PORTRAITS IN THE OLD COURTHOUSE
James Roberdeau Allison, (1864–1927), was born in Orange County, Virginia, grew up in Centreville and taught school in Fairfax and Loudoun counties. He served the county as deputy treasurer, deputy sheriff and then was elected sheriff in 1904. Consistently re-elected, he was sheriff until his death.
Paul E. Brown, (1904–1968), was born in Oklahoma, and moved to Fairfax County with his family in 1919. He served as commonwealth attorney for three terms and was appointed judge of the Fairfax County Circuit Court in 1944. He served as senior court judge from 1951 until his death.
Daniel McCarty Chichester, (1834–1897), was born in Fairfax County, served in the Confederate army and later taught school in Maryland and Tennessee. He practiced law and was for a short time superintendent of schools and a delegate to the state legislature. He was elected judge of Fairfax and Alexandria (Arlington) counties in 1886 and served until his death.
Bryan Fairfax, (1737–1802), was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia and grew up at Belvoir, in Fairfax County. He was a justice of the Fairfax County court and was ordained as an Episcopal minister, serving as rector of Fairfax Parish 1790–1792. He held the title of eighth Lord Fairfax, Baron of Cameron, from 1800 until his death.
Thomas, sixth Lord Fairfax, Baron of Cameron, (1693–1781) was born at Leeds Castle in Kent, England and immigrated to Fairfax County in 1747. In 1749, he was commissioned a justice of the peace in each county within the entire Northern Neck, of which he was proprietor. He was a trustee of the town of Alexandria and in 1754 became commandant of the frontier militia. He lived at Belvoir until 1761, when he moved to "Greenway Court," his estate in the Shenandoah Valley where he spent the remainder of his life.
C. Vernon Ford, (1871–1922), was born in the town of Fairfax, and practiced law with his cousin, Joseph E. Willard. Ford was appointed commonwealth's attorney for Fairfax County in 1879 and, later elected, served in this capacity until his death.
William Edwin Graham, (1850–1916), was born in Fairfax County. He succeeded his father as clerk of the circuit court in 1887, serving until 1904, at which time he became deputy clerk under F. W. Richardson, serving in this position until his death.
George Johnston, (1700–1766), was a son of Dr. James Johnston, who settled in Maryland in the seventeenth century. He was a trustee of Alexandria and practiced law there and in Winchester. He represented Fairfax County in the House of Burgesses from 1758 until his death and was the author of certain resolutions presented by Patrick Henry in 1765, in opposition to the Stamp Act.
Walter Jones, (1776–1861), was born in Northumberland County, Virginia and practiced law in Fairfax and Loudoun counties. Appointed U. S. attorney for the District of Columbia, 1804–1821, he practiced law before the U. S. Supreme Court and in Virginia and Maryland. He was one of the founders of the American Colonization Society. At the time of his death, he was Major-General of the militia of the District of Columbia.
William Henry Fitzhugh Lee, (1837–1891), was born at "Arlington." He rose to the rank of Major-General of cavalry in the Confederate army. After the Civil War, he was elected a state senator and then a congressman. He died at "Ravensworth" in Fairfax County while serving his second term in congress.
George Mason, (1725–1792), the fourth of that name in the Virginia colony was born on Dogue's Neck, now Mason Neck, then in Stafford County, but now in Fairfax County. He was a justice of the county for most of his adult life, and a trustee of the town of Alexandria. He built his home, "Gunston Hall" in 1758. In 1774, he was the principal author of the Fairfax Resolves, and in 1776, the principal writer of the Virginia constitution and declaration of rights. Thefirst ten amendments of the constitution were added, in part, because of his insistence on the necessity for a federal bill of rights.
Robert Walton Moore, (1859–1941), was born in the town of Fairfax, and practiced law in the county. He served as a state senator and as a congressman. In 1933 he was appointed an assistant secretary of state, and in 1937, he became counselor of the Department of State. Throughout his adult life he was a member of numerous boards and commissions including the boards of visitors of the University of Virginia and the College of William and Mary.
Ferdinand Dawson Richardson, (—— –1880), entered the clerk's office in 1826 under William Moss, clerk, and served as an assistant clerk or deputy clerk until 1870, when he was appointed clerk of the court, which position he held until his death.
Frederick Wilmer Richardson, (1853–1936), was born in Fairfax, and was the son of F. D. Richardson. He was deputy clerk under his father for nine years, succeeding him in 1880. Elected to the new position of clerk of the Circuit Court in 1881, he served in that capacity until 1887, and again from 1904 to 1935.
Henry Wirt Thomas, (1812–1890), was born in Loudoun County, Virginia. He served as commonwealth's attorney in Fairfax and was elected to the state legislature for a number of terms between 1841 and 1875. Following the Civil War, he was appointed judge of the Ninth Circuit Court of Virginia and later appointed lieutenant governor to fill out an unexpired term.
John Webb Tyler, (1795–1862), served Fairfax County as a judge in the circuit court of Virginia from 1850–1861. The circuit included Fairfax, Prince William, Loudoun and Fauquier counties and the quarterly courts were held at the county seats, including Fairfax Court House.
George Washington, (1732–1799), was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, and moved to "Mount Vernon" in Fairfax County when he was sixteen. He became a surveyor, was elected a burgess, and appointed a justice of the Fairfax County court. During the American Revolution, he was appointed commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the united colonies. He was elected the first president of the United States of America under the new constitution in 1789, and again in 1793.
Joseph Edward Willard, (1865–1924), was born in Washington, D. C. He practiced law, and was lieutenant governor of Virginia, 1902–1906. President Woodrow Wilson appointed him minister to Spain in 1913; later he was elevated to ambassador to Spain. He owned the Willard Hotel in Washington, but lived part of his life in the town of Fairfax, at "Layton Hall."
CLERK'S OFFICE
Excerpt from theAlexandria Gazette and Virginia AdvertiserJuly 15, 1853.
NOTICE TO BUILDERS—Sealed proposals will be received by the undersigned, Commissioners, until Saturday, the 16th day of July next, at 12 o'clock M, for taking down the present Clerk's office of the Circuit Court of Fairfax County, and rebuilding it on the same ground, with the materials and of the size and description, following, to wit: The foundation wall to be 2 feet below the surface, and 15 inches thick, of good stone, laid in mortar—the walls above the ground to be laid on the stone foundation, of brick, fourteen inches thick, and laid in good mortar,—the building to be 36 feet long by 24 feet wide including the walls, two stories high, and of the height of the present building, with a passage of entry 12 feet wide, adjoining the County Court office; the passage wall also resting on a stone foundation and running from bottom to top—doors at each end of the entry, and one door to each of the rooms—each room to have four windows, twenty lights and 8 × 10 glass. The outer doors and window frames to be of cast iron, with stone sills, and the doors and window shutters to be covered with sheet iron, so as to be fire proof. The joists to be 2 × 10 inches, 16 inches apart on the lowest floor, resting upon a girder 6 × 12 inches; on the upper, without a girder, but properly braced, and the flooring of the rooms to be of the best North Carolina boards, planed, tongued and grooved, and one and a quarter inches thick. The entry floor of best flagging brick, and the stairway of stone. The roofing to be of slate, of good quality, and the rafters to be substantially framed, and suitable for slate roof. To each of the rooms there is to be a fireplace. The woodwork is to be of the best material and workmanship, and corresponding with the other work. The house is to be guttered, and the iron, wood, and guttering to have two coats of paint on it. Each door to be provided with suitable locks, the house walls plastered, and the whole completed on or before the last day of January 1854, at which time the work if approved by the Commissioners, and also by the Court, will be paid for. The proposals will state what the entire work will be done for, including the furnishing of all materials and labor, and, also, including the taking down of the old building and the use of such of the old materials as can be used for rebuilding; also for what the work will be done without regard to the old building, either in taking down or theuse of old materials. Notice to the successful bidder will be given within five days after opening the bids, and bond with security required from the person to whom the contract may be awarded, but the Commissioners reserve the right to reject all. For further information, apply to either of the undersigned at Fairfax Court House.
COURTHOUSE RESTORATIONSCHEDULE OF WORK TO BE PERFORMEDIN THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THEFAIRFAX COUNTY COURTHOUSE, 1967
The following list comprises the schedule of work to be performed in the reconstruction of the Fairfax County Courthouse as set forth in the drawings prepared by Walter M. Macomber, architect for the project, in December 1965:
DEMOLITION—Remove main floor, subfloor and joists, taking care to leave two columns supporting balcony, and beams beneath floor untouched. Remove all material in such a manner as to be re-usable if suitable.
Remove all woodwork within building: wainscot, railings, bench, window & door casing, etc. Remove all frame partitions.
Remove cantilevered forward section of balcony back to existing beam, including stair.
Remove existing segmental-top two-storey windows at sides of building. Remove sash only from existing small windows, unless jambs are rotted or otherwise found unsuitable for re-use.
Carefully remove all finished flooring in balcony and porch chamber, taking care not to damage subfloor.
All heating pipes shall be removed and temporarily capped off below the first floor. All electrical wiring shall be removed and recapped below the first floor level except such as shall be needed for power tools, etc.
Contractor shall carefully remove all existing monuments and plaques within building, securely store them, and reset them upon completion at direction of architect.
MATERIALS—All new joists and studs shall be of construction grade fir, free of all parasites & decay, having a moisture content no greater than 18%.
All new subfloor to be5/8" plyscord.
Apply sisalcraft paper between subfloor and finished floor.
All flooring shall be25/32" × 51/2" tongue and groove clear southern long leaf yellow pine, with relieved back & face edges slightly eased. The use of resawn used mill framing obtained from demolition companies is recommended in order to obtain straight grain. Architect must be submitted samples of flooring for his approval before use. No pieces shorter than eight feet will be used, except where necessary at juncture of floor & wall. All stair treads shall be of 1' 8" thick clear yellow pine, bull-nosed.
All interior woodwork to be of clear western white pine, S 4 S, of thickness as shown on plans.
Wainscot shall be of3/4' thick by 35/8", 51/2" & 71/2" clear white pine, tongue & grooved, with a1/4" bead on one face edge.
Doors, windows (sash & jamb) & balusters will be of clear western white pine. Front door jamb shall be of 15/8th. clear yellow pine. Interior jambs of 11/8" th. Cl. yellow pine.
Pew material to be of 11/8" clear yellow pine, S 4 S.
Rails to be birch for staining.
Moisture content for all to be no greater than 12%.
FOUNDATION WORK—Point up all existing foundations, piers, footings, etc. in basement and crawl space.
Replace all supporting beams rotted or otherwise unsuitable for re-use.
Excavate existing crawl space to a minimum of three feet below joists, and cover with 21/2–3" thick broom finished concrete slab, on 4 mil polyethylene film.
Move existing basement stair to location on plan, and floor-over opening thus made to top of stairs.
MASONRY—Carefully remove several sample face bricks from existing sidewalls, clean all but weather-face, and submit to Locher Brick Co., Glasgow, Va. for duplication.
Remove segmental arches above two storey window openings, and extend window openings to same height as those of porch chamber windows. Using existing downstairs window sills, brick-in two rough openings required by new windows. Set steel lintels as called for on plan, and brick between vertical window openings. Take care that the new brickwork appears continuous with existing masonry & is properly toothed & bonded. Architect shall approve colour of mortar and duplicated brick before setting in place.
Repoint or rebuild existing chimneys & fireplaces. Build new hearths of duplicated brick for downstairs fireplaces.
Repoint all existing brickwork, interior & exterior, as may be requisite.
WEATHERSTRIPPING—All double-hung windows shall be weatherstripped with "Chamberlain" No. 100-A Zinc Heavy-Duty, full-sash units, with protection at head, meeting rail & sill.
Front entrance door shall have spring bronze weatherstripping all around, except at sill which is to receive "Chamberlain" No. 869-A narrow brass threshhold with No. 826 bronze door hook.
INSULATION—Entire building to be covered with 4" thick batts of rock-wool or fibre-glass, combination aluminum foil insulation, applied immediately over lath between ceiling joists.
PAINTING & DECORATING—All woodwork, interior or exterior, shall be back primed with white lead before erection.
All exterior woodwork to receive two coats of white lead in oil. Remove loose or heavy accumulations of paint from existing woodwork before painting.
All interior woodwork to receive one coat of primer, one coat half primer & half enamel & finish coat of semi-gloss enamel.
Plaster surfaces, when thoroughly dry, shall be washed with zinc sulphate neutralizer. First paint coat shall be wall size and primer. Second coat two parts flat wall paint & one part size. Finish with egg-shell wall paint. Plaster cornice to receive first coat of size, second coat half size & half enamel. Finish coat semi-gloss enamel. Architect shall select all colours.
FLOOR FINISHING—Floors shall be lightly sanded to remove stains and imperfections & to reasonably level. Floors shall be stained, filled, shellaced and waxed. Colour of stain shall be selected by architect.
LATHING & PLASTERING—All interior surfaces of exterior masonry walls shall receive3/8" gypsum lath securely nailed to 1" × 2" wood furring strips anchored to masonry. Coat masonry before furring with "Thoroseal" from Standard Dry Wall Products Co., New Eagle, Penna.
Entire ceiling to be lathed with high-rib metal lath securely nailed directly to ceiling joists. Stud partitions to receive3/8" gypsum lath. Ceiling of porch to receive high-rib metal lath applied over existing wood ceiling. All inside corners to receive expanded metal cornerite. Outside corners to receive metal corner bead. Apply strips of metal lath 6" wide over openings in stud partitions.
All plaster cornices shall be run in place and formed over heavy gauge metal lath, with moulding plaster. All surfaces to be plastered minimum3/4" thick (including lath) in two coats; Brown & finish white. White coat to have smooth float sand finish.
GLAZING—All windows to be glazed with 9" × 103/4" welded glass edge or metal edged insulating glass one-half inch thick composed of two sheets of1/8" double strength "A" window glass with one-quarter inch air space between. All glass to be set in frames with glaziers points. Back-bed w/thin coating of elastic glazing compound and putty-in smoothly.
SCREENING—All louvres in cupola to be back screened with fine mesh, copper screen wire.
FINISHED HARDWARE—All hinges, locks, latches, shutter hardware, etc. shall be selected by the architect. Allow $400.00 for finished hardware.
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BOARD OF SUPERVISORSJohn F. Herrity, ChairmanMartha V. Pennino, Vice-ChairmanJoseph AlexanderWarren I. CikinsAlan H. MagazineAudrey MooreJames M. ScottJohn P. ShacochisMarie B. TraveskyHISTORY COMMISSIONEdith M. Sprouse, ChairmanDonie Rieger, Vice-ChairmanBernard N. BostonC. J. S. DurhamWilliam ElkjerDenzil O. EvansMary M. FahringerCeres GaskinsJohn P. LibertyVirginia B. PetersMayo S. StuntzCharles Cecil WallARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARDJohn J. Gattuso, ChairmanGlenn Ovrevik, Vice-ChairmanThomas CagleyDonald C. CannonDonald R. ChandlerDonovan E. HowerLouis PapaS. Richard RioJames D. WebberMary M. Fahringer, ex officioOFFICE OF COMPREHENSIVE PLANNINGTheodore J. Wessel, DirectorPeter T. Johnson, Branch ChiefNan Netherton, HistorianElizabeth David, Historic Preservation PlannerDonald Sweig, Research HistorianJay Linard, Copy EditorAnnette Thomas, Copy PreparationGloria Matthews, DesignerRobin Pedlar, Assistant
Back cover photo, court papers by Bernie Boston, 1976.
TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE.Copyright material in the original (the image on p. 76) has been omitted from this ebook.No anchors for footnotes54and163are present in the text.Discrepancies have been preserved between titles in theList Of Illustrationsand the illustrations themselves.
Copyright material in the original (the image on p. 76) has been omitted from this ebook.
No anchors for footnotes54and163are present in the text.
Discrepancies have been preserved between titles in theList Of Illustrationsand the illustrations themselves.