Fairfax Stone Historical Monument State Park
Fairfax Stone Historical Monument State Park | |
---|---|
Location | West Virginia, United States |
Coordinates | 39°11′42″N 79°29′15″W / 39.19500°N 79.48750°W |
Area | 4 acres (1.6 ha) |
Elevation | 3,169 ft (966 m) |
Established | 1957[2] |
Named for | Fairfax Stone |
Governing body | West Virginia Division of Natural Resources |
Website | wvstateparks |
Fairfax Stone Historical Monument State Park is a
Park
Fairfax Stone Historical Monument, part of a four-acre West Virginia state park, is six miles north of Thomas, West Virginia. The site is sparsely developed, lacking any buildings or restroom facilities.
History
The exact boundaries of the "
Fate of the original stone
The original Fairfax Stone, in accordance with common surveying practices of the era, was most likely simply a natural, unmarked rock selected from among the outcroppings in the area. Legal boundary disputes between Maryland and Virginia caused the latter to relocate the stone in 1833 after the site had been lost to memory.[8] The stone was still intact in 1859 when one Lieutenant Melcher found it again and reran the "Fairfax Line" on behalf of the two states. The Stone was gone by 1909, however, having been carried away by vandals.[8] There have been six Fairfax Stones, each one replacing the last owing to weathering or vandalism. The current stone is a six-ton rock with a flat face, on which is inlaid a historical plaque detailing the stone's significance. Next to it is the 1910 stone.[9] The present six-ton Fairfax Stone was dedicated on October 5, 1957.[10]
Plaque legend
"Fairfax Stone"
"This monument, at the headspring of the Potomac River, Marks one of the historic spots of America. Its name is derived from Thomas Lord Fairfax who owned all the land lying between the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers. The first Fairfax Stone, marked "FX", was set in 1746 by Thomas Lewis, a surveyor employed by Lord Fairfax. This is the base point for the western dividing line between Maryland and West Virginia."
See also
References
- ^ "Fairfax Stone". Protected Planet. IUCN. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
- ISBN 0-933126-91-3.
- ^ Conley, Phil and Boyd B. Stutler (1966), West Virginia, Yesterday and Today, 4th Edition, Charleston, West Virginia: Education Foundation, Inc., pg 7.
- ^ Wayland, John (1925), ""Special Note", In: The Fairfax Line: Thomas Lewis's Journal of 1746; Footnotes and index by John Wayland, Newmarket, Virginia: The Henkel Press (1925 publication), pp. 86-88.
- The University Press of Kentucky, p. 16.
- ^ "Coordinate Distance Calculator". Boulter.com. Archived from the original on January 18, 2013. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
- ^ "Maryland v. West Virginia, 217 U. S. 1, February 21, 1910".
- ^ a b Wayland (1925), Op. cit., pg 88.
- ISBN 978-1-60949-600-5.
- ^ Conley, Phil and Boyd B. Stutler (1966), West Virginia, Yesterday and Today, 4th Edition, Charleston, West Virginia: Education Foundation, Inc., pg 24.
External links
- Official website
- History of the Fairfax Line from surveyhistory.org
- Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1753-1761 from the Maryland State Archives
- "US SCt Deakins Line Stone 33, 1910, Maryland - West Virginia" from waymarking.com
- The Fairfax Stone and West Virginia v. Maryland from The Traveling 219 project.