Historical Markers in
Fairfax County, Virginia

100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, Military Intelligence Service 7161 Main Street A Corridor and a Barrier A Fine Improvable Marsh A Globally Rare Environment A Memorial to the Four Chaplains A Place on the High Ground A Place to Rest—or Nest A Tribute to The Men of Fairfax County A View from the Beginning A “Considerable Force” Acetylene Gas Generating Station Action At Annandale Action At Dranesville Adams House Advantageous Fencing African Pygmy Goat African Pygmy Goat Aftermath: The Invasion of Maryland Alexandria, Mt. Vernon, and Accotink Turnpike American Indians of the Potomac River Anatomy of a Tidal Marsh Archaeology at Newgate Tavern Arlington-Fairfax Electric Railway At Home in an Ecotone Attack of General Birney’s Brigade Auxiliary Battery Bailey’s Crossroads Bailey’s Crossroads Civil War Engagements Barber Shop Barn Batteau Construction Project Batteau Design Battery Ridge Battery Sater Battle of Chantilly Battle of Chantilly Battle of Dranesville Battle of Dranesville Battle of Lewinsville Battle of Ox Hill Beacon Field Airport Belle Haven Park Belvoir Belvoir Belvoir Grounds and Potomac View Trail Benvenue Bethlehem Baptist Church Beyond What You See Today Birds Then and Now Birthplace of Fitzhugh Lee Birthplace of the Confederate Battle Flag Blackburn's Ford Blenheim (Willcoxon Farm) Blenheim House Bog Wallow Ambush Botanical Garden Boulders and Quartz Stone Bowling Green Bradley House Brown Barracks Buckley House Buckley Store Budgerigar Bull Run Battlefields Burke Station Burke's Station Burke's Station Burke’s Station Raid Burling Defenders Cabell’s Mill and Middlegate House Camp Alger Camp Russell A. Alger Campaign of Second Manassas Capital Defense Carrolltown Cartersville Baptist Church Cavalry Engagement near Hunter's Mill Centreville Methodist Church Centreville, Virginia Chain Bridge Road and Hunter Mill Road, Oakton, Virginia Chantilly Chesterbrook Chestnut Grove Cemetery Chestnut Grove Cemetery Association Circa 1884 City of Fairfax Community Services and Recreation City of Fairfax Veterans Amphitheater Civil War Action at Vienna Civil War at Frying Pan Spring Meeting House Civil War Fortifications Civil War Star Fort Civil War Winter Quarters Civilian Conservation Corps Clara H. Barton Clifton Baptist Church Clifton Hotel Clifton Presbyterian Church Clifton Primitive Baptist Church Clover Hill Col. John Augustine Washington Colchester Colonel John Singleton Mosby Colonial Fort Colonial Revival Garden Commerce and Transportation Confederate Defenses Convicts and Slaves Copperthite Racetrack Creatures in the Forest Cross House Crossing the Potomac at Rowser's Ford Crossroads to War Dairy Dairy Barn Complex David F. Strickler David R. Pinn Community Center Davis Buckley House Defenses of Washington Defenses of Washington Delaying Tactics Deputy Sheriff George A. Malcolm Detwiler House Development of a Progressive-Era Model Penal System Devereux Station Doeg Indians Domestic Animals Dr. William Gunnell House Draper House Dung Repository Dunn Loring Station Efe Quality House Elden House Electric Trains on the W&OD Elwardstone Espaliers and Cordons Evolution of a Landscape – Plantation, Prison, Park Explore Historic Huntley F-100 Super Sabre Society F-86 Sabre Pilots Association Facility 1433, Rail Bridge Facility 2298, Rail Bridge Fairfax Fairfax County / Prince William County Fairfax County Courthouse Fairfax Court House Fairfax Court House Fairfax Family Cemetery Fairfax Hay & Grain Store Fairfax Herald & Print Shop Fairfax House Fairfax Monument Fairfax Nike Missile Site Fairfax Rosenwald School Fairfax Station Fairview – Caught in History's Crossfire Fallow Deer Fence and Ditch Ferdinando, and the End of the Fairfax Ownership Ferenc Nagy Ferndale Fields of Fire First Baptist Church of Vienna First Battle of Manassas First Battle of Manassas First Confederate Officer Killed First Court House of Fairfax County Floods at Great Falls Florence Jodzies Ford Building Forest Forestville School Forestville Volunteer Fire Department, est. May 5, 1942 Fort Belvoir Fort Belvoir Military Railroad Historic Corridor Fort Buffalo Fort Hunt Park Fort Lyon Fort Marcy Fort Marcy, Virginia Fort Willard Franconia Freedom Hill Redoubt Freeman House Freeman Store and Museum Fruit Garden and Nursery Frying Pan Meeting House Fulmer Brill House Fulmer House Gardener's House Gardens and Kitchen at Belvoir Gardiner C. Means and Caroline F. Ware Gateway to the Nation's Capital Gen. Corcoran General Reno's Probe East of Ox Road George Washington George Washington, Farmer George Washington's Distillery and Gristmill in 1799 George Washington's Fisheries George Washington's Fisheries George Washington's Forest George Washington's Gristmill George Washington's Landscape Design George Washington's Mount Vernon Gooding's Tavern Great Falls Canal and Locks Great Falls Nike Missile Site Gum Springs Gunston Hall Ha-ha Walls Harris House Harrison House Hawkins-Martz-Carroll House Herndon Blacksmith Shops Herndon Dairy Farming Herndon Fire Department Herndon Fortnightly Club Herndon Seminary Herndon Station Herndon Theatre Herndon Town Hall Herndon Town Square Herndon: A Summer Resort Herndon's First Church Herndon's Pine Street Historic Blenheim Historic Cemeteries Historic Fairfax Elementary School Historic Green Spring Historic Jones Point Historic White House Gates Historical Site of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church History of the Wharf Hogshead Home of George and Martha Washington / See Mount Vernon From The Water! Huckbill Hunter Mill Road Hunter Station Hunter’s Mill Huntley Huntley Hybla Valley Airport Ice House Icehouse Ilda In Memory of Mack S. "Jack" Crippen, Jr. In Memory of the Many Faithful Colored Servants of the Washington Family In Support of American Defense In this Church of St. Mary’s Indian Attack Ira Noel Gabrielson Irma Clifton Ivakota Farm J.E.B. Stuart at Munson’s Hill James C. ("Jim") Martinelli James Lee Elementary School Jeju Dolhareubang John J. Kingman Road Crossing John Wesley Powell (1834-1902) Johnson-Sabin Way Joseph W. Jordan Joshua Gunnell House Julia Anna Gardner (1882-1960), Ph.D. Kearny and Stevens Monuments Kearny's Stump and the Monument Lot Keene’s Mill Kidwell House Kincheloe House Kitchen Kune Kune Pig La Batalla de Ox Hill (Chantilly) Lane's Mill and Newton's Mill Ruins Langley Fork Laura Ratcliffe Laura Ratcliffe Laurel Grove Colored School and Church Lee Chapel Church Lewis Chapel Lewis Chapel / Cranford Memorial Methodist Church Life at Belvoir Lincoln Reviews Troops at Bailey's Cross Roads Little Hunting Creek Little River Turnpike Lorton Nike Missile Site Lorton Station Lower (Kitchen) Garden Luther P. Jackson High School Major General Isaac Ingalls Stevens Major General Philip Kearny Manassas Gap Railroad Manassas Gap Railroad Manassas Gap Railroad Independent Line Maryland (Antietam / Sharpsburg) Campaign Mason’s Hill Mather Gorge Mathers House Matildaville Mayhugh Tavern McAtee's Tavern McDaniel House McLean McLean Volunteer Firehouse Meat House Metasequoia glyptostroboides Middleton Barn Military Railroad Terminus Minnie Minter Carter Saunders Missing Views, Lost Stories Mitchell-Weeks House Moore House Mosby Mosby Attacks Annandale Mosby's Raid Mosby's Rock Mosby’s Herndon Station Raid Mosby’s Midnight Raid Mosby’s Rock Mount Air Mount Air Historic Site Mount Eagle Mansion Mount Gilead Mount Gilead Historic Site Mount Pleasant Baptist Church Mount Vernon Estate Mount Vernon Memorial Highway Mount Vernon's Slave Memorial Mystery Of The Centreville Six Native Americans Nature is Close at Hand at the Webb Sanctuary Necessary New Views, New Voices Newgate Tavern Newington Newton Boundary Stone Nickell's Hardware Noman Monroe Cole, Jr. Non Commissioned Officers’ Service Club Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority Nursery Beds Oak Grove School Occoquan Workhouse Occoquan Workhouse Odrick’s Corner Old Baptismal Area Old Dominion Stone Company Millstone Old Fairfax High School Old Fairfax Jail Old Georgetown Pike Ancient Indian Trail Old Road To The West Old Stone Church Old Telegraph Line Old Telegraph Line Old Town Hall Old Town Hall On June 17, 1861 On This Site Ona Judge Orange and Alexandria Railroad Orange and Alexandria RR Organizing Nature Origin of the Purple Heart Trail Original Federal Boundary Stone, District of Columbia, Northwest 2 Original Federal Boundary Stone, District of Columbia, Northwest 3 Original Mount Vernon High School Ossabaw Island Hogs Other Useful Resources Ox Hill Battlefield Park & Interpretive Trail P.O. Box 1142 Parapet and Gun Platforms Park and Parkway Patowmack Canal Payne House Payne House Payne’s Church Peake Family Cemetery Pender People and the Land People and the Potomac Peter Wagener, III Peterson's Ice Cream Depot Peyton Anderson Piedmont Airlines Pin Oak Pohick Church Pohick Road Crossing Pope-Leighey Post Office Potomac Connections Potter’s Hill Powel Coach Pozer Garden Preserving the Viewshed Price’s Ordinary Prisoners at the Workhouse Protecting America's Legacy Punt Quigg House Railroad Motorcar Ralston's Store Randolph Wilson Bromery (1926-2013), Ph.D. Ratcliffe Cemetery Ratcliffe-Allison House (Earp’s) Ravensworth Red Devon Cattle Red Gables Reid-Ballard House Reston Retreat From Manassas Revolutionary War Patriots and War of 1812 Veterans Richard Bland Lee: Gentleman Farmer Richard Ratcliffe’s Mount Vineyard Plantation River Crossing at Conn's Ferry River of Change Robert E. Simon, Jr. / Reston, Virginia Rose Hill Rowser's Ford Sacred Ibis Saint Mark's Episcopal Church Salisbury Plain Salona Salsbury Spring Second and Third Oakton Schools (1874-1912) Second Battle of Manassas Seed Beds Selecman’s (Snyder’s) Ford Sequel to Second Manassas Sharpsburg / Antietam Campaign Shiloh Baptist Church Silas Burke House Silverbrook United Methodist Church Skirmish at St. Mary’s Slave Cabin Slave Cemetery Slave Memorial Slavery and Belvoir Slavery at Mount Vernon Slavery at Mount Vernon Soay Sheep Soil Improvements Southard Springfield Station St. John's Episcopal Church St. John's Episcopal Church St. Mary’s Catholic Church Stone Bridge Strategic Junction Sully Historic Site Sully Plantation Sundries Field Sunrise to Sunset Sunset Hills Station Susan Riviere Hetzel Sutphin House Sydenstricker Schoolhouse Telegraph Road Terror by the Tracks The 4-H Building The Army Comes to Belvoir The Attack and Death of General Stevens The Battle of Ox Hill The Battle of the Bulge The Battle of "Chantilly" (Ox Hill) — Then & Now The Beehive Brick Kiln The Beginning of Oakton Schools (1848-1873) The Bell of Peace and Harmony The Big Fire The Birth of a River The Cabin The Cannon The Centreville Confederate Military Railroad The Civilian Conservation Corps The Cross Farmhouse The Death of General Kearny The Distinguished Flying Cross Society The Fairfax Family The Fairfax Herald The Fletcher House The Flying Tigers The Fruit Garden The Great Falls Line The Guinea Road Cemetery Reinterment The Herndon Parkway The Herndon School The Herris Stone The Huldah Coffer House The Influence of the Fairfax Family The Korean Bell Garden at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens The Last Defense The Laughlin Building The Legato School The Means-Ware Farm The Moffett Family Blacksmith Shop The Mount Vernon Memorial Highway The Mount Vernon Wharf The Neighborhood The Old Vault The Orange And Alexandria Railroad Trestle The Origins of Lake Accotink The Patowmack Canal The Patowmack Canal The People of Woodlawn The Pines The Potomac Watershed The Purpose of the Korean Bell Garden The Rail Strike of 1916 The Robert E. Simon, Jr. Plaza The Rose Hill Raid The Sauls House The Silas Burke House The Smokehouse / Curing and Smoking Meat The Springhouse The Spy with the Glass Eye The Staff Sergeant John D. Linde Visitor Center The Stone Bridge The Story of Arrowhead Farm The Sully Farms The Thirteen Adjacent Elms The Tuskegee Airmen The Walney Dairy The Washington-Rochambeau Route to Victory The Washingtons at Pohick Church The West Family of Alexandria The Woodlawn Historic District The Wounded Left Behind The Yellow House These Trees This Is Upton Hill! This is W&OD Trail: Herndon! To Commemorate the 250th Anniversary Tomb of Washington Tracks into History Tracks into History Tracks Into History Train Wrecks Treasury Building Column Sections Type C31 (Cupola) Caboose U.S. Army Map Service Unfolding Views, Hidden Stories Union Mills Historic Site Union Retreat Upper Garden US Route 1 Wall of Aviation Vale School / Vale Community House Veterans Memorial Veterans Memorial Veterans Memorial Veterans Memorial Veteran's Memorial Victorian Square Addition Vienna Centennial Park Vienna Station Vietnam Memorial Vision, Initiative, and Dedication Visionary Farmer Wagener Walking in the Footsteps of History Walney House Walney Outbuildings Walney Outbuildings Walney Outbuildings Waple’s Mill War at our Doorstep War Dogs War in the Chesapeake Warehouse District Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park Washington-Rochambeau Route Washington's Canal Washington's Trees Washington's Vehicles Wasteland or Wetland? Water Storage Tank 188 We will never forget. Weaver House Welcome to Fairfax Station Welcome to George Washington's Distillery & Gristmill at Mount Vernon Welcome to Mount Vernon What is Foamhenge at Cox Farms? What Lies Beneath Where the Battle was Fought White Faced Capuchin Whiteheads Mercantile & Post Office Who Fought Here: The Generals Who Was Claude Moore? William Brown, M.D. William Fairfax and His Son, George William Fairfax William Watters William Whann Mackall Windmill Wine House Wm. E. Beckwith House Wolf Run Shoals Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts Women Suffrage Prisoners at Occoquan Workhouse Wood Shed Wood That Looks Like Stone Woodlawn Woodlawn Woodlawn Woodlawn Cultural Landscape Historic District Woodlawn Historic Landscapes Woodlawn Methodist Church Woodlawn Quaker Meetinghouse Woodyard House World War II Memorial World War II POW Camp Site Wounds Suffered at Ox Hill (Chantilly) WW II: A Battle Fought at Home and Abroad "October Glory" Red Maple "The Texas Gate" ‘Thermo-Con’ House “Pink” House “Resources within Themselves”
The first successful English attempt to establish a colony in North America was made by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1584 on Roanoke Island, off the coast of Virginia.
Fairfax County, located in the northern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia, has a rich and diverse history dating back to the 17th century. First settled by English colonists in the early 1600s, the area was home to Native American tribes such as the Doeg and Tauxenent. In 1742, Fairfax County was officially established and named after Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, who was the proprietor of the Northern Neck of Virginia.

During the American Revolution, Fairfax County played a significant role as it was strategically positioned between the new nation's capital, Philadelphia, and the southern colonies. George Washington, a resident of Mount Vernon in Fairfax County, played a vital role in the Revolution and would later become the nation's first president. The county also saw some military action, including the Battle of Brandywine, which occurred nearby in Pennsylvania.

In the 19th century, Fairfax County experienced growth and transformation. The construction of the Alexandria Canal in the early 1800s facilitated trade and transportation in the region. The arrival of the railroad in the 1850s brought further economic development and prompted the growth of towns and industries. However, like many areas in the country, it was deeply affected by the Civil War. Several significant battles, including the First and Second Battles of Manassas (Bull Run), were fought in the county, leaving a lasting impact.

In the 20th century, Fairfax County experienced rapid growth as a result of its proximity to Washington, D.C. The establishment of the Pentagon and other defense-related installations during World War II led to an influx of federal government workers and the expansion of business and industry. The county's population boomed, and it became a center for technology and innovation. Today, Fairfax County is a thriving suburban community, known for its vibrant economy, excellent schools, and diverse population.

This timeline provides a concise overview of the key events in the history of Fairfax County, Virginia.

  • 1634 - Fairfax County was founded as part of the Northern Neck Proprietary
  • 1742 - Fairfax County was officially established by the Virginia colonial government
  • 1757 - The county courthouse was completed in present-day Fairfax
  • 1774 - Fairfax County became a hub of revolutionary activity
  • 1789 - George Washington's Mount Vernon estate became part of Fairfax County
  • 1861-1865 - Fairfax County was occupied by Union forces during the Civil War
  • 1959 - The Fairfax County Parkway was completed, improving transportation in the area
  • 1961 - The Tysons Corner Center, now one of the largest shopping malls in the United States, opened
  • 1980 - The Washington Metro's Orange Line opened, connecting Fairfax County to Washington, D.C.
  • 2010 - Fairfax County celebrated its 275th anniversary