Fairfax Station Railroad Museum

The Orange and Alexandria Railroad Company was formed in 1848 and was the only cargo & passenger line connecting Alexandria – a major port at the time – with Orange County in central Virginia. Irish immigrants provided much of the labor to build the railroad. The influx of the largely Catholic workers led to the establishment of nearby Saint Mary of Sorrows Catholic Church in 1860. Fairfax Station and the O&A Railroad played important roles in the Civil War. Construction of the original station was completed in 1852 but was destroyed as Federals retreated from the area in 1862 after Second Manassas. Federals reoccupied the area just a few months later. Reconstruction efforts carried into 1863. Developments following the end of the Civil War are not entirely clear. The Fairfax News reported on January 17, 1871 that a new station depot had been completed. New buildings were constructed in the vicinity of the original site in 1891 and 1903, the latter perhaps being motivated by double-tracking at the site to accommodate greater freight shipments. Features of the station were typical for those of the era, including a station office, passenger waiting rooms and a baggage area. While the passenger waiting rooms occupy much of the station's floor space, freight services were far more important to the railroad. The Friends of the Fairfax Station hoped to reassemble the original the station which had been dismantled in 1972 and stored for several years. By the time sufficient funds were available, however, most of the original pieces were lost to rot and insects, making them unusable. Friends' efforts then focused on replicating the 1903 building. Local businesses and organizations contributed to recreating the station. The museum was dedicated on October 17, 1987. Only a few pieces of the original station were incorporated into the reconstruction.