Historic Survey Report: King's Grant

Survey description of King's Grant, dated July 17, 1974, for the Fairfax County Department of Historic Resources Reconnaissance Level Survey.

Historic Survey Report: John Marshall House

Survey description of John Marshall House, dated February 22, 1972, for the Historic American Buildings Survey Inventory

Historic Survey Report: Aspen Grove

Survey description of Aspen Grove, dated September 1, 1970, for the Historic American Buildings Survey Inventory.

Historic Marker: The Guinea Road Cemetery Reinterment

This historic marker in Pleasant Valley Memorial Park Cemetery commemorates the reinterment of remains from the Guinea Road Cemetery. The marker reads: "The Guinea Road Cemetery Reinterment. 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."

Photo by Mary Lipsey

Guinea Road Cemetery Excavation

The Virginia Department of Transportation's (VDOT) excavation of the Guinea Road Cemetery was conducted under the guidance of archaeologists, with care to identify and preserve all remains and artifacts. They discovered only one tombstone; the inscription which could be read was "S.A. Williams" "11 years" and "1851."

Tombstone image by Mary Lipsey; excavation image, courtesy, Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT)

Map: Braddock District Area

The historical material in this website refers to events and places located in or near the geographic area now or previously included in the Braddock District. Created in 1968 as Annandale District and renamed in 1991, Braddock District has seen its boundaries redrawn and area changed four times. Such changes occur as Fairfax County makes redistricting adjustments following each Federal census to balance population among its nine magisterial districts.

Text and map from Braddock's True Gold: 20th Century Life in the Heart of Fairfax County by Marion Meany and Mary Lipsey, a product of the A Look Back at Braddock oral history project. Map prepared by George Mason University Department of Geography GIS Center of Excellence.

Copyright 2006 County of Fairfax. All rights reserved.

Engraving: Civil War Action Near Fairfax

This engraving appeared in the August 17, 1861 edition of The Illustrated London News. The caption reads: "The Civil War in America: Carolinian pickets flying before the advance of the Federal troops on Fairfax.--From a sketch by our special artist." A statement referring to the sketch in the same edition reads: "The advance of the Federal troops on Fairfax was so rapid that the pickets thrown out by the Confederate army on an obstructed road which the Federals avoided were nearly cut off. They fled precipitately over the obstacles intended to stay the progress of the Unionists. An Illustration of this scene is given on the next page." It may report on operations leading to the First Battle of Manassas/Bull Run that had occurred a month earlier, when Federal troops advanced through Fairfax to Centreville and Manassas via several roads, including Little River Turnpike and Braddock Road. Earlier skirmishing between Federal and Confederate units had occurred in Fairfax in June 1861.

Courtesy John Browne

Guinea Road Cemetery

When road construction threatened the Guinea Road Cemetery in 2004, the Virginia Department of Transportation sought information about those buried there. Dennis Howard of Springfield told the history of his family members, the families of slaves and freedmen, buried in the graveyard.

Mary Lipsey

Burke Forest Fire

On April 20, 1941, a forest fire that ignited along the railroad near Guinea Road and Zion Road eventually burned an extensive area southward toward Lorton. Local fire fighters battled for several days before bringing it under control with help from Ft. Belvoir soldiers and prisoners from the Lorton Workhouse. The fire is a vivid memory for residents who experienced it. They and contemporary newspaper accounts report that the previous winter had been extremely dry and temperatures were unusually hot for April.

Courtesy Chris Lipsey

Copyrighted material, not to be reproduced without permission of owner

Braddock District in the Civil War

During the Civil War, the area now considered the Braddock District lay between northern and southern strongholds intersected by critical railroad lines. This map shows points of conflict between the Washington, DC, and Alexandria area, extending west to Centreville and Manassas.

Charles K. Gailey's article "Braddock District in the Civil War" explains the geography of battles in the area and tells how to locate additional information. He is a member of the Fairfax County Archaeological Services of the Park Authority.

The map is a portion of an 1862 map compiled in the Topographical Engineers Office in the Division Headquarters of General Irvin McDowell, an officer in the Union army, a leader of early battles in Manassas.

Map of N. Eastern Virginia and vicinity of Washington provided by Fairfax County Public Library, Virginia Room