Old Town Fairfax is a great place to window shop, enjoy the day, and stroll through the park.
However, it is also full of interesting old historic buildings worth visiting.
Historic Ford Building, c. 1835
So, the first home on my list to visit is the Ford Building. Built in 1835, it is in the National Registry of Historic Places and also in Old Town Fairfax.
The red brick building is in the Georgian Revival architectural style.
The building’s historic marker talks about Antonia Ford. While living in her home, the Court House Building, she was arrested as a civilian Civil War Confederate spy.
This happened after Ranger Mosby’s capture of the Union commander, Brig. Gen. Edwin H. Stoughton on March 9th, 1863. She was accused of passing information to Mosby.
Resources state Antonia was then sent to the Old Capitol Prison in Washington, DC. After then serving several months in prison, she signed an Oath of Loyalty to the Union and was released.
She married Joseph Willard who helped secure her release. Antonia went on to help manage the Willard Hotel in Washington, DC and had three children. She died approximately ten years after her release from prison.
Draper House
This second house I want to blog about is the Draper House built in 1821. Right now, it is near a construction zone and because of this, it is a little hard to cross the nearby intersection. There is, also, a lot of traffic on the streets in Old Town Fairfax.
The Draper House is the second oldest house in Fairfax built by Dr. Samuel Draper. The house was probably his office and examining rooms.
The Draper House displays the Federal style of architecture. The exterior roofline has dentil molding, you can see the edge of this on the second below photograph. Dentil molding is unique because it looks like a pattern of teethlike blocks.
The Draper home is obviously well cared for with ecru painted bricks and a bright blue front door.
The bricks in this historic home are set in a Flemish Bond style. Flemish Bond style of bricklaying is a method of laying long and short bricks in an ornamental pattern.
There is also a historic plaque in front of the Draper House and two large planters.
A photograph of the marker in front of the Draper House.
Ending Notes on Old Town Fairfax Blog
After viewing these Old Town Fairfax historic homes, I had a better understanding of the history of the town. I plan to go back and visit more historic homes in Old Town Fairfax.
In conclusion, Fairfax is a great place to visit, enjoy the historic homes, and to, also, have a nearby lunch.
Resource Sites: Wikipedia, HMdb.org, the Historical Marker Database, kitchencabinetkings.com, encyclopediavirginia.com, battlefields.org and www.home questions answered.com