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The County
has 21 historic areas that are of state and national
significance. The Final Report for Survey Update of
Historic properties in Fauquier County, Virginia (March 20,
2002) recommended all be submitted for designation on
the Virginia Landmarks and National Register of Historic
Places.
As a result
of the referenced report, the County has pursued this major
project with both Board of Supervisors and private
contributions. Since 2003, the County completed detailed
surveys which resulted in the Villages and Settlements of
Ashville, Atoka, Morgantown, Delaplane, New Baltimore,
Remington, and Rectortown being placed on the Virginia
Landmarks and the National Register of Historic Places.
The survey
work and requisite public hearing for the Village of Markham
has been completed. On August 16, 2005, the property owners
and community representatives received a briefing from the
County’s architectural consultant, Maral Kalbian, and
responded positively to her report. The Virginia Department
of Historic Resources will present these findings to the
Commonwealth Board of Historic Resources on September 14,
2005.
The Village
of Markham, located in northwest Fauquier County and just
south of Interstate 66, became a railroad stop for the
Manassas Gap Railroad in 1852. It was named by the
president of the new railroad in honor of his
great-grandmother’s family.
Even though
the community has no official limits, the linear district
contains 81 acres that are historically and visually
associated with the community’s growth and development from
a crossroads in the early 19th century and as a
railroad community during the mid-19th century.
The district contains 24 properties with 48 contributing
resources.
The oldest
of these resources include two early 19th century
dwellings, an 1819 stone church, and a collection of early
to mid-19th century outbuildings. Early 19th
century dwellings as well as an inn stand in the center of
the district, and were constructed prior to the railroad’s
arrival. The majority of the resources were constructed in
the mid and late 19th century and include
multiple dwellings, a hotel, as well as commercial
buildings, and a train station. The district also contains
early 20th century dwellings. The most modern
resource is the 1918 Markham School, located adjacent to the
1819 church.
The village of Markham is well-preserved by its physical
site limitations, and is situated in between Interstate 66
to the north US Route 55 to the south. As Architectural
Historian Maral Kalbian states, “Markham is undoubtedly one
of the best-preserved 19th century communities in
all of Fauquier County…” |