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Old Saint Mary's Catholic Church

GPS Coordinates: 38.8027139, -77.3265256
Closest Address: 5612 Ox Road, Fairfax Station, VA 22039

Old Saint Mary's Catholic Church

Here follows an excerpt from the Atlas Obscura website:

St. Mary's Church
Fairfax Station, Virginia
The most historic church in Fairfax County played a role in the creation of the American Red Cross.

Arguably the most historic church in all of Fairfax County, Saint Mary’s of Sorrows Catholic Church, or simply St. Mary’s Church, is a one-story, rectangular Gothic-Revival Style church located in Fairfax Station, Virginia.

With a steeple positioned at its entrance and a large Gothic arched window located over its front door, St. Mary’s Church is a testament to the one-room, Gothic style churches that were popular throughout the 19th and early 20th century. The church was constructed in 1858 by Irish immigrants who moved to the area to work on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, which included Fairfax Station. It was a single-room clapboard structure built with lumber from the heavily wooded surrounding area.

Later in the 19th century, additions near the entrance included a vestibule, choir loft, a new steeple, and a sacristy used as living quarters for visiting priests. The same immigrants who built the chapel became its congregation. Many are buried throughout the churchyard.

After its consecration, the Civil War made its way to Virginia. The church became a landmark for both the southern and northern armies vying for control over the railroads. The church was a halfway point between Fairfax Station and, the much sought after, Fairfax County Courthouse.

At the beginning of the war, the Manassas area was predominantly controlled by the Confederate army, and the Union army had a firm grasp over Burke. Since St. Mary’s was located on land in-between, the area in and around the church became the site of many violent skirmishes.

During the Second Battle of Bull Run (Battle of Second Manassas), the church was used as a field hospital for wounded Union troops who were to be evacuated to Alexandria and Washington. Many wounded soldiers were laid out and tended to by volunteers on the church’s hill and on pews that were removed from the chapel. One volunteer who tended to the soldiers was a woman by the name of Clara Barton, who later founded the Red Cross. This experience was a huge factor in her decision.

With the original pews from the church destroyed, it’s believed that the pews that can be found in the church today were installed on the orders of Ulysses S. Grant. Grant would frequently travel by train to a resort in the nearby town of Clifton and upon hearing of the damage inflicted on the church, ordered its immediate reconstruction. All of the soldiers buried in the churchyard were later moved to Arlington National Cemetery, except for one Confederate soldier named Kidwell. It’s thought that Kidwell’s family wanted him to remain on Catholic grounds.

St. Mary’s services and events were regularly covered in the local newspapers and attended by many in the community. During the 1870s, the church began an annual picnic that served as a Fourth of July celebration. This would later be converted to a Labor Day celebration sometime after 1894. The event is now considered the oldest outdoor social function in Fairfax County. Roughly 10,000 people attend the annual event.

In 1976, the church was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places. By 1988, the entire interior of the church was refurbished, including new cypress clapboards and shutters.

Today, the historic church still holds mass six times a week and is also used extensively for weddings, baptisms, and outdoor masses.

Know Before You Go
The church is easily visible from Ox Road (123) and can be accessed from Fairfax Station Road. Informational placards explaining the history of the church can be found near the parking lot. A historical marker solely dedicated to Clara Barton is located in the northernmost part of the property at the intersection of Ox Road and Fairfax Station Road. Please be respectful when visiting this local historic landmark.


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Here follows an excerpt from the Clio Foundation website as written by Angelica Garcia and Genna Duplisea:

Introduction
Built between 1858 and 1860, St. Mary's was the first Catholic church built in Fairfax County. With the exception of the steeple bell, the church was built entirely by members of the congregation using their own labor and local materials. Given the church's location on the main road that connected Fairfax Courthouse with the railroad, the church found itself in the midst of several battles during the Civil War. The church was used to treat Union soldiers after the Second Battle of Bull Run. Clara Barton, one of the founders of the American Red Cross, was one of the nurses who treated the wounded at this church. The parish built a second church in 1980 but continues to hold Mass in this historic building six days per week.

Backstory and Context
In 1838, two local Catholic families donated a tract of land to the Diocese of Richmond with the understanding it would be used to build a Catholic church and cemetery. As the Irish population in the area grew in the 1850s due to immigration, the Diocese decided to put the land to use. The Irish families had immigrated to the United State in order to help build railroads. Because of their extensive construction backgrounds, they were able to construct the church from local area resources. When the steeple bell arrived from Baltimore in 1860, the church was finally dedicated.

Because of its proximity to Fairfax Station, the church saw significant conflict during the Civil War Era and was used as a field hospital. The pews in the church were destroyed during the war and replaced soon after. Although Confederate troops pushed Union forces back and occupied the city, Clara Barton and other nurses and doctors remained at their post and tended to the wounded even after Confederate troops captured Fairfax Station. A plaque honoring Clara Barton can be found on the side of the church that faces Route 123.

Very few alterations have been made to the original clapboard structure of the church. In the nineteenth century a vestibule, choir loft, and the new steeple were constructed. A two-story sacristy was built on the east end, and an upper loft was added to serve as a residence for visiting priests. Electricity was installed in 1927 but did not affect the exterior of the building.

The church is still functioning today. Primary services are held at a newly constructed, larger church in close proximity to St. Mary's. Mass is still conducted six days a week at the historic church. Owing to its appearance and long history, the church is highly sought-after for private events.

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Nathaniel Lee

c/o Franconia Museum

6121 Franconia Road

Alexandria, VA 22310

franconiahistory@gmail.com

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