Farr's Cross Roads (Historical Marker)

Here follows the inscription written on this roadside historical marker:

Farr's Cross Roads
George Mason University History Trail

In 1819, Richard Ratcliffe Farr received roughly 183 acres from his father's estate. He and his family lived here near the intersection of current Braddock and Ox Roads, which became known as Farr's Cross Roads. In 1958, 146 acres of the Farr tract were offered to the City of Fairfax for establishing a permanent site for George Mason College of the University of Virginia. Construction planning commenced in 1960, and in 1964 the first classes on this campus were conducted.

Ox Road, abutting the George Mason campus was originally known as the "Road to the Old Courthouse," enabling citizens in the southern portion of Fairfax County access to its first courthouse circa 1742-1752 (near current-day Tysons Corner). Traffic on the road increased significantly during the Civil War. It saw extensive use prior to the battles of Fredericksburg (December 1862) and Gettysburg (July 1863).

Braddock Road was originally known as the "Mountain Road" enabling the transport of goods between the burgeoning seaport of Alexandria and the Shenandoah Valley. Enterprising locals began associating the road with British General Braddock and his ill-fated expedition in 1755, in an effort to incent Braddock's use of the road and thereby acquire improvements to it. George Washington was an occasional road patron from his Mount Vernon estate. During the Civil War, Mountain Road served as the primary route between Alexandria and the strategic Centreville heights and its fortifications.

In June 1861, Confederate troops occupied the area surrounding Farr's Cross Roads. They constructed a redoubt and a series of trench lines to monitor and inhibit any westward movement of Federal forces while the Confederate Army of the Potomac was forming near Manassas Junction.

Follow the trail to view the redoubt and the nearby site where remnants of a Civil War era corduroy (logged) road were discovered in 2014 and 2015. The storied histories of the redoubt and the corduroy road are detailed on interpretive markers.

Additional Fortifications
George Mason University History Trail

Redoubt fortifications were not typically constructed in isolation. Near the redoubt at Farr's Cross Roads, a trench line was established alongside a farm road, parallel to the old Courthouse Road (today's Ox Road). Recent development has eliminated most evidence of its existence.

Three trench lines were constructed across Mountain Road, (today's Braddock Road) as shown on the map to the right. Due to modern development in the area no remnants of these trench lines exist.

Soldier's diaries and unit reports indicate that in 1861 Confederate forces constructed trench lines just east of today's intersection with Robert's Road (1 mile east) and near today's intersection with Guinea Road (3 miles east). Working in tandem, these trench lines were intended to allow Confederate forces to monitor and hinder the the westward movement of Federal forces along the road, as occurred on July 17, 1861.

In 1863, Federal forces constructed a trench line 1.5 miles west of Farr's Cross Roads. As with the Confederate trench lines, this trench line was intended to monitor and hinder troop movements -- in this case any eastward movement of Confederate troops along the road.