Frankhonia Farm (Site)

These coordinates mark the estimated spot where the family farmhouse once stood. No visible remains exist.


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Here follows the inscription written on a nearby roadside marker:

“Frankhonia Farm” was situated on 191 acres purchased in 1859 by Alexandria merchant and businessman William Fowle from Joseph Broders of Oak Grove Farm. His son, Robert Rollins Fowle, sold 18 acres to the Alexandria & Fredericksburg Railway Company in 1871 for a station, which was named after the farm. The station served as the Garfield Post Office from 1881 to 1890 and again from 1898 to 1907. Initially situated south of Franconia Road near the present day Fleet Drive, the station was relocated after a fire in 1903 to the north side of Franconia Road. Regular service at Franconia Station was discontinued c. 1953.


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Here follows an excerpt from Donald Hakenson's "This Forgotten Land" tour guide:

Franconia Road was first called "Rolling Road," and was known as the "Old Fairfax Road" during the War Between the States. On July 16, 1861, Brigadier General Samuel Heintzelman's Third Division departed Alexandria and used the Old Fairfax Road while marching to Manassas.

"Frankhonia Farm" was situated on 191 acres purchased in 1859 by an Alexandria merchant William Fowle from Joseph Broders of Oak Grove farm. His son, Lieutenant Robert Rollins Fowle, a Confederate veteran sold eighteen acres to the Alexandria and Fredericksburg Railway Company in 1871 for a station that was named after his farm. The name "Franconia," has been used for the road ever since.

Lieutenant Robert Rollins Fowle was born March 20, 1832, and was the son of William and Esther Dasheill (Taylor) Fowle. In 1850, Robert's father bought one hundred and ninety-two acres of land from the Broders family. At the outbreak of the war, Robert initially was commissioned as a Lieutenant in Company F (the old Fairfax Company), Sixth Virginia Cavalry, but resigned on June 7, 1861 because of a hernia. He then enlisted in Kemper's Alexandria Artillery date unknown. He later enlisted in the Second Virginia Cavalry and was paroled on April 22, 1865 at Fairfax Court House. He married Barbara Ward Saunders. Lieutenant Fowle died March 8, 1873. A Mrs. R.R. Fowle is listed on the 1879 Hopkins map of Fairfax County.


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Here follows an article excerpted from the "Franconia Legacies" newsletter published by the Franconia Museum in 2004 and written by Sue Patterson:

In 1859, the wealthy Alexandria businessman, William Fowle of English descent, purchased 191 acres from Joseph Broders of Oak Grove Farm (location of Sunrise Assisted Living across from Springfield Mall today). Mr. Fowle was President of the Alexandria Canal Co. and President of the Bank of the Old Dominion. This property was located generally between Fleet Drive and Beulah Street today. His son, Robert Rollins Fowle, lived on the property prior to the Civil War. In the father's will written in 1857, Rollins was described as follows: "My son Robert R. Fowle is now absent abroad (Australia). During his early life he has caused me much solitude and anxiety in regard to his future." His father was afraid that Rollins would "squander his property in idleness and dissipation." William Fowle died in 1860. Rollins served in the Civil War on the Confederate side, which may be why he did not receive the 191 acres as his share of his father's estate until 1865. Rollins died in 1873, but his wife was still living on his property until at least 1906.

After the Civil War, his farm was known as the "Frankhonia" Farm. Robert Rollins Fowle sold 18 acres to the Alexandria and Fredericksburg Railroad Company in 1871 for a station, which was named after the farm. Initially, the Franconia Station was situated south of Franconia Road near present day Fleet Drive. The Station was relocated after a fire in 1903 to the north side of Franconia Road. The Franconia Station was an important stop between Washington and Quantico. Regular service was discontinued about 1953.