Slideshow: Rebel Hill

Rebel Hill, a small but steep hill on Braddock Road near Wakefield Chapel Road, challenged drivers, especially in bad weather, until tamed by highway engineers in the early 1970s. A good replica of the original road exists in the bike and footpath on the north side of Braddock Road, which the slideshow traces in a series of 10 captioned pictures.

NOTE: Although the second slide caption dates the highway construction in the 1960s, later research places it between March 1970 and March 1972.

Courtesy John Browne

Memories: Elizabeth Dove

Elizabeth Dove remembers Braddock Road in the 1930s, describing the neighborhood, home ownership, and daily life.

Map: Area Transportation Networks--Roads and Railroads

Braddock District is served by a mixture of modern and original transportation networks that date back to the 18th and 19th centuries. The document provides a brief history of the railroad and significant roads and highways.

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.

Oral History: Rosemarie Schelling

Rosemarie Schelling and her family moved to the Braddock District when her husband was stationed at the Pentagon during the 1960s. Their five children joined a neighborhood of large families. Rosemarie Schelling remembers family activities, outdoor sports, rural roads, and holiday celebrations.She traces changes in daily life.

Oral History: James Roland

James Roland was born in northern Virginia. His parents had moved to the area from Tennessee after World War II because of the better job market. James Roland learned carpentry and dry wall from his father, joined him in business, and then turned to carpentry and building. As a boy, he delivered papers on horseback. He remembers retrieving Civil War artifacts on local property, raising farm animals and distances traveled on rural roads for shopping, schools, and medical care. Railroads and hobos are among his early memories.

Annandale Tollhouse, Artist's Rendition

Little River Turnpike was one of the important early roads in Fairfax County and one of the first toll roads in the nation, enabling transport of goods from western Virginia to the Potomac River port of Alexandria. The Turnpike became the first paved road in Fairfax County. Tollgates were established at five-mile intervals between Alexandria and the Little River ford in Loudoun County. The Annandale tollhouse, constructed in 1802, was a voting location when Fairfax County cast ballots to secede from the Union. Annandale Tollhouse Park, at the intersection of Little River Turnpike and Annandale Road, commemorates this historic location

Courtesy Chris Lipsey

Pen/ink sketches by Chris Lipsey. Not to be used without permission of the owner.

Capital Beltway

When the completed 66-mile Beltway officially opened, motorists came eager to drive the full route in a bumper-to-bumper stream. The first section opened in 1961; the road was completed in 1964. The Beltway, called the Circumferential Highway during planning stages, opened with two lanes each way from Springfield to the Cabin John Bridge, and widened to three lanes on the Maryland side of the Potomac.

Dedication photo, courtesy Bill Summmerson

Oral History: Bill Wrench

Bill Wrench came to the Braddock District in 1957 as the Director of the Economic and Industrial Development Committee (later, the Economic Development Authority). Lack of development in the county surprised him then, but his job was to integrate industrial development with residential growth. In 1960, he left the government and opened his own business, an oil distributorship and then a gas station. His family became part of the new Ravensworth Farm subdivision. Bill Wrench looks at roads, gas station management, and what brings people to live in the area.

Oral History: Howard Marshall

Howard Marshall came to Northern Virginia in 1948 after serving in the Army in World War II. He describes how the Annandale area looked before homes and shops filled the landscape. He remembers starting his own business and family activities.

Oral History: Hal and Sally Lion

Hal and Sally Lion talk about daily life and family activities in the Braddock District beginning in 1962 when they bought a home in Ravensworth Farm.