Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-08-01
The Rambler Writes of Colchester, Once
a Town Along Historic Occoquan Greek
Face-Nane Persists, But
No Village Stands There
Today-An Act of Vir-
gina Legislature Turning
Over Twenty-Five Acres
for Erection of Town.

| IN II
| nj "ramble" mention was made
" of the ancient and departed
| a town of Colchester. 1t was
written: Colchester is on OccoqUan
creek, and it was the first town es-
tablished in Fairfax county. No town
stands there now. but the place-name
PERSISTS and the farms that cover its
Colchester" There is railroad stop
for accommodation trains on the
Richmond and Fredericksburg line at
, that point. and the name of the stop
Is colchester"
The Rambler in the narrative refer
red to, told that he had found the act
of the Virginia assembly For erect
| ing a town on Occoquan river, in the
county of Fairfax, to be called Col
chester" Twenty-Five acres of land
belonging to Peter WAGNER, begin
ming at the upper side of the ferry
landing "and extending down said
river to the land of Waugh" were
taken as the site of the town. and the
trustees appointed were Peter Wag-
iener. Daniel McCarty, John Barry,
William Ely and Edward Washing
ton. The act of the Virginia legisla-
ture authorizing the erection of the
town was passed in November. 1853,
eleven years after the creation of
Fairfax county. This is evidence that
the first county seat of Fairfax was
not at Colchester. 1t was not the GUS
tom OF counties to set up the court
house at a town. but to build it near
the center of population. without ref
erence to whether town was there
or not. Usually there was not, but
soon after the courthouse was built
settlement grew up around it.
X X
So. it may have been that the first
court building of Fairfax was on Oc-
coQuan creek, where eleven years lat
er the town of Colchester came upon
the map. But the Rambler cannot
take that view. He once had the idea
that Colchester was the first county
seat of Fairfax, and he must have
got that idea from reading some "his-
tor1caP' sketch. and he has heard it
said that Colchester had that distinc-
ton. Perhaps he has written it him.
self
Soon after coming upon the, act of
assembly authorizing the erection of
Colchester. and which you will find
in Henning's Statutes of Virginia, the
Rambler turned to 1.-The History of
Truro Parish in Virginia, by Rev.
Philip Slaughter. D. D.. edited with
Notes and Addenda, by Rev. Edward
L. Goodwin, historiographer of the
diocese of Virginia" In that valu-
able book. under the head of Col
chester" you may read what follows:
AS Colchester was a conspicuous
feature of Truro parish, it may be well
to record here that it was established
as a town by act of assembly in
1884 on twenty-five acres of land
belonging to Pater WAGNER, as being
very convenient for trade and great
ly to the ease of frontier Inhabitants
Do To-
Wagner. Daniel McCarty. John
Barry, William Ellzey and Edward
Washington, all vestrymen of Truro
parish" In note by the Rev. DR..
Goodwin on the Institution of Fair
fax County" is this:
THE act forming the new county, consist
ing of the Parish of Truro (including what
are now LOudoun and Alexandria counties. as
well as Fairfax. took effect December l. 1872
The first courthouse vas established Free
dom hill, a mile or two north Of the presen,
village Of Vienna. on land decided to the coun-
ty by William Fairfax. Probably that was
then near the center of population In 1854 the
courthouse was moved to Alexandria, and on
Fairfax. An act Of assembly was passed
December 4, 1883. directing two acres Of land
to be purchased and the county buildings to
be erected within one mile of the crossroads
center of the county. But it was not until
1901 that the present courthouse was COM
pleted on land decided by Richard Radcliffe,
and the court removed. The village whicl,
slowly grew up at the county seat received
the name Of Providence, while the county seat
Of Culpeper was known as Fairfax. The old
Virginia habit Of calling the county seat the
courthouse prevailed, however, and both vii
lagos lost their names. uatil finally, aided by
the mandate Of the Post Office Department
'Culpeper Courthouse became 'Cupeper' and
Fairfax Courthouse has now become Fairfax.
The Rambler finds in Hening's Stat
utes the act of assembly instituting
the town of Providence. The date of
the passage of the act is January IA,
1905. 1t recites that fourteen acres
of land, the property of Richard Rat
cliffe. as already laid off into lots with
convenient streets at the courthouse
of Fairfax county, be established a
town by the name of Providence" 1t
is related in that act thai Richard
Radcliffe had donated to the county
four acres on which the courthouse
stood. From reading the act the
Rambler gets the impression that
Radcliffe kept an ordinary in the viii
lage and that settlement grew up