They say that Fairfax County use to be all farms, then why are there so many old large trees? (gated, live)

[TPL]

Originally Posted by car54

I've been around here since 1951 and I don't think it was ever "mostly" farms....certainly nothing like Kansas or Nebraska. But there definitely were numerous farms. Where Woodson High School is now was a dairy farm. Out Rt 50 near Greenbriar was a large cattle operation. Tysons Corner was farmland.

Developers mostly cleared the land, saving a few large specimens and planted cheap, fast growing species like maple and those are some pretty big trees now. Plus, trees planted in the 50's on former farmland would look like forest from the air today....with the occasional roof or part of a lawn visible

So, I would say Fairfax County was mostly forests with some farms.

Lol, Fairfax was the boonies back then. Where Herndon High School current stands there was a cow pasture back then, and pretty much anything outside of Arlington was rural. Even when my family moved back in the 1970s Reston was a relatively small outpost with dirt roads, and the airport was pretty much it (Of course the other towns existed, but they didn't run into each other as they do nowadays).

Per the farms and trees, everywhere there are farms there are always trees. As you mention the Great Plains, that's the only area I've been where I noticed more open field than trees. My family still owns our old East Coast farm dating from the earliest days of colonial settlement, and it has always contained a richly wooded area.

[lovnova]

Up to around the early 1970s Gervis Sewell was the last farmer in the McLean / West falls Church area. He farmed land he owned at Westmorland and Kirby Rd. Great Falls and Kirby Road. His old farm house was near the Great falls Road property. Sewell grew corn and tomato's then pumpkins in the fall. He sold produce at stands at both locations up till he passed away.
My family the Mills and McCauly's farms were in the Pimmit run area next to Sewells Great Falls Road property. They were both dairy farms. My Mother sold her 14 acres in 1960 for $26,000. (In McLean). That's right 14 acres in McLean for $26,000. I remember seeing Sewell when I was a kid. He would come to the house to get water and tools occasionally. His family and the Mills are related from way back.
We sold the last very small piece of the farm in 2014. That Dulles connector road between 66 and the beltway is where the entrance was. My Father kept one of the old hand forged hinges from the farm entrance. He gave it to me. All that's left.
Anyone remember his produce stands in McLean and Falls Church? Jeb?

[lovnova]

Originally Posted by lovnova

Up to around the early 1970s Gervis Sewell was the last farmer in the McLean / West falls Church area. He farmed land he owned at Westmorland and Kirby Rd. Great Falls and Kirby Road. His old farm house was near the Great falls Road property. Sewell grew corn and tomato's then pumpkins in the fall. He sold produce at stands at both locations up till he passed away.
My family the Mills and McCauly's farms were in the Pimmit run area next to Sewells Great Falls Road property. They were both dairy farms. My Mother sold her 14 acres in 1960 for $26,000. (In McLean). That's right 14 acres in McLean for $26,000. I remember seeing Sewell when I was a kid. He would come to the house to get water and tools occasionally. His family and the Mills are related from way back.
We sold the last very small piece of the farm in 2014. That Dulles connector road between 66 and the beltway is where the entrance was. My Father kept one of the old hand forged hinges from the farm entrance. He gave it to me. All that's left.
Anyone remember his produce stands in McLean and Falls Church? Jeb?

I've found that most people are not the least bit interested in local history. When I would bring up my family history to neighbors they had no interest in hearing about it. Probably thinking about their job, kids schools, traffic, whats new with Tyson's Corner, silver line, 66 how local governments screwed everything up ... Talk talk talk. Same old ****

[leighland]

Originally Posted by lovnova

I've found that most people are not the least bit interested in local history. When I would bring up my family history to neighbors they had no interest in hearing about it. Probably thinking about their job, kids schools, traffic, whats new with Tyson's Corner, silver line, 66 how local governments screwed everything up ... Talk talk talk. Same old ****

No! I adore stories about Nova's past. I've only lived here 7 years so I love learning about the Virginia of the South. It seems beyond belief that 40 years ago this was lovely farmland, just like when Lord Fairfax had George Washington hire a surveyor for the farmlands in his land (except it was Tobacco then). As if it were the Northern Neck.

Nova has grown so fast and so unplanned. I freak a bit when I see living history- like the [url=http://www.boundarystones.org/]Boundary Stones of Washington, D.C.[/url], exposed to elements and weeds, basically blown off by the County. Sad!

I hope there are more plantation/Civil War era buildings found and properly preserved here. I get the impression that some Virginia historians are intimitated/unwilling to pursue preserving parts of Virginia's past (Confederate States/Slavery/separation of the races. Its too bad. The more true history is completely studied and memorialized, the more we learn never to repeat that history. Oh well.

[newgatedenizen]

Another little blurb from Fairfax County in Virginia.

[tysonsengineer]

Originally Posted by lovnova

I've found that most people are not the least bit interested in local history. When I would bring up my family history to neighbors they had no interest in hearing about it. Probably thinking about their job, kids schools, traffic, whats new with Tyson's Corner, silver line, 66 how local governments screwed everything up ... Talk talk talk. Same old ****

Directed at me cause it sure seems like it? First of all, having lived here for 30 years, I'm fairly interested and frequently study up on the history of the area. You can do that while also discussing what is currently happening too; there is no need to fixate only on the past. History could be in the process of being made all the time, and you'll miss it if you focus only on the past.

Replying to yourself is kind of sad, you should try to avoid.

[gomason]

Originally Posted by lovnova

I've found that most people are not the least bit interested in local history. When I would bring up my family history to neighbors they had no interest in hearing about it. Probably thinking about their job, kids schools, traffic, whats new with Tyson's Corner, silver line, 66 how local governments screwed everything up ... Talk talk talk. Same old ****

Most people are not the least bit interested in any history...

Snapchat is way more important.

[Carlingtonian]

Originally Posted by gomason

Most people are not the least bit interested in any history...

Snapchat is way more important.

I don't even know what that is. I find local history fascinating.

[TheWatchmen]

Does anyone know where I can look at old Fairfax County maps that include roads? I live on an interesting historic tract of land that was sold to freed slaves in the 1860s - I'd love to find out when the road I live on came into existence. There are still 100 year old houses standing in my neighborhood, so I know the road is about that age, or older, but I'm just curious.

[gomason]

I thought it was interesting to learn that Metro was originally going to break the Blue Line off into two parts in the Springfield Area. One spur was going to have a station in the downtown Springfield area with a possible future expansion to Burke and another spur was going to have a station actually in Franconia. But because of NIMBYism in Springfield and costs, they decided to just put the station where it is and build a bridge over 95 for people in Burke and Springfield.

And apparently part of the reason Columbia Pike never got Metro even though it was part of the original 1968 Metro plan was because Maryland didn't want Virginia getting another Metro line and more Metro money. Also, Alexandria didn't want spillover traffic on their streets from Skyline development.