Mason Boundary Stones

Here follows an excerpt from the 1970 Fairfax County Master Inventory of Historic Sites which contained entries from the Historic American Buildings Survey Inventory:

Located on the "Craigfair" estate of Mr. and Mrs. Josiah Ferris, this boundary stone is one of two or more placed in 1783 to mark common property lines and corners between George Mason, Jr., of "Lexington" and Martin Cockburn of "Springfield," on the Richard Bushrod line established by a patent granted in 1660. (See Fairfax County Deed Book M-1, page 236.)

The present day existence of the two stones was noted by surveyor O. A. Patermaster of Mason Neck, who called them to the attention of Mr. and Mrs. Ferris. Subsequently, on September 17, 1967, the Bill of Rights Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution enclosed each stone within a four-foot-square iron picket fence on which is fastened a commemorative bronze plaque.

Boundary Stone A:
The stone's engraved inscription reads, "At this place the Land of Mason and Cockburn corner of Bushrod's Line."

Boundary Stone B:
This particular stone was broken so Mr. Ferris glued it together. The stone is now in poor condition and all that remains of the original engraving on the soft sandstone is "At this place ... Bushrod's Line ... M." The fenced stone is located on Mill Branch, formerly known as Wash House Branch of Kanes Creek, which empties into Belmont Bay.