The village is situated in a county of the Old Dominion rich in events
of historic interest. In Colonial days, in the times of the Revolution,
as in the days of the civil strife, Fairfax County furnished her quota
of illustrious sons. At Gunston Hall on the Potomac dwelt George Mason,
author of the Virginia Bill of Rights, pronounced the most remarkable
paper of the epoch, and the foundation of the great American assertion
of independence as afterward draughted by Jefferson. In Fairfax County
lived and died the immortal Washington, and his ashes repose in its
soil at his beloved Mount Vernon. During the late civil war every part
of its territory was a battle ground and breast-works thrown up by
contending armies over a generation ago may still be seen here and there
within its borders. At the beginning of our war with Spain twenty-five
thousand volunteer soldiers from a dozen States pitched their tents on a
favored spot in this ancient county, where they were schooled to
proficiency in the art of modern warfare.
The old Episcopal church, from which Falls Church takes its name, still
stands as a monument linking colonial days with the present. Around it
cluster memories of great events in American history, for past its
substantial walls have marched soldiers of all our leading wars since
the day Washington guided the lordly Braddock over the road hard by down
to the time of our recent war with Spain. The old church has passed
through many vicissitudes since Washington worshipped there. It served
as a recruiting station for patriots of the Revolution, then abandoned
as a house of worship for a long period of years; subsequently it was
reopened and throughout the civil war used alternately as a hospital and
a stable by the Union Army. To complete the chain of events in this
connection soldiers enlisted for the Spanish-American war were encamped
near by and pickets of the camp stood guard under the shadow of its
walls.
Falls Church thirty years ago was a mere hamlet of, perhaps, a dozen
houses. It is to-day the largest town in the county of Fairfax and its
population is steadily increasing. Forces are now at work which may
eventually make it the largest town in Northern Virginia, with the
possible exception of Alexandria. Upon the completion of the new bridges
now in course of construction across the Potomac and the improved
facilities for reaching Washington by means of steam roads and trolley
lines, the tide of suburban home-seekers from the capital city must turn
this way, whereby this Virginia village is destined to become a Virginia
city which may bind the old mother commonwealth closer than ever before
to the Federal City and the National government.
The Town of Falls Church.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account