Lord Fairfax Country Club (Site)

These coordinates mark the exact spot where the house used to be. No remains are visible here.


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Here follows an excerpt from the "Jaybird's Jottings" blog by Jay Roberts:

In 1936, local businessmen and preservationists put forth an effort to save Mount Eagle. They formed the Lord Fairfax Country Club, which featured tennis courts and jousting tournaments. Their source of income was slot machines, which the state of Virginia banned around 1940. One of their trustees, Dr. Carson Lee Fifer, purchased Mount Eagle in 1941. For the next 20 years, the large family lived and frolicked on the property. The place was abuzz in 1949 when Thomas McKelvie, 13th Lord Fairfax, paid a visit from Scotland. He helped dedicate Mount Comfort Cemetery, which lies less than a mile to the south on S. Kings Highway.

In 1966, the Fifers sold Mount Eagle to developers, Winston Virginia Corporation. As Sprouse points out, a verbal agreement was made to ensure the preservation of the historic home. Sadly, those plans fell through. In November 1968, the Fairfax County fire department arrived. They set fire to Mount Eagle and down in flames it went.

Montebello, a four mid-rise condo complex, went up on the site in the early 80s. The street leading up to the gated property was named Mount Eagle Drive. The footprint of Mount Eagle was paved over as part of the parking for residents. The county established Mount Eagle Park to the west, but a fence surrounds the Montebello property and large trees obstruct the views.