V. THE TOWN
Historically, the most important house in the town of Fairfax is the Ratcliffe-Logan-Allison House at 10386 Main Street. This little brick house was built in 1805 when the town was founded and the original half meets the specifications of the 1805 Virginia State Legislature. It is sixteen feet square, has a brick chimney, and is "fit for habitation." The Ratcliffe-Logan-Allison House is considered to be in "pristine" form and unchanged from its original condition except for an 1830 addition which is believed to have been built by the same brick mason.[1]
[1] The Richard-Ratcliffe-Allison House is listed on the Virginia Historic Landmarks Register and on the National Register of Historical Places. It belongs to the City of Fairfax and is an integral part of the founding of the town.
The little brick house was the first structure completed when Richard Ratcliffe established his town named Providence (now Fairfax). Henry Logan bought the house and later sold it to Gordon and Robert Allison. They added a large parlor and bedroom to the house and built a stable in the backyard to take care of the horses of their paying guests and possibly those of the Alexandria-Winchester Stage Coach Line.
THE RATCLIFFE-LOGAN-ALLISON HOUSE
Photo by Ollie Atkins
Richard Ratcliffe's tavern at the northwest corner of the intersection of Chain Bridge Road and The Little River Turnpike was one of the larger houses in Fairfax. Caleb Earp operated a store in the basement of this tavern and the crossroads was known as "Earp's Corner" when George Mason recommended in 1789 that the court house be located at this juncture.
The tavern was extended westward by a Capt. Rizin Willcoxon and subsequently bought by the Allisons. An 1837 inventory shows there was a store, a cellar, a granary, a bar, kitchen, parlour, dining room, tailor's shop, sky parlour, and at least twelve bedrooms in the tavern.
Capt. Willcoxon, who was a relative and friend of Richard Ratcliffe, built the addition to the tavern out of bricks kilned by slaves. The foundation of the Willcoxon home on Route 237 was also built of bricks from the same kiln. This home was named "Blenheim." The name of Union soldiers who occupied the house during the Civil War can be found etched on the walls of its attic.
Although "Blenheim" is still standing today, the Ratcliffe tavern was torn down in the 1920's and the bricks and mantels were purchased by Col. Francis Pickens Miller who incorporated them into the large brick building which is now known as Flint Hill Private School.
RICHARD RATCLIFFE TAVERN
Progress began to embrace Fairfax in the 1900's but before the 1800's there was only a tavern, a store, a tannery, and several private homes located at "Earp's Corner."
Still standing today are the Truro Episcopal Church rectory, which was built as a home by Thomas Love and later sold to Dr. William Gunnell, the Ford Building and the Oliver Building, both of which were built by members of the Gunnell family.
These homes were representative of the times. Georgian architecture had begun to spread up and down the coast. Plaster and paneling had begun to replace lime walls. Beautifully carved mantels and staircases had made their appearance. Mahogany furniture upholstered in satin or brocade had replaced crudely constructed pieces. Portrait painters roamed the country. Tutors moved in to educate the children of the wealthy. Life was much safer and almost as conventional as country life in England.
