Fairfax Stone

E4417

Fairfax Stone is a historic boundary marker in West Virginia that denotes the traditional source of the North Branch of the Potomac River and once defined colonial land grants.

Aliases (1)

Statements (46)
Predicate Object
instanceOf boundary marker
historic site
landmark
access public
category Colonial-era boundary markers in the United States
Historic sites in West Virginia
Potomac River watershed
coordinateSystem boundary between Maryland and West Virginia
country United States
county Grant County, West Virginia
dateOfEstablishment 1746
defines headwaters of the Potomac River (traditional)
denotes traditional source of the North Branch Potomac River
elevation approximately 2,700 feet above sea level
function boundary marker
survey reference point
governingBody West Virginia Division of Natural Resources
hasNearbySettlement Bayard, West Virginia
Thomas, West Virginia
heritageDesignation West Virginia state historic site
historicalRole defined limits of the Northern Neck Proprietary land grant
defined western boundary of colonial Maryland (disputed)
inception 1746
inscriptionLanguage English
locatedIn Fairfax Stone Historical Monument State Park
United States
West Virginia
locatedInProtectedArea Fairfax Stone Historical Monument State Park
locatedOnWatercourse North Branch Potomac River
markerType inscribed stone monument
material sandstone
namedAfter Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron
nearBorder Maryland–West Virginia state line
owner State of West Virginia
partOf Fairfax Stone Historical Monument State Park
placedBy surveyors for Lord Fairfax
region Appalachian Mountains
replacedBy later boundary survey markers
riverBasin Chesapeake Bay watershed
significance early example of colonial boundary surveying in North America
reference point in legal disputes over Maryland–Virginia–West Virginia boundaries
startPointOf Fairfax Line
Maryland–West Virginia boundary (traditional)
former Maryland–Virginia boundary
state West Virginia
touristAttraction yes


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