Fairfax Confederate Monument To Be Donated To Historical Society

FAIRFAX, VA — The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday agreed to donate a Confederate monument on the grounds of the old Fairfax County Courthouse to a local historical group. Located near the intersection of Main Street and Chain Bridge Road in Fairfax City, the monument is dedicated to the memory of Captain John Quincy Marr, the first Confederate officer to be killed in the Civil War.

The board voted to give the granite monument honoring Marr to the Stuart-Mosby Historical Society in Centreville. The two Dahlgren howitzers on either side of the Marr monument will be donated to the Manassas National Battlefield Park.

A state historical marker commemorating the June 1, 1861, battle where Marr died will be given to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.

On Sept. 15, the Board of Supervisors held a public hearing to consider the potential removal, relocation, contextualization, or covering of the publicly owned Civil War related monuments at the old Fairfax County Courthouse. After receiving public input, the board voted to remove the granite obelisk commemorating the death of Marr, the two howitzers, and the historical marker entitled “First Confederate Officer Killed.”

The county board directed staff to offer the monument and howitzers, for a period of 30 days, to museums, historical societies, governments, or military battlefields for relocation and placement. The board also directed staff to work with staff from Virginia Department of Historic Resources to determine whether the state wanted the historical maker returned.

Fairfax County staff was contacted by several organizations after the September public hearing expressing interest in receiving either the Marr monument, the Dahlgren howitzers, or both. Only two organizations requested the Marr monument: the Fauquier County Historical Society, and the Stuart-Mosby Historical Society. The Stuart Mosby group also was interested in receiving the howitzers.

On its website, the Stuart-Mosby Historical Society says it was established to "perpetuate the memory and deeds" of Confederate military leaders General J.E.B. Stuart and Colonel John S. Mosby.

Along with the Manassas National Battlefield Park and the Stuart Mosby Historical Society, several other organizations were interested in receiving the howitzers: Historic Ships in Baltimore; Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 9274; Army Navy Country Club Foundation; Virginia Military Preservation Association; Dahlgren Heritage Foundation, operating the Dahlgren Heritage Museum in King George County; and the New York Division of Military and Naval Affairs.

An evaluation team was formed, consisting of county staff and two members of the Fairfax County History Commission. The team met on Oct. 13 to review proposals from the organizations. The team considered such things as the final proposed location of the objects once removed, the organization’s mission, whether the organization was an accredited museum, whether the objects were proposed to be displayed or stored, whether and how the objects were proposed to be interpreted, and the ability of the requesting organization to preserve and maintain the objects in perpetuity.

The evaluation team recommended that the board offer the John Quincy Marr monument to the Stuart-Mosby Historical Society for relocation to Centreville and that the board offer the two Dahlgren howitzers to the Manassas National Battlefield Park for relocation to Manassas.

The evaluation team recommended that the board direct staff to request each organization that accepts a memorial ensures that the interpretation of each object reflects, in some way, the history of the objects in the county — their installation, subsequent removal and final donation — as part of the story of Fairfax County.

The evaluation team also recommended that the board direct staff to request that the Manassas National Battlefield Park ensure that one or both of the howitzers be installed in the Fairfax County Historic Overlay District of Bull Run Stone Bridge, which overlays a portion of Manassas National Battlefield Park.

The cost to remove and relocate to a storage facility the Marr monument, the two howitzers and their carriages is estimated to be $19,562. Manassas National Battlefield Park and the Stuart-Mosby Historical Society will then make arrangements to take possession of the objects and for transportation to their facilities. The cost to remove and return the marker to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources is estimated to be $100.

RELATED:

• Confederate Monument To Be Removed After Fairfax Supervisors Vote
• Protesters Call For Removal Of Confederate Monument In Fairfax