land to himself during his second tenure as proprietary agent. However, there were large tracts owned by William Fitzhugh, William Moore, Cadwallader Jones and Lewis Saunders, Jr., which consumed most of the land in and near the Town of Fairfax. Since men could only "seat" themselves on this land, most of the indentures went over into the valley where they could work land that belonged to them. Thus the development of this territory was delayed for years.

However, when King Carter found what seemed to be substantial deposits of copper in the northern part of the county, he and his sons opened up a pre-existing Indian trail which came from Occoquan, past the future site of Payne's church, near the future site of Fairfax Court House, where it veered west and continued towards Chantilly. Ox Road made accessible the area now known as the Town of Fairfax; became a deciding factor in the future placement of the Court House that was to serve this area; and created the original western part of The Little River Turnpike.

As people followed this road inward to seat land, a new parish was set up which was named "Truro" by King Carter. He expected the parish to be a mining district and named it after a borough of Cornwall, England, which was a shipping port for tin and copper ore.

Truro tried to provide meeting places for all and called upon a man by the name of Samuel Littlejohn, who seated land south of the future site of the Town of Fairfax, for help in supplying a place to worship for this particular area. Mr. Littlejohn complied by renting his tobacco barn for regular services.

He received 1000 lbs. of tobacco a year for its rent. The barn was fitted with six benches which ran the length of the house and two benches which stood at each end of the building. A Communion table and a reading desk with a small window on each side of the desk concluded the specified alterations. This was in 1765. The exact location of this barn has not been identified but it seems likely that it was in the vicinity of Edward Payne's home on middle ridge near the Ox road, where Payne's church was built in 1766. (The Virginia Army National Guard Nike Site is now located on part of Payne's land.)

At a meeting on February 3rd and 4th, 1766, the vestry resolved that a new church be built on the middle ridge near Ox Road ... on the land "supposed to belong" to Mr. Thomazen Ellzey, young planter-lawyer, "who being present consents to the same". (Mr. Ellzey owned a large tract of land including the Magner tract of which "Brecon Ridge" is now a part. According to local tradition, he gave the "glebe" land which consisted of 40 acres for the minister who was allowed to collect as salary whatever he could grow on the "glebe".) Vestrymen present these two days were "Mr. Edward Payne, Colo. George Washington, Capt. Daniel McCarty, Colo. George William Fairfax, Mr. Alexander Henderson, Mr. William Gardner, Thomas Withers Coffer, William Linton and Thomas Ford."

Edward Payne was to undertake to build the church for 579 lbs. of Virginia currency agreeable to a plan and articles drawn up by a Mr. John Ayres who was to be paid 40 shillings for his plan and estimates. These plans were to be modeled after the Falls Church.

Hearsay relates that "Edward Payne, vestryman and builder of the church, and Col. George Washington had an argument concerning the location of the church. A fist fight insued and Mr. Payne, who was a tall man but not as tall as Col. Washington, knocked Col. Washington down—it being the first and only time Washington was ever knocked down". The church was located according to Mr. Payne's judgment and records show it was accepted on September 9, 1768, as agreeably built according to plan, with the exception of the brick pediments over the door which were to be corrected by Mr. Payne.

The church was used for services until the time of the Revolution after which it was used only occasionally. Early in the last century the Baptists took possession of it as abandoned property, with the Court's permission, and upon the division of that denomination in 1840 the Jerusalem Baptist Church (new school) was organized in the building and continued to use it until 1862.

TRURO EPISCOPAL CHURCH
Photo by Ollie Atkins

At that time Federal troops camped in the vicinity tore the church down brick by brick and used the material to build chimneys and hearths for their winter quarters. A small frame Baptist church now covers part of the original foundation of Payne's church. A model of the original Payne's Church can be found in the design and construction of the present chapel at Truro Episcopal Church in Fairfax.

During the development of the parish and its move northward and inward, the Court in 1752 ordered Lewis Ellzey, Hugh West Jr., James Hamilton, James Halley and others to view and mark a road to be cleared for the most convenient way from Alexandria to Rocky Run Chappell.

This road is now locally known as the old Braddock Road, named after General Braddock who presumably traversed it on his way to Ft. Duquesne. Although historians disagree on the authenticity of this route being taken by Braddock, around the road has grown a legend of "buried treasure".

The story goes that the road was impassable and the weather extremely inclement when Braddock and his men used it. They had to cut down trees and other growth to clear their way. Added to this was the fact that they were carrying a chest of gold coins, with which to pay the men. They had two cannons, which were proving extremely burdensome, and were constantly becoming bogged down in the mud.

Finally, having lost so much time due to the condition of the road and the heaviness of his cannons and gold, Braddock decided to lighten his load. Taking the gold coins, he stuffed the nozzles of both cannons with the coins and then buried the cannons near a spring on the road near Centreville. The story continues that