Fairfax, Virginia: Mysterious Town



Fairfax, Virginia is my hometown. I loved the place so much, as any kid does when they grow up in a neighborhood that is their entire world. I went back to visit in 2014 and decided I will likely never go back again. The city allowed for massive development that meant many historic estates were gone, even the one I grew up in, Aspen Grove, was plowed under for condos surrounding the 250-year-old home. Unlike nearby Clifton that did a great job of preserving its history and zoning for large acreage homes to keep buildup down, Fairfax was had a free-for-all. Even with its chaos and condos, Fairfax has an interesting history and many mysteries.


Hidden Treasure?





LINK: There are reports that there is a cache of Civil War-era valuables worth upwards of $350,000 buried deep in the woods of Fairfax County, Virginia. It all started when Confederate Colonel (and notorious guerilla fighter) John Singleton Mosby launched a daring night raid one rainy night in early March of 1863. Mosby and his men captured 42 Union soldiers who were camping out at the Fairfax County Courthouse without firing a single shot. The Confederate army also, according to legend, found a burlap sack containing family heirlooms and treasures taken from the homes of Virginia's wealthiest planters in Brigadier General Edwin H. Stoughton's room. Jewelry, candlesticks, coins and more were reportedly among the booty that was on its way to Union authorities. Mosby and his men rounded up their captives, packed up the treasure and headed back towards Confederate lines.


On their way back, Mosby's Raiders ran into a little trouble; his scouts discovered that he and his men were about to walk right into a huge contingent of Union soldiers. Mosby, unsure of what was ahead and unwilling to let the valuables fall back into Union hands, took his most trusted sergeant and buried the treasure in the woods "between two pine trees", marking them with an X so he would be able to find it again. He had every intention of recovering the goods as soon as it was safe...but things didn't work out that way. He and his men arrived back to Culpepper, but it was a few months before Mosby felt it was safe enough to retrieve the goods. He sent his sergeant with six of his best men to go dig up the booty-- but before Mosby's men could reach the loot, they were captured by Union soldiers and hanged. Mosby was the only person left alive who knew where the treasure was buried. He was never able to return, however, and he took the location of some of Virginia's most precious heirlooms with him to his grave.


Bigfoot



When "Legend of Boggy Creek" was released in theaters in the early 70s, I went searching for Bigfoot in the woods around our estate and George Mason University. It's no surprise that the BFRO has reports of sightings. Here's one from 1980/1981 time period.

LINK:  Was walking with 3 friends at night up a powerline trail heard a couple tree knocks then was chased by an unseen animal trees were being knocked down like they were twigs as it chased us. We made it back to the railroad tracks and could see down below still could not make out the animal. Setting:I came back in daylight. Found a hollowed out tree next to a stream. Out in a powerline trail off the road across the train tracks.
Witnesses: I have to ask the 2 others if the want me to use their names.

Bunnyman



This local urban legend appears to have been built from a young man who put on a bunny suit to destroy some houses in a new development. But, somehow the legend took on a life of its own. 

The tale said in Northern Virginia there was an asylum down the roadway from Clifton. The citizens, it was said, were not pleased by it. They signed a petition to get rid of it. A new prison was built in Lorton and in 1904 prisoners were placed on a bus to take them there for relocation. The bus, unfortunately crashed into some trees and the prisoners escaped into the woods. All of them were rounded up, except for two prisoners; Marcus Wallster and Douglas Grifon. During the search, the police kept finding half eaten and massacred rabbits. They eventually found Marcus Wallster dead near the Fairfax Station Bridge (which later becomes known as the Bunnyman Bridge). Dead rabbits continued to be found and apparently on Halloween of 1905, three teens were found killed with their throats slit and hanging by ropes to dangle before cars on the roadway. Many legends of his appearance since then have continued.

Eventually, the story morphed into a man in a bunny suit, axing people in Northern Virginia and Maryland.


Ghosts


Having grown up in a haunted estate in Fairfax, my perspective of the hometown is one of history to the extreme. Everywhere you walk on the land there, you can feel it, as intensely as Gettysburg. You don't need to be a psychic to get the vibe. I wrote about it in my award-winning 5-star book, "Growing Up With Ghosts." 

UFOs

LINK: Walking dog around 8. cloudy night in city, and saw 4 strange lights moving in and out of a circular pattern toward diamond/ circling configuration in middle. i thought it was a halloween stunt but on closer inspection the ghost looking lights began to also create figure eights and i could lights making patterns in clouds. law enforcement witnessed it as well agreeing it couldn't be a spotlight - no beams from ground and irradical of movement. seen in fairfax and vienna, va. 9:46 still there. tried to take record/photo could not, same with pd. weird! did not lose site just went in and called friends to see if they witnessed ithe and reporting here.

Closing

Fairfax used to be a quite bedroom community of Washington, D.C. and over the past several decades has grown into its own metropolis. It was once a very stately and beautiful place to live, now a holding cell for condos. I hate to see it come to that, but eventually the Nation's Capital was going to spread out and Fairfax took a hit because of extremely poor planning by the City. 

If you want to learn more about Fairfax, I suggest the awesome Fairfax Museum. Upstairs, they even have a display of Aspen Grove, my childhood home. 

The land still holds its memories and its ancient secrets.



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