The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1913-12-02
SURVEYS MADE
BY WASHINGTON

George Washington in his days of
chain and compass work, have found
them good.
About 1851, according to tradition,
George Washington, then 10 years old,
ran out for Lord Thomas Fairfax the
line between what was then to be
Augusta and Frederick counties, Vir-
ginia, this being only part of
great deal of surveying which he is
said to have been engaged upon at
that time. These two counties were
separated from what was then Orange
county, and the grant to Lord Fair
fax was supposed to extend westward
to the Pacific ocean. subsequently
these large tracts were further sub.
divided, so that the "Fairfax lines,
as it is generally known, runs now
between Rockingham and Shenandoah
counties, with the original Augusta
and Frederick counties to the south
and north respectively.
In the organic act for the forma-
tion of the two counties, or "par-
ishes" as they were then called it
was required that the line should be a
straight one from the head spring of
Hedgran river, one of the sources of
tHt W tHt Htdu NDfiHg
of the Potomac.
Since it was required that the line
should be straight it was first neces-
sary to get the approximte course by
building large bonfres ON the interven
ing high points. Then starting from
the top of the Massanutten noun
tains, the line was run straight awa.y
over intervening mountains and riv
ers toward the northwest.
The Fairfax Stone.
Away off across a part of what is
now West Virginia there is a large
rock known today as the Fairfax
Stone. 1t is the monument which
marks the southwest corner of Gar
ret county, Maryland, the southeast
corner of Preston county, West Vir-
ginia, and prominent points in the
boundaries in two other West Vir-
ginia counties. A line from Orange
courthouse, coinciding with the Shen-
andoah and Rockingham county line.
passes through this Fairfax Stone,
which gives the name to nearby sta
tion, Fairfax, on the Western Mary
land railroad. 1t has been assured
that, in running this line, high peak
northwest of Orange courthouse was
the starting point, and that from
here it was possible to see a distant
peak in the North mountain range
over the top of the intervening Massa-
nutten mountain.
Washington, of course used a sim
pie compass, and his line could not
be expected to check absolutely with
that obtained by the government sur
veyors who have traced his sur
vey, using high-power transits and ali
the refined and accurate methods
which modern instruments allow
Nevertheless, the line was run so
carefully in the first place that but
little variation has been found in it.
Even without instruments it is pos
sible to distinguish the course of the
line with surprising distinctness. From
the top of Middle mountain in the
Massanutten range, the Shenandoah
Rockingham, or Fairfax, line can be
readily followed bv means of the
boundary fences dating. from earliest
days, and by the blocks of timber, al
ternately cleared away or left stand
ing, which come up from either coun
ty and stop at the line, like squares in
a eheckerboard. Then if one turns to
the southwest the same demarkations
are plain across the valley of the
south fork of the Shenandoah, cutting
straight through the present Page
county, which is made of land former
ly in Shenandoah county belonging to
the Fairfax grant, and partly from
land formerly in Rockingham Thus, as
far as the eve can see in either dire
tion, this old line shows plainly.
L
seen at the Z. S. national museum in
the city named Tor its owner, is pre-
sumed to be the same one used in run
ming this line more than $50 years
ago.
Washington Survey Marks.
The Fairfax Stone stands as a per
manent monument. In addition, there
are throughout that section of the
country, various other records of these
Washington surveys. For example.
large white oak which stands at the
corner of gram about one and one
half miles from Lost City, Hardy
county, West Virginia, was, accord
ing to a persistent story of that sec
tion of the country, marked by Wash
ington.
Survey blazes cut into trees, and
since grown over, have been cut away
and count of annual layers of
growth over the old wounds shows
them to have been made at the time
Washington was surveying. One
strange thing about these blazes is
that they are several feet higher than
those put on trees by woodsmen of to-
day. This fact has given rise to
sort of superstition that Washington,
known to have been very tall, was
actually a giant. Other authorities
have said that Washington did much
of his work on horseback, and made
his blazes with a long-handled ak
from the saddle. The town of White
post, Clarke county, Virginia, takes its
name from post presumed to have
been set by Washington as one of his
survey marks. The post, formerly ex-
posed is now covered by protecting