History of fairfax virginia

Fairfax, Virginia is located in Northern Virginia, to the East of Washington DC. The city gets its name from Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, who was awarded five million acres (20,000 km²) in land located in Northern Virginia by King Charles. Fairfax is where Captain John Quincy Marr was killed, becoming the first Confederate officer to be killed in the war. On March 9, 1863, Confederate Colonel John S. Mosby captured General Edwin H. Stoughton here in Fairfax at the William Gunnell House. The population grew 700% in the 1950's making Fairfax the fastest growing place in the United States. This massive growth eventually led to the Town of Fairfax to become a city in 1961.

Important Buildings

The Fairfax County Courthouse is the oldest and most historic building in Fairfax. Its design is used as a prototype for many Virginia courthouses built between 1800 and 1850. The first meeting of the Fairfax Court was held April 21, 1800. During the Civil War the Courthouse was used by the union forces as military headquarters which resulted in the damage or loss of several records. The original building of the Fairfax County Courthouse is now used as the Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Courts.

One of the oldest buildings in the city is what used to be an elementary school. In 1873, the Fairfax Elementary School remains the oldest two story building the city has ever seen and was built for an outrageous $2,750. This building reflects a new era of free public education in Virginia and the growth of the Fairfax area. Throughout the years the school building was used for housing special education and adult education classes as well as a police academy training center. On July 4th, 1992 however the building was renovated and opened as the Fairfax Museum and Visitor Center.

The Old Town Hall is the social and architectural cornerstone of Fairfax; Joseph Edward Willard had it built in 1900 as a gift to Fairfax. It now houses the Hussleson Library, the Fairfax Art League, and can be rented out for weddings as well as business meetings.

References

*City of Fairfax Courting History: A walking Tour of Old Town Fairfax, VA Brochure
*Netherton, Rose, Meyer, Wagner, DiVincenzo. "Fairfax, Virginia: A City Traveling Through Time"(1999)
*Jeanne Johnson Rust. "The History of the Town of Fairfax"(1960)
*Fairfax Museum and Visiting Center [http://www.visitfairfax.com www.visitfairfax.com]

External links

* [http://www.fairfaxva.gov/index.asp City of Fairfax Official Website]
* [http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/ Fairfax County Official Website]