By Mary Lipsey and Debi DeLoose. In the late 1800’s an iron truss bridge was built to carry traffic on Ox Road (123) across the Southern Railway tracks and right-of-way near Fairfax Station. Early in the morning of June 4,…
By Mary Lipsey, with contributions from Brian Slawski. Credit goes as well to Glenn Curtis, whose recent interview helped provide this information, and to Jim Hawkins, who recorded the interview. On June 1st, 1967, six young soldiers from Fort Belvoir…
My husband often tells stories of the road trips taken with his parents and sisters during the 50’s and 60’s. They would pack the station wagon, hitch up the “pop up” and go off to see the country. The trip,…
In 1862, the United States was in the middle of a civil war. Maps were a key part of fighting an effective and strategic war. This map was created by engineers working for General Irwin McDowell, a career soldier of the United States Army and the chief commander of the troops at the Battle of 1st Bull Run (or 1st Manassas).
World War I started in Europe in 1914. The United States joined the war in April 1917.
For almost two years the Fairfax Herald newspaper regularly published lists of the names of the Fairfax County men who were in service. During the war, 30 county men were recorded as dying while in service. There were four officers and 18 privates and their average age was 22. Eleven were killed in action or died as a result of their wounds. The rest died of disease, illness or an accident. All over the world, remembrances evolved to honor those who had died during World War I.
It’s a good time to revisit the theme of “notable people from the Burke area.” On this occasion, we’ll look at one of our most renowned musicians.
John Jackson was born February 25, 1924, in Woodville, Rappahannock County, Virginia, to tenant farmers Suddy and Hattie Jackson. (Sources vary as to a middle name, but his vital records indicate that he had none.) With his thirteen siblings, he grew up in the foothills of the Blue Ridge, helping his parents with the constant variety of tasks to be done on the farm.
Happy Halloween, Burke! This is not your typical BHS blog post about historical events and persons of note. Rather, it is to pose a question to you, Dear Reader: Shouldn’t your inner child be allowed to come out to play at least once a year?
The early population of Fairfax County, Virginia was composed primarily of Northern Europeans, many of whom were holders of land grants or individuals designated to act as caretakers of land grants for their proper owners living in England. Over time, English paupers migrated to this country and served as laborers or overseers for the large landowners. Later, these laborers acquired small parcels of land and became yeoman farmers. Their primary crop was tobacco, supplemented by small grains, such as wheat, oats, and Indian corn.
From the settlement of Jamestown, Virginia through the mid-19th century, the primary agricultural cash crop of the Commonwealth of Virginia was tobacco. The crop required large acreage (thousands of acres) and cheap labor. The labor was supplied by Africans.
(In case you missed it, “A History of Lake Accotink- Part 1 and Part 2” can be found at https://burkehistoricalsociety.org/a-history-of-lake-accotink-part-1/ and https://burkehistoricalsociety.org/a-history-of-lake-accotink-part-2/
When we left Lake Accotink in Part 2 of the History of Lake Accotink it was the end of WWII. The lake, designed to be a reservoir for Fort Belvoir, and its surrounding land now belonged to the federal government. Time passed. As modern water systems began meeting the needs of Fort Belvoir and the reservoir became unnecessary, the Army considered ways to release the lake and the surrounding land for recreational purposes.