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Colonial settlement to independence (1699-1775) Big Chimneys is the first structure known to have been built in Falls Church in colonial times, probably by a squatter in 1699. It subsequently served as a home, tavern, and way station for travelers and tradesmen. Most of the land surrounding Big Chimneys was acquired by planters between 1724 and 1742. Tobacco was the principal crop, and it was also used as money; it paid the bill for the frame Anglican church built in 1733 and for a succeeding brick church in 1769. The church, together with the county court, constituted the local government; vestrymen included George Washington and George Mason.
The village (1776-1875) By 1776 the Falls Church settlement included two churches and two taverns, with about a dozen farms nearby. In 1790 Congress decided to locate the capital of the new nation on the Potomac River. The west corner of the District of Columbia, initially ten miles square, was about one mile north of The Falls Church. An agricultural depression early in the period slowed growth, and the village remained sparsely settled until after the Alexandria-Leesburg turnpike was completed about 1840. Other growth factors were an influx of northern farmers in the 1840s and 1850s and the arrival of the railroad in 1859. Growth was interrupted by the Civil War. When the war ended in 1865, Falls Church had about 40 structures. Before long its recovery was under way as new settlers moved in from the north and freed slaves settled south of The Falls Church. The national temperance movement had many supporters in the village, which came to be described as a temperance stronghold. Residents also wished to establish good public schools. Soon they were seeking town status from the state legislature as a means to improve the community.
The town (1875-1948) Falls Church was incorporated as a town in 1875 and established a public school the same year. Among the powers given the Town Council by the new town charter was authority 'to provide and protect shade trees.' Support for temperance remained strong for many years. Falls Church grew quickly after its incorporation as a town; its growth parallelled that of the federal government as many government workers settled here. In 1878 there were over 100 residences, 11 commercial structures and eight churches; and in 1904 there were over 124 residences, 54 commercial structures, three post offices, two schools, trolley and train stations at each end of town, two lunch rooms, a hotel and a meeting hall. Population increased from 792 in 1890 to 1,128 in 1910, by which time Falls Church was the largest town in Fairfax County. Falls Church had electric trolley service to the District beginning in 1897, and an increasing number of public services and civic organizations. During the Spanish-American War (1898) when the army set up Camp Alger nearby, Falls Church was briefly a boom town. In 1915, the Town Council considered a residential segregation ordinance, but abandoned it after African American citizens mounted an effective opposition. The growth of the government during World Wars I and II was felt in Falls Church, with population increasing from 1,659 (1920) to 2,019 (1930) to 2,576 (1940) to over 5,000 in 1948. By 1939, the trolley had ceased operations and cars were the principal means of transportation. During and after World War II, a huge influx of suburban government employees spurred home construction and improvements to the education, transportation, and water supply systems. Falls Church was still the most developed area in Fairfax County and its citizens wanted more control, especially of their schools. Their desire for an improved school system sparked the effort to achieve independent city status.
The city (1948 - present) In 1948 the population of Falls Church exceeded 5,000, enabling it to become an independent city. One year later the city's school system became independent as well, thereby realizing a major objective of its citizens. The city established three schools between 1952 and 1955, and voluntarily integrated all of its schools in 1961. School enrollment peaked at 2,276 students in 1965. The Falls Church schools have won wide recognition for their high quality. Since 1948 the city has established a full range of other municipal services and facilities, including more than a dozen small neighborhood recreational parks. One of eleven cities chosen as an All-America City in 1962, Falls Church has also earned a Tree City USA award every year since 1979. The railroad that previously ran through the city was abandoned in 1968, and its track bed became a bicycle/pedestrian trail. New interstate highways and rapid transit lines adjacent to the city provide easy access for commuters and visitors. Falls Church takes pride in being a modern city that maintains its small-community atmosphere and preserves its historical heritage. The buildings past and present described below illustrate that heritage. Though many of the buildings are now gone, their location and their role in the development of the community is known. Click |
