The Fairfax County CourthouseNetherton, Ross De Witt
History
The Fairfax County Courthouse
Netherton, Ross De Witt
Courthouses -- Virginia -- Fairfax County -- History; Law -- Virginia -- Fairfax County -- History
_The Well._ At the time of construction of the courthouse, a well was
dug on the south side of the building. Over the years, pictures show a
variety of overhead coverings to shelter the well and its users. The
well was a large one, appearing to be four or five feet in diameter at
the top, and was surrounded by a raised platform. Standing on this
platform, one drew water from the well by a windlass operated by a
hand-crank. Later the box on which the windlass was mounted was fitted
with a hand pump, and a trough for filling buckets or other containers
was placed at the side of the well. This well served the courthouse
into the twentieth century, but was closed and capped when the town of
Fairfax installed underground water mains. The gazebo-like well
structure was moved to Sully.
"_Public Comfort Station._" Many references to the early privies in
use on the courthouse grounds appear in both the court order books and
the board of supervisors minute books. As recently as 1931, outside
toilets were still in use. In October of that year, "the County
Engineer was instructed to make necessary repairs to the public
comfort station on the Court House lawn."[138]
_MEMORIALS_
_Memorials of the Wars._ On the lawn in front of the old courthouse
stand two monuments to the honored dead of four wars. The John Quincy
Marr monument was erected on June 1, 1904, by the Marr Camp,
Confederate Veterans, commemorating the first Confederate officer
killed in the Civil War. The second monument was erected under the
auspices of the Fairfax County Chapter of the Daughters of the
American Revolution. On a bronze plaque on one side are listed those
Fairfax Countians who gave their lives in World War I and on the
other, a plaque listing those who gave their lives in World War II and
the Korean conflict.
[Illustration: Naval cannon in front of the courthouse.]
[Illustration: The Marr Monument commemorating the first Confederate
officer killed in the Civil War, June 1861. Photo from the National
Archives.]
Two naval cannons stand on either side of the Marr monument, pointed
toward the National Bank of Fairfax, formerly the site of the brick
tavern. Facing the bank, the cannon on the left is inscribed with an
anchor and the following lettering: 12 PDR Boat Howitzer 1856 J.A.D.
U.S.N.Y. Washington 757 LBS. 58 PRE No. 45. The cannon on the right
has inscriptions which are very worn and indistinct. There is an
engraved anchor, but except for a letter here-and-there, the
inscription is unreadable.
[Illustration: World War I Memorial Plaque.]
[Illustration: World War II and Korean Conflict Memorial Plaque.]
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