Evening star., 1927-05-08

dt UFedt Il diiS.
its own town sergeant for police pur'
poses, and there is a magistrate in
each of the magisterial districts, who
attends to minor cases. In addition,
roads are patrolled by'State police.
The county has fiourishing Cham
ber of Commerce, which is entering
on new period of activity. This or.
organization will attempt to sell Fair
fax County to the country, streSsing
its historical Importance and it's agri
cultural and business advantages
Branches are established in each OF
the towns. usually with headquarters
in the local bank building. A secre-
tary recently has been employed to
devote his entire time to the work.
Falls Church Leads.
The largest and most rapidly grow
ing of the five incorporated towns in
Fairfax County is Falls Church, which
has population of about 1900 and a
small section of which lies in Arling-
ton County. 1t is a town of homes
and churches, primarily a suburban
residential community whose interests
arc tied up closely with those of the
National Capital. It's population is
made up largely of Government en-
ployes and Washington business men.
The history of the town is associ-
ated closely with the old Episcopal
Church from which it takes its name.
1t was established, some say. in 1909,
and takes its name from it's proximity
to the Great Falls of the Potomac.
4 NJ Nyoc hi 81
of it's yestrymen in 1862. The history
of the church is somewhat vague, but
there is a tradition that it was used as
a recruiting headquarters during the
Revolutionary War. During that
struggle the parish suffered severely,
and the church was not used as a
place of worship for many years. The
records of the parish between 1927
ana 1861 are lost. During the early
days of the Civil War, just after the
first Bull Run, Falls Church was oc
cupied by Confederate forces under
Gen. Longstreet. Later Union sol
diers took possession of it, and by
August 5, 1861, it was the most ad
vanced position of McDowelfs troops.
At this time, it is said, the old
church was used for few days as
stable, but this was discontinued
promptly when a complaint was made
to the military governor, and the
cavalry captain responsible was tried
by court martial. The Government
later repaired the damage.
Review at Crossroads.
1t was at Bailey's Crossroads. three
miles from Falls Church. toward
Alexandria, that Abraham Lincoln re-
viewed the Northern Army in the Fall
of 1861. Several skirmishes We're
fought near the village.
The Falls Church of Civil War days
was a small village, and it's expansion
into a town did not begin until 1870,
when Government clerks began TO be
attracted there. 1t was incorporated
March 80, 1875. Its greatest expan-
sion came during the World War,
when Washington, six miles away, was
crowded to capacity with war work
ers, who began to overflow into the
nearby villages. There has been no
check to it's growth since then.
It is the site of State bank, has
one OF the five county high schools
and two Methodist, Baptist, Presby-
terian, Christian Science and Cathotlc
church, in addition to the ancient
Episcopal church.
There are few old buildings in the
town, depsite it's antiquity as a settle
ment. One of these is the Lawton
house, lat one time the residence or
Gen. Lawton, who was killed IN the
Philippines. It was occupied by Long
street for a time after the first Bull
Run.
Site of Camp Alger.
During the Spanish American War
Camp Alger was established outside
the village by the War Department
and recruits were sent there from
fourteen States.
Next to Falls Church in size is
Herndon, in the northwest section OF
the county. Herndon also, to limited
extent, is q village of suburban homes.
1t is an hour from the National
Capital on the Washington-Old Do
minion Railway and has about 125
daily commuters.
But Herndon also is the trading
center Of a rich agricultural section.
1t has a population of 1900, bank,
two high schools, and seven churches
Catholic, Congregationalist. Baptist,
Northern and Southern Methodist,
Episcopalian and Presbyterian. There
are 10 stores, a large farm supply
house, flour mill and lumber mlli.
Farmers come into the town for their
supplies from a radius of about 20
miles. including parts of Loudoun
County. Approximately $500 gallons
of milk a day are shipped from Hern.
don to Washington. More than a half
million bushels of wheat are grown
within 15-mile radius and brought to
the village for grinding. From the
pine and oak forests of northwestern
Fairfax County considerable stocks of
lumber are sent to Washington and
Baltimore. The town also Is cattle
shipping center.
Herndon is supplied with electric
current from the Alexandria Leesburg
line and has q town water supply OBJ
tanned from a single well with a
@5, 900 gallon tank. Work soon will
start on new high school. The old
building was destroyed by fire and