At only four acres, Fairfax Stone State Park is tied as the tiniest state park in the state. But sometimes significant things come in small packages, and that’s certainly true of this little piece of Almost Heaven. Fairfax Stone State Park hides an impressive secret: It marks the spot where the mighty Potomac River begins its journey to the ocean as a small, trickling spring.
The Potomac River is well known by West Virginians - and Virginians and Marylanders - as a mighty, rushing river that defines state boundaries along much of its course. Over five million people live in its watershed. It's 405 miles long. It drains over 14,700 square miles of land.
In West Virginia, the Potomac is particularly famous as an iconic part of the landscape surrounding Harpers Ferry National Historic Park, where the Shenandoah River actually comes to an end as it merges with the Potomac.
But even the mightiest of rivers has to start somewhere, and in the case of the Potomac River, that somewhere is marked by the Fairfax Stone Historical Monument nestled squarely within a West Virginia State Park.
The stone itself used to mark the spring that feeds the South Branch is actually the sixth Fairfax Stone to be placed in this very spot, which was originally a vital landmark in determining the boundaries of the Northern Neck/Fairfax Land Grant, three West Virginia counties (Grant, Preston, and Tucker), and ultimately, the state of Maryland itself (it was determined that the western Maryland boundary could go up the Potomac only far enough to meet the point where a line north from the Fairfax Stone would cross each branch of the Potomac).
On the current Fairfax Stone is a weathered plaque that reads: "This monument, at the headspring of the Potomac River, marks one of the historic spots of America. Its name is derived from Thomas Lord Fairfax who owned all the land lying between the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers. The first Fairfax Stone, marked 'FX,' was set in 1746 by Thomas Lewis, a surveyor employed by Lord Fairfax. This is the base point for the western dividing line between Maryland and West Virginia."
In addition to all this fascinating history and natural wonder, Fairfax Stone State Park also offers a picnic area where you can sit and enjoy a meal or just take in the beautiful surroundings.
Have you visited Fairfax Stone State Park? It may not be much to look at, but with all that significance packed into a single stone marking a small spring, it sure is a lot to think about! And it’s a unique, visible reminder not to despise small beginnings.
To learn more about Fairfax Stone State Park and plan your visit, see the WV State Parks website. To get directions to the park from your location, head to Google Maps. Oh, and remember that we mentioned that this state park is tied as West Virginia’s smallest? Learn about the other tiny state park hidden in our state here.
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