19751020 r-75-22RESOLUTION NO. R-75-22
WHEREAS Route 123 passes through the heart of the City of Fairfax,
Virginia; and
WHEREAS Route 123 has had a long history as Ox Road and Chain Bridge
Road; and
WHEREAS it was at the junction of Ox Road and Little River Turnpike
that in 1799 Richard Ratcliff conveyed to the Fairfax Court a two-acre parcel
for the construction of a courthouse; and
WHEREAS the original Courthouse completed in 1800 remains today as
the north wing of the present Fairfax County Courthouse; and
WHEREAS a number of homes, some built as early as 1801, were built
on or near Ox Road and played an important role in the history of the Town of
Fairfax and the County; and
WHEREAS the Antonia Ford House, the Oliver House, and the Nelson
Conrad Moore House are still standing today; and
WHEREAS Capt. John Quincy Marr, the first Confederate officer to
lose his. life in the Civil War, was killed at Fairfax County Courthouse on
June 1, 1861; and
WHEREAS the famous raid led by Confederate Col. John S. Mosby in
1863, occurred in a residence close to Ox Road; and
WHEREAS Route 123 under its various names played an unbroken and
celebrated role in theihistory of the City; and
WHEREAS this road provided the principal connections to the Town of
Vienna and Chain Bridge to the north and to the numerous Fairfax County farms
and the Occoquan River to the south; and
WHEREAS the City of Fairfax is encouraging its citizens and its
visitors to learn more about the history of the community as part of its
Bicentennial celebration;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of
Fairfax, Virginia, does hereby designate Route 123 as an historic byway.
Adopted: October 20, 1975.
Attest: