| Leesburg Pike Had
Muddy Beginnings |
by
Peggy D. Vetter
Observer Staff Writer
|
| Until 1930 when it was paved, Leesburg Pike (Route 7) was typical of county
roads, roads described by one historian as “six feet wide and nine feet deep.” |
| In rainy weather, the road was so muddy that drivers would ride on the shoulder
to avoid being mired to the hubcaps. In the winter, the road froze in impassable
ruts and it was again necessary to ride on the shoulders. |
| Whatever its condition, the turnpike was the lifeline between the farmers
in Loudoun and Fairfax Counties and the profitable markets for their goods in
Georgetown, Alexandria and Washington to the east. |
| Originally called the Alexandria-Leesburg Turnpike, the road was built in
the early 1800s by private subscribers, as was the custom at that time. Tolls
were charged at crossroads on each section of the pike, so the investors could
regain their money. |
| Because travel took so much longer than it does now, drovers on horseback
who were leading herds of livestock into town for sale, stopped overnight along
the way. One such stop was the Dranesville Tavern, owned and restored by the Fairfax
County Park Authority and now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. |
| Although the Dranesville Tavern looks quite grand in its latest incarnation,
complete with landscaping, for most of its life, it was a humble and utilitarian
place. It was built on the south side of Leesburg Pike and east of Sugarland Run
about 1830, truly at the edge of the narrow road, and served travelers and drovers. |
| Pigs, cows and other livestock were penned or turned loose in the dirt or
mud yard, the men ate a simple meal and bedded down for the night in communal
rooms. They started out again at dawn. (Reportedly, it was possible for guests
to see the chickens on the ground through the spaces between the floorboards.) |
| When Leesburg Pike was widened in the early 1960s, the Park Authority moved
the building directly back from the road to its present site and restored it over
a 10-year period. |
| Several other buildings were moved from their original location when the road
was widened. The Colvin Run General Store now refurbished and a focal point at
the Park Authority’s Colvin Run Mill Park, was originally located on the
south side of the road across from the mill. |
| The General Store, typical of those in most farm communities, was scheduled
for demolition, but was moved by the Park Authority for preservation, and forms
part of the complex at Colvin Run Mill, along with a post office and blacksmith
shop. The mill is believed to have been built by Philip Carper after 1811 on the
site of an older mill. |
| One of the most gracious homes in the area, the Mack S. Crippen home on Baron
Cameron Avenue just south of Route 7, has become a landmark to area commuters.
Although the white building looks as though it was built on the site at the crest
of the rise, it too was moved when Leesburg Pike was widened. |
| Known as the Wheeler House, the original building was on Route 7 at Brown’s
Chapel. After it was moved, new wings were built at either side, adding to its
graceful proportions. |
| Another landmark, Brown’s Chapel itself, was also moved from down the
pike, where it had stood next to the Brown’s Chapel Cemetery, which remains
at its original location. |
| When the chapel was threatened with demolition, area residents and historians
fought to have it preserved. The developers of Reston finally agreed to donate
a space for it across from the entrance to the Lake Anne Center. It has been well
used for many purposes, from dance lessons to church services, in the years since
it was moved. It is a centerpiece of a small park beside an active soccer and
playing field complex. |
