TRURO EPISCOPAL CHURCH
Photo by Ollie Atkins
At that time Federal troops camped in the vicinity tore the church down brick by brick and used the material to build chimneys and hearths for their winter quarters. A small frame Baptist church now covers part of the original foundation of Payne's church. A model of the original Payne's Church can be found in the design and construction of the present chapel at Truro Episcopal Church in Fairfax.
During the development of the parish and its move northward and inward, the Court in 1752 ordered Lewis Ellzey, Hugh West Jr., James Hamilton, James Halley and others to view and mark a road to be cleared for the most convenient way from Alexandria to Rocky Run Chappell.
This road is now locally known as the old Braddock Road, named after General Braddock who presumably traversed it on his way to Ft. Duquesne. Although historians disagree on the authenticity of this route being taken by Braddock, around the road has grown a legend of "buried treasure".
The story goes that the road was impassable and the weather extremely inclement when Braddock and his men used it. They had to cut down trees and other growth to clear their way. Added to this was the fact that they were carrying a chest of gold coins, with which to pay the men. They had two cannons, which were proving extremely burdensome, and were constantly becoming bogged down in the mud.
Finally, having lost so much time due to the condition of the road and the heaviness of his cannons and gold, Braddock decided to lighten his load. Taking the gold coins, he stuffed the nozzles of both cannons with the coins and then buried the cannons near a spring on the road near Centreville. The story continues that the spring has since dried up and although many people, including the British, have searched for years for the "buried treasure", it has never been found.
Near the intersection of Ox Road and Braddock Road was a tract of land (the future site of George Mason College, the northern Virginia branch of the University of Virginia) which was owned by the Farr family. The large home on this tract of land was burned by Union forces during the Civil War in retaliation for a very brave act by the young fourteen year old Farr boy.
This young boy, knowing that Union troops were located at Fairfax Station waiting to attack the Court House, built a road block of logs across the Ox Road over which these troops had to pass. Hiding himself in the underbrush nearby, he fired so heroically upon the enemy troops, as they approached, that they assumed there was a large group of Confederates waiting for them and withdrew to Fairfax Station. When they learned of the hoax, they returned and burned the Farr home to the ground.