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| Franklin Farm History |
Last
updated:
June 6, 2005
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We hope that you enjoy some of the historical facts that we've collected. As you read through the text you'll learn how many of our neighborhoods and streets were named.
The history of Franklin Farm, also known as, Oak Hill Farm, begins somewhere in the 18th century. The year the house on Oak Hill Farm was constructed has not been identified. There is speculation that the home was built in the 1700's. "The land known as Oakhill" first shows in the 1798 Land Tax Rolls of Fairfax County as a 213-215 acre tract which William Lane acquired from John Turberville.
The area originally was part of Prince William County, then became part of Loudoun County and is now part of Fairfax County. Before 1798 this area was part of Loudoun County for forty years (1757-1797). The Loudoun County Tax Roll for that time frame is copied on microfilm at the Fairfax County Library and the ink is faded and all but illegible on the film. The original tax rolls, located at the State Historical Library in Richmond, need to be investigated to see whether a house was part of the assessment.
During the 1798-1818 time period the taxable property valuation does not indicate a house was added. Also, the dates of 1805 and 1806 on the tombstones behind the Franklin House suggest that house was there at that time. The property was first identified as "Oak Hill Farm" in the Land Tax Rolls of 1814.
The home on "Oak Hill Farm" was bequeathed to Sarah Lane Rowles by her father, William Lane, Senior. She was given the home as a wedding gift when she married Benjamin Higgs in 1816. Before buying the land, the likelihood is that William Lane or his father, James Lane, first leased it from the Turberville family.
The land remained in the Lane-Higgs family until Benjamin Higgs, son of Sarah Lane and Benjamin Higgs Senior, died in 1917. At the time of Benjamin Higg's death the Oak Hill Farm contained 233 acres. In 1917 the continuity of ownership of Oak Hill Farm, dating from the late 18th century came to an end.
Franklin Farm, owned by Mr. and Mrs. James B. Franklin, covered an area of Fairfax County first patented in the first half of the 18th century and settled in the second half of that century. The Franklins started with 100 acres that went with the house in 1937. By 1979 they had accumulated 827 acres, making it the largest dairy farm in Fairfax County.
Today Franklin Farm has 1777 homes, a commercial shopping center, churches, schools, a community center, a Fairfax County Park (ball fields), trails and many other recreation spots on 850 acres. The community is a collection of 27 smaller neighborhoods that are bound together by a covenant and government as put forth in the Franklin Farm Foundation Disclosure. The streets are named after many of the original owners or related to dairy farming. The Franklin home and its barn and silo have been incorporated into the community. They are located at the corner of West Ox Road and Dower House Drive.
For more detailed information on the background of Franklin Farm refer to:
Historical Photos -- Originial photos taken from the early days of Franklin Farm.
History -- Historical research analysis and recommendation on the James B. Franklin Farm (14 September 1979).
Letter -- Summary letter to Mr. and Mrs. Franklin from Mrs. S. J. Evans (7 October 1979).
Follow Up -- Follow up report on Franklin Farm to Burke Centre Partnership from D'Anne A. Evans (8 October 1979).
Record -- Information furnished by Sallie Lane Lewis on marriages, deaths, and births regarding the Franklin House.
Tombs -- Information copied from tombstones in Cemetery on June 27, 1935 - stones were buried behind the house.
The Franklin Farm Foundation - 12700
Franklin Farm Rd - Oak Hill, VA 20171
Phone: 703-620-6230 Fax: 703-620-9021
E-Mail: foundation@franklinfarm.org
Map of Franklin Farm
Map
of the foundation office at the above address
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