property across the street. Taxpayers may have shaken their heads at the exorbitant $2750 fee paid for its construction. The schoolhouse now welcomes visitors and houses the Fairfax Museum.
Daily Mon–Sunday 9am–5pm
Ratcliffe-Alison House
and Kitty Pozer Gardens
The oldest surviving house in the city was built in 1812. It served a variety of purposes including as a cobbler shop. Occupied until the 1950s, the house was home to famed gardener and writer Kitty Pozer. Operating Hours
Saturdays 11am-2pm
Old Fairfax Jail (1891)
The original jail (1802) burned down in 1884. The Alexandria Jail was used until this building was completed. The jailer and his family lived in quarters in the front until the early 1950s.
Old Town Hall
Built as a gift to the city by Joseph E. Willard in 1900, Old Town Hall is the heart of the city and the venue for an art gallery, concerts, lectures and special events. Willard was the only son of Confederate spy Antonia Ford and her Union captor, Joseph C. Willard. Joseph went on to serve as Virginia’s lieutenant governor and minister to Spain. The elegant building with its grand Doric columns is worthy of its historic past.
Marr Monument (dedicated 1904)
Dedicated to the memory of Captain John Quincy Marr, the first Confederate officer to be killed in the Civil War. Union cavalry attacked the City at 3:00 a.m. on June 1, 1861. The Warrenton rifles commanded by Marr defended the city.
Joshua Gunnell House (built 1830)
Now the site of the elegant Bailiwick and La Rue 123 Restaurant, the Joshua Gunnell House holds a series of secrets. When Captain Marr fell, former Virginia Governor “Extra Billy” Smith ran from the Gunnell house to command the Warrenton Rifles. Later, this house grew infamous when Union Colonel Johnstone escaped capture by Mosby’s Rangers in March of 1863. Johnstone hid under the outhouse in his nightshirt to elude the Gray Ghost of the Confederacy. Current guests are far more comfortable!
Fairfax Court House (Built 1800)
The Fairfax Courthouse is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. George Mason petitioned the General Assembly in 1790 to move the courthouse to "such a place as should be found most convenient near the center of the County." Designed by James Wren and centrally located at the crossroads of Little River Turnpike and Ox Road, Fairfax County Courthouse was completed in 1800. During the Civil War it was occupied by Union troops and used as a headquarters and lookout station. The Fairfax Courthouse survives as a symbol of an era when the courthouse was the center of community activity for county residents.
Open by appointment.
The Wilson Farr House
Built in 1915 by Wilson Farr for his bride Edith Wiley, the Colonial Revival style home provides the perfect setting for a special event. In fact, the Farr House boasts a long history of parties and gatherings starting with the Farr’s marriage ceremony in November 1915. Updated and carefully restored in 2001, the tastefully decorated home features floors of Georgia red pine and many restored period details.
For more information, please visit www.Farrcrofthoa.com.
National Firearms Museum
The National Firearms Museum invites you to visit one of the world’s finest collections of firearms. The Museum contains a most diverse collection of civilian and military firearms, accoutrements, ammunition and accessories.
For more information please call 703 267 1600 or www.nrahq.org/museums
The Virginia Room
(703) 293-6383
The Virginia Room is one of the most comprehensive collections of historical and genealogical information in Northern Virginia. The Virginia Rooms offers information regarding historical texts, genealogy, state and local government information, school information, local resources, and photographic archives. The Virginia Room houses state and local history texts as well as papers from past presidents such as Washington, Jefferson, and Mason. Interested in maps? Housed here is an extensive map collection, historical to contemporary, of Fairfax County and other areas of the state. Want to know more about your family history? We offer U.S., State, and International genealogy technique materials for beginners to advanced researchers. Also find information on state and local governments, school information, local resources, and an extensive photography archive that features over 100,000 images of local and regional interest. There is something for everyone at the Virginia Room. The Virginia Room works alongside with the City of Fairfax Regional Library, if you have any questions please call or visit our website.
Open 7 days a week (call for hours)
The Ford House Exhibit
In the pictorial display at the Ford House Exhibit you meet Antonia Ford, a Confederate spy. Major Joseph Willard, a Union officer, who falls in love with her.
The story of the Civil War and its dramatic impact on music. Picture display oe of Antonia Ford, imprisoned as a spy following Ranger Mosby's night capture of Historic Fairfax. The Exhibit is a Community Improvement Project of The Women’s Club of Fairfax.
The Legato School Museum (1877)
(703) 279-8166
The Legato School was built in 1877, after the Civil War. This school was built to provide children of struggling families with a basic education. The stories of those days reveal a saga of hardship and difficulties overcome by a deep longing for better education. The school stayed open until 1930, when it closed and students were transferred to Centreville. In 1969, the Legato school was chosen by the Fairfax County School Board to be restored and turned into a school museum for the 100th anniversary of public education in Virginia. Today, together with members of civic organizations and community volunteers, the Fairfax County Retired Educators have worked to complete this important project in historic preservation. Come out and learn more about the history of public education in Virginia.
Open by appointment
The Fairfax Station Railroad Museum
(703) 425-9225
Fairfax Station is a historic area with many pre-revolutionary settlements. The Fairfax Station Railroad was a very busy railroad community and eventually the hub of county commerce, communication, transportation, as well as the county social center. In 1973, The Southern Railway System closed this station which was the last operating railway depot in Fairfax County. In 1978, The Friends of Fairfax Station along with a donation from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors reconstructed the station to form the present day museum. The museum features exhibits areas, a gift shop, and a private room that can be rented for private events and can hold up to fifty people. Presently, the museum depends upon membership dues, admission fees, special events, and gift shop sales to maintain and run the museum. Jump on board!!
Open to public every Sunday from 1pm- 4pm
Ford Building (Built 1835)
Offices and Art Gallery
This was the home of the local Union commander, Brig. Gen. Edwin H. Stoughton, March 9, 1863. A search of the house had revealed an honorary aide-de-camp commission to Antonia from Gen. Jeb Stuart. Union Maj. Willard, a former Provost Marshal at Fairfax Court House, fell in love with Antonia, secured her release and married her.
Moore House (Built 1840)
Offices and Restaurant
During his March 1863 raid, Ranger John S. Mosby searched here, with no success, for the Union mercenary Col. Percy Wyndham who had called Mosby a horse thief. Mosby had replied that the only horses he had ever stolen had Union troopers on their backs armed with two pistols and a saber. This was later R. Walton Moore's home, congressman and counselor of the State Department under Franklin D. Roosevelt who was entertained here. (President William Howard Taft attended a garden party here sometime after his presidency.)
Dr. William Gunnell House (Built 1835)
Private residence.
It was in this house that Ranger John Mosby captured the Union area commander Brig. Gen. Edwin H. Stoughton, in bed, the night of March 9, 1863. Mosby awoke the general with a slap. "Get up, general, and come with me." Stoughton roared, "What is this? Do you know who I am, sir?" "I reckon I do, general. Did you ever hear of Mosby?" "Yes, have you caught him?" "No, but he has caught you." Mosby also captured 2 officers, 30 soldiers, and 58 horses. Upon hearing of this action, President Lincoln disgustedly remarked that he could create another general with the stroke of a pen, but he surely hated to lose those horses.
St. Mary’s Church (1858)
(703) 978-4141
www.stmaryofsorrows.org/Permanent/about_the_church.htm
St. Mary’s Church was built in 1858 and catered to the spiritual needs of many of the Irish immigrants coming to Fairfax to work on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. These immigrants because the nucleus of this new parish. During the Civil War, given the church’s important location on the main road from Fairfax Courthouse to the depot of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad (now Fairfax Station), the area, with St. Mary's as an identifying point, quickly became an important objective for both Northern and Southern armies vying to dominate the railroads in the area. St. Mary’s features beautiful surroundings as well as a rich history, a must see while visiting The City of Fairfax.
City Cemetery
On December 31, 1866, the trustees of the Ladies Memorial Association paid Richard T. Brown and his wife, Marion, $225.00 for 2 1/3 acres. It was purchased
"… as a burial place or cemetery for the re-interment of the bodies of such persons as the 'Ladies Memorial Association' of said County of Fairfax shall direct to be interred therein. Provided that in all cases such bodies shall be those of Confederate States' Soldiers, who fell in battle or died from wounds incident to and while they were in the service of the Confederate States, and who are now buried within the limits of said county, or who were citizens thereof at the time of death and are buried elsewhere…"
In addition to laying off burial lots, the Ladies Memorial Association canvassed the county and eventually some 200 unknown confederate soldiers were disinterred and reburied in a common grave atop the hill in the cemetery. The Ladies Memorial Association did not last long as a viable organization, and in March of 1875 ownership of the cemetery was conveyed to the trustees of the newly chartered Fairfax Cemetery Association.
In 1888, the Confederate Monument Association was formed to erect a suitable monument to both the unknown Confederate dead buried in the cemetery and the Confederate soldiers from Fairfax who lay on battlefields far from home. In October 1890 the monument, designed and built by J. F. Manning Co. of Washington, D. C., was officially dedicated.
The Fairfax Cemetery Association acquired additional property in 1914 and 1932. Control of the cemetery was passed to the newly incorporated City of Fairfax in 1962. (prepared by Brian A. Conley, Fairfax County Public Library, December 20, 2000)