Ravensworth Farm Development

Ravensworth Farm was among the first subdivisions to develop during the boom of the early 1960s.

The Washington Post advertisement, October 15, 1960 courtesy of Mary Lipsey

Sawmill, Fairfax County, circa 1920

Portable sawmill is shown operating in Fairfax County, circa 1920. Many acres in the county were devoted to forestry and lumbering. Companies milled wood for furniture companies, fence rails and posts, and pilings for road construction.

Photograph from Fairfax County Public Library, Virginia Room, Photographic Archive

Water Towers, Annandale, Virginia

James McWhorter established the Annandale Water Authority and laid pipes for developers coming into the county. These two water tanks on the hill near the corner of Gallows Road and Columbia Pike served 5,000 Annandale homes. The Fairfax County Water Authority purchased McWhorter's Annandale Water Authority in 1958 for $1,250,000.

Courtesy Irving Denton

Marshall Store, circa 1910

Small general stores like the Marshall General Store in Burke, Virginia, dotted the landscape of Fairfax County prior to post-World War II development. By 2006, Braddock District boasted 12 retail shopping centers within its borders and easy access to larger malls in the extended metropolitan area.

Photograph from Fairfax County Public Library, Virginia Room, Photographic Archive

General Store, Fairfax County, circa 1900

Small general stores dotted the landscape of Fairfax County prior to post-World War II development. By 2006, Braddock District boasted 12 retail shopping centers within its borders and easy access to larger malls in the extended metropolitan area.

Photograph from Fairfax County Public Library, Virginia Room, Photographic Archive

Burke Street Scene, Artist's Drawing

Artist's rendition of the center of Burke in 1979, showing buildings whose ownership had changed over time. The 7-Eleven store previously held a country general store.

Pen and ink sketch, Chris Lipsey

Copyrighted material, not to be reproduced without permission of the owner

Brimstone Hill

Brimstone Hill dates to circa 1820. In 1839, Charles Arundel purchased the twelve-acre property and acquired a license to operate a tavern. In 1848, the tavern became a polling place for elections. In 1850, Arundel enlarged the building to include an inn and a store, which thrived until the latter part of the nineteenth century. During the Civil War, Confederate raider, John Arundel, was killed on his family property and buried there. The building stands at Burke Lake Road and Route 123 in Fairfax Station, Virginia.

Photo by Gil Donahue

Copyrighted material, not to be reproduced without permission of owner, Gilbert Donahue