Wakefield Chapel

Here follows a history of the church as published on the Annandale Chamber of Commerce website:

Wakefield Chapel, a gothic structure with white clapboard siding and arched windows, was built between 1887 and 1899 by Oliver Besley, a local sawmill owner, on land he donated. The original deed for Wakefield Chapel stated that the church was only to be used for Methodist services two Sundays a month and used by other denominations the rest of the time. Rev. Elhanan Wakefield was the first preacher at the church. A trained carpenter, he provided most of the labor while Oliver Besley provided the materials to complete the chapel.

Born in Ohio in 1834 Wakefield first sought riches in the California Gold Rush and later fought for the Union. He was gravely wounded in 1864 at the battle of Tom’s Brook, VA. Thought to be dead, he was prepared for burial in a mass grave when someone noticed him twitch. He was quickly pulled out, nursed and released from the army soon thereafter and took up residence in Annandale where he married Mary Tennison. According to the Fairfax Herald dated October 2, 1903, Reverend Wakefield had an X-ray conducted that revealed that he still had two balls in his shoulder, which was the source of the pain he endured throughout his life. Wakefield remained in the area until his death in 1920. Both he and his wife were buried in the cemetery at the Annandale Methodist Church on Columbia Pike.

By 1963 the building was largely abandoned because it was deemed to be unsafe. An estimated $40,000 was needed to complete the repairs. In July 1970 the old steeple was destroyed when struck by lightning. The future of Wakefield Chapel never seemed bleaker. An area wide appeal went out for funds to save one of the last remaining examples of rural nineteenth century churches. Many local politicians and citizens responded. By February 1971 the new steeple was in place but it took many more years before a full restoration took place. In 1975 it was conveyed to the Fairfax County Park Authority which has done a masterful job in preserving this local treasure.

Wakefield Chapel is located at 8415 Toll House Road, Annandale.


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Here follows a history of the church as published on the Fairfax County Public Schools website:

What’s in a Name?
Wakefield Forest Elementary School was built on a 500 acre tract of land once owned by Oliver Besley. In 1887, Besley built a saw mill on Turkey Run, a tributary stream of Accotink Creek, in the vicinity of Holborn Avenue. Wakefield Chapel, the historic church on Toll House Road, was built between 1887 and 1899 on land donated by Besley. Besley provided the lumber to construct the chapel, and the labor was supplied by a carpenter and reverend for whom the chapel and our school are named.

Wakefield Forest Elementary School opened in 1955. Wakefield Forest and nearby Wakefield Chapel take their name from Reverend Elhanan Winchester Wakefield who was born in Ohio in 1834. At the age of 15, Wakefield left home and headed west, eventually making his way to California. Over the next 14 years, Wakefield is believed to have worked a variety of jobs including as a relay rider for the Pony Express and as a miner searching for gold during the great gold rush. At the outbreak of the American Civil War, he enlisted in the Union Army at San Francisco. Wakefield's regiment traveled to Boston where it was attached to the 2nd Massachusetts Cavalry as the California battalion. Following the Battle of Gettysburg, the 2nd Massachusetts was deployed to Fairfax County. In Vienna, the California battalion was involved in frequent engagements with men under the command of Colonel John Singleton Mosby, the Gray Ghost of the Confederacy. In 1897, Mosby recounted "...the most formidable body of Union cavalry I encountered was the California battalion. They excelled both in stature and horsemanship... the personnel consisting of miners and men from the plains who were accustomed to hardship and adventure..." In 1864, at an engagement in General Sheridan's Shenandoah Valley campaign, Wakefield was shot through the lung. Believing he was dead, the grave diggers nearly buried him alive. As they were filling his grave, they suddenly noticed signs of life. In 1865, he married Mary Rebecca Tennyson of Annandale. Wakefield earned his living as a carpenter and became ordained as a minister of the Methodist Protestant church. In 1897, he helped found Wakefield Chapel near Annandale which was named in his honor. Elhanan Wakefield died in January 1920 at his home in Annandale. Reverend Wakefield's contributions to Fairfax County's rich history are preserved in his namesake Wakefield Chapel and Wakefield Forest Elementary School.