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PIONEER BUSINESS MEN. Among the most prominent business men of Falls Church who located here about the time the place was incorporated as a town, or soon thereafter, may be mentioned Mr. M. E. Church. Mr. Church is a native of Vermont, and upon settling here engaged in the drug business; he now conducts a successful real estate, loan and insurance business. He is also connected with other important commercial interests, and has been an indefatigable worker in promoting the welfare of the village.

Mr. George W. Mankin, a native of this State, was one of the early settlers in the village. He conducted a general merchandise business for a long period of years, but at present is engaged in the drug business with his son Mr. Geo. T. Mankin, under the firm name of George T. Mankin & Co. Mr. Mankin has established as high reputation as a business man and citizen as had his brother Mr. Charles Mankin, the well known dry goods merchant, but recently deceased.

Mr. Wm. M. Ellison, whose father was one of the early northern settlers in this community, is a successful lawyer and real estate broker. Mr. Ellison stands high as a business man and citizen, having served his town as a councilman for many years past and as mayor of the town for several terms. He was recently re-elected councilman from the West End ward.

Among other prominent merchants who early settled here are Mr. J. W. Brown, dealer in hardware and general merchandise, and Mr. George Gaither, dealer in groceries.

Mr. Isaac Crossman, who came here from Pennsylvania soon after the civil war, purchased for farming purposes a large block of land which is now situated almost in the center of the village. The price paid was about forty dollars per acre. A large part of this land has been divided into town lots and sold. To indicate the increase in real estate values since the war, the land of this Crossman property lying nearest the northern boundary of the village sells for one thousand dollars and upward per acre.

FEW OLD HOUSES. Practically all the houses of the village are modern, but there are a few old buildings of historic interest. Among these is the Lawton house, at one time the residence of General Lawton. This house was the headquarters of General Longstreet when the place was in possession of the Confederates soon after the first battle of Manassas. What was once known as the Star Tavern, now a grocery store, is a relic of by-gone days. It flourished in the days before the railroad came, and was a favorite stopping place for travelers over the road from the mountains leading past its doors to the then important mart, Alexandria. The place was kept during the civil war by W. H. Erwin, father of our townsmen Messrs. Walter, George and Munson Erwin.

The old big chimney house situated in the field opposite the Odd Fellows' Hall was built in Revolutionary times and is probably the oldest dwelling in this vicinity. It is owned by the venerable John Lynch, who was the sexton of the Episcopal Church for so many years before and after the civil war. Mr. Lynch is now a resident of Maryland.

THE COLORED SETTLEMENT. The colored people have a settlement a short distance south of the town limits, consisting of probably a hundred cottages with a population of between four and five hundred. They have a school building and three churches and many of the little cottages and surroundings indicate industry and thrift in the occupants.

HOTELS. The Falls Church Inn, where an old Virginia welcome awaits the way-farer, accommodates transient and regular boarders. Besides there is the "Evergreens," a large summer boarding place which has a high reputation. There are numerous other homes, in or near the village, where boarders are taken for the summer months.

NEWSPAPER. Falls Church has one newspaper published weekly, called "The Falls Church Monitor." This paper was first established by Mr. E. F. Rorebeck, under the name of "The Falls Church News." Mr. M. E. Church is Editor and Mr. R. C. L. Moncure, General Manager.

EXCELLENT NATURAL DRAINAGE. Four Mile Run, traversing the northeastern section of the corporation, separates the main part of the village from all that portion lying in Alexandria County and known as East Falls Church. This little stream empties into the Potomac four miles below Washington, whence its name. Where it breaks through the hills at Barcroft its water-power is used for milling purposes, as in the days when General Washington's flour mills were situated at or near the same point. The southern section of the village is drained by Holmes' Run, which empties into the Potomac just south of Alexandria. The two rapid little streams named take their rise a short distance to the west of the village and afford ample drainage for all the territory embraced within the corporation boundaries.

RAILWAY DEPOTS AND POST-OFFICES. Indicating the wide extent of territory covered by Falls Church, it possesses two railway depots and three independent post-offices. The Southern Railway's East Falls Church and West End stations are one mile apart. The electric railway also has stations and ticket offices near those of the steam road. The Falls Church post office is on Broad street in the center of the village. East Falls Church post office is located at the electric railway station and West End post office at the West End steam railway station, the former being one-half mile and the latter about one mile distant from the main office.

STREET LIGHTS. The village streets are now lighted by kerosene lamps, but a movement is already on foot looking toward a better system of street lighting and it is probable that an electric light plant will be installed for that purpose within the near future.

A BANK IS NEEDED. The organization of a bank is being considered by a number of enterprising citizens. There is already a sufficient amount of banking business transacted by the residents of the village, which is now divided among the banks located at Leesburg, Fairfax, Alexandria and Washington, to make such an institution a paying investment from the start.

THE PARK. Crossman Park, the densely wooded hill over which the electric road runs from East End to West End, is an attractive spot to nature lovers. Hundreds of old chestnut trees make it a favorite resort for picnic parties in summer and nut-hunters in the fall. It is altogether a charming piece of woodland without undergrowth, and needs no gravelled walks or other evidences of the hand of man to add to its present charm.

Near the park may be seen the stone which marks what was at one time the western corner of the District of Columbia. It is situated on the land of Mr. S. B. Shaw and is only a few yards from his residence. On the west corner is chiseled "Virginia 1791," while on the opposite corner the words "Jurisdiction of the United States" are still quite legible.

FALLS CHURCH TELEPHONE AND TELEGRAPH CO. The Falls Church Telephone and Telegraph Company, of which Mr. M. E. Church is President and General Manager, is connected with the lines of the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company of Washington and with the lines of the Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company.

The stations on this line include Alexandria, Arlington, Ash Grove, Bailey's Cross Roads, Ballston, Barcroft, Belaire, Bluemont, Chesterbrook, Clarendon, Chain Bridge, Colvin Run, Dunn Loring, Dranesville, East Falls Church, Fairfax, Fort Myer Heights, Glencarlyn, Hall's Hill, Herndon, Hamilton, Kenmore, Lewinsville, Langley, Leesburg, Merrifield, Oakton, Paeonian Springs, Purcellville, Round Hill, Rosslyn, Vienna, Wiehle, and West Falls Church. All stations are equipped with Long-Distance Metallic Circuit Telephones.

In addition to the telephone line Falls Church has two Western Union Telegraph offices besides two express offices.

CAMP ALGER. Falls Church has gained a national reputation within recent years by reason of the establishment near the village of the camp for volunteer soldiers at the outbreak of the Spanish-American War. This camp was one of several of the kind established in the Southern States for the purpose of organizing an army for the invasion of Spanish territory.

The farm of Mr. C. L. Campbell, about one and a half miles southwest of the village was selected by the War Department for the army corps to be assembled nearest Washington, and as soon as the contract was signed for the lease of the property, troops from fourteen States were hurried here as fast as recruited.

The first troops on the ground were the District of Columbia Volunteers. They were followed by those from Pennsylvania, and later came troops from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Kansas, Tennessee and Virginia, all forming the Second Army Corps of the Spanish-American War.

The strength of this army corps before the last of May consisted of 922 officers and 17,467 men. In June the number in camp was 1,103 officers and 26,002 men; in July the strength of the corps was 1,183 officers and 29,747 men. In August the corps consisted of 1,347 officers and 33,755 men, the highest number in this corps before disbandment at the end of the war.

On June 9th the separate brigade mentioned was assigned as the First Brigade, 3rd Division. On August 2, 1898, a second brigade was organized composed of the First Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, and the Third Virginia Volunteer Infantry.

The First Brigade, consisting of the Massachusetts and Michigan troops, left Camp Alger for Santiago de Cuba on June 22 and 24, 1898. Troops of the Second Brigade were returned to their States for muster out on September 7 and 8, 1898.

The tents of the provost guard pitched at the electric railway terminus at East End with pickets posted at various street corners made Falls Church appear like a town under martial law. Under all the circumstances the conduct of the troops was admirable. The homes of the citizens were thrown open to the soldiers doing picket duty in the village, and the ladies of the place vied with each other in contributing to the comfort of sick soldiers at the camp.

The summer of 1898 was a most eventful one in Falls Church. No such stirring scenes had been witnessed here since the days of the civil war. Troop trains arriving or departing, drills at camp and practice marches through the town, martial music from many bands, reveille and taps, all contributed to impress the town folk with the fact that the country was at war.

FINANCES OF THE TOWN. The expenses of the town government for the year ending August 31, 1904, was ,188.47. The assessed valuation of the town is 0,125, which is about 50 per cent of the real value. The tax levy for all purposes is six mills. The levy is divided as follows: For corporation purposes three mills; for school purposes three mills. The total receipts for fiscal year 1904 were ,289.20.

There is no bonded indebtedness. A number of times propositions to bond the town for school or street purposes have been voted upon but each time the citizens have decided against incurring any bonded debt.

The following are the officers of the town government:

HEALTH. In the matter of health Falls Church leads. Statistics obtained by the U. S. Census Bureau relating to the mortality rate show that out of 341 towns and cities from which returns were received the lowest death rate for the year ending May 31, 1900, was in St. Joseph, Mo., with 9.1 for each 1,000 inhabitants, followed by Portland, Oregon, 9.5, St. Paul, Minn., 9.7, and Minneapolis, Minn., 10.08. For the same period there were only 5 deaths in Falls Church, its population then being 1,007. The average annual death rate in Falls Church is about 9.5 per 1,000, only 57 deaths having occurred here between August 17, 1898 and September 2, 1904, a period of a little over six years.

The death rate in the United States for 1900, according to census returns was 17.8 per 1,000, the rate in cities where such statistics were gathered being 18.6, and in rural districts 15.4.

For the purpose of comparison the death rate per 1,000 in the following cities as reported by the U. S. Census Bureau for 1900 will be of interest. Baltimore, Md., 21.0; New York, N. Y., 21.3; Washington, D. C., 22.8; Alexandria, Va., 24.2; Norfolk, Va., 25.2; Lynchburg, Va., 27.7; Richmond, Va., 29.7; Petersburg, Va., 31.1.

IDEAL COUNTRY HOMES. To the generosity of a nearby nurseryman the town is indebted for its wealth of trees. When the first streets were laid out Mr. D. O. Munson donated liberally from his nursery stock and to him is chiefly due the credit for the present attractive appearance of the tree-lined streets.

The conventional arrangement of the average suburban town has not been followed in laying out the streets of this village, and even the sinuous main avenue, lined on either side by a row of full grown maples, adds to its charm. Beyond the town to the westward the view of rolling plain and delightful wooded expanse greets the eye, and in the distance the smoky Sugar Loaf looms up to beckon one to mountain scenes. In an afternoon drive from the village to the south or west the lover of nature may find pleasure at every turn.

The healthfulness of Falls Church is proverbial, while its charming situation, accessibility to the city of Washington and the homelike tone pervading every part of its area have surprised and attracted all whose privilege it has been to visit here for the first time. The place to the tired city man can afford all the enjoyment of retirement and tranquillity. With an abundance of green lawns, well shaded walks and drives, pure water, churches, good schools and the necessary stores; what more could the seeker desire to complete his ideal of a country home.

Possessing advantages imperfectly pictured herein, Falls Church welcomes the jaded fathers and mothers from the city to the place where children may enjoy life with nature, where the climate, conducive to refreshing sleep, soothes tired nerves and makes life to such again buoyant with youthful hopes and joys.

The original church at the Falls is said to have been built in 1709. This is only tradition, as no satisfactory evidence has been obtained relating to its exact location or the date when first erected.

Court records establish the fact that there was a church on the present site of the Falls Church in 1746. On March 20th of that year John Trammell, in consideration of the sum of fifty shillings sterling, transferred, by deed of bargain and sale, to the Vestry of Truro Parish in Fairfax County a certain parcel of land containing two acres "where the Upper Church now is." John Trammell owned at that time the greater part of the land upon which the town of Falls Church is now situated. In June, 1745, he leased to Walter English his plantation of 244 acres "near the head of the north of Holmes' Run extending to Four Mile Run, excepting two acres for the use of the church."

The vestry book of Truro Parish commences about 1732. This book is in the possession of Mr. H. H. Dodge, of Mt. Vernon, a vestryman of old Pohick Church. Through the courtesy of Mr. Dodge, the Editor was permitted to make a careful examination of its pages, and to copy from the minutes of the vestry meetings therein such entries as appeared to throw any light upon the early history of the Falls Church.

Some apparently trivial entries have been copied, such as the payment of a sexton's salary for a number of successive years, but the name of the sexton in such cases has an important bearing upon the subject, when it is not improbable that the churches indicated as the "Upper Church," the "New Church," etc., may be the church later designated as "The Falls Church."

In addition to religious matters, the duties of the church vestry in these early times embraced many secular affairs. Under the direction of the Parish Vestry tithes were collected from the land owners, and "processioners" were appointed by them to survey and establish all land boundaries within the parish. Such matters as related to the relief of the poor, the medical care of the sick, charges for burial of the dead, the maintenance of the blind, the lame, and the maimed, also of foundlings and vagrants, now looked after by the county government, were then a part of the duty of the vestry of each parish.

As early as October, 1734, John Trammell was paid by the Vestry of Truro Parish 320 pounds of tobacco for grubbing a place for a new church, for which Robert Blackburn had drawn plans.

In November of the following year, Thomas or James Bennitt was paid 150 pounds of tobacco as sexton of the New Church. Record of the payment of 400 pounds of tobacco to James Bennitt, Sexton of the New Church, appears under date of October 6, 1740, and again May 21, 1745. On the latter date the Vestry decided to build a church "at or near the spring nigh Mr. Hutchinson's on the mountain road ... with doors, windows & seats after the manner of the Upper Church." The deed from Andrew Hutchinson to the Vestry of Truro Parish for two acres of land upon which this new church was to be erected, recorded in Liber A. No. 1, page 464, Fairfax County Land Records, does not show this land to have been in the vicinity of Falls Church.

On October 12, 1747, the vestry records indicate that Mary Bennitt was sexton of the Upper Church, supposed to be the same which was called the New Church before this date, and that Wm. Grove was sexton of the more recently built church on the mountain road near Mr. Hutchinson's. Mary Bennitt's salary as sexton of the Upper Church was 400 pounds of tobacco until 1749, when it was increased to 460 pounds. Her salary was again raised to 560 pounds in 1752, and so continued until 1755, when James Palmer became sexton at "Falls Church," so designated in the records. James Palmer appears to have been succeeded by Gerard Trammell, the Vestry at a meeting held November 12, 1759, having allowed the latter 560 pounds of tobacco as sexton of Falls Church.

In February, 1749, the Vestry decided to build an addition to the "Upper Church," and the contract for the improvement was given to Charles Broadwater, Gent., who undertakes to complete the work by the laying of the next parish levy for the sum of 12,000 pounds of tobacco. Mr. Charles Broadwater was at that time one of the vestrymen, and among those present at the meeting were George Mason and the Rev. Charles Green. The vestry meeting held October 25, 1762, elected George Washington a Vestryman in place of Wm. Peake, Gent., deceased, and at the same meeting it was ordered that the sexton at Falls Church be allowed 560 pounds of tobacco for his services.

The Vestry of Truro Parish met on March 28, 1763, at the Falls Church. Those present were: Henry Gunnell, Wm. Payne, Jr., Church Wardens; John West, Wm. Payne, Charles Broadwater, Thomas Wren, Abraham Barnes, Daniel McCarty, Robert Boggers and George Washington.

It appears that this meeting was called for the purpose of deciding whether to repair the old church, then greatly in decay, or to erect a new building. It would seem that the matter of abandonment of the site of the old church was also to be acted upon, and the erection of a new one in a more convenient place.

The Vestry decided that the old church was too dilapidated to repair, and resolved that a new church be built at the same place. It was ordered that the Clerk of the Vestry advertise in the Virginia and Maryland Gazettes for workmen to meet at the church on the 29th of August next following, to undertake the building of a brick church, to contain 1,600 feet on the floor, with a suitable gallery. The record of the vestry meeting of October 3, 1763, shows that 30,000 pounds of tobacco had been levied toward building Falls Church, and was to be sold by the Church Wardens for the best cash price obtainable. George Washington was not present at this meeting; but as an evidence of his interest in the contemplated improvements he copied in his diary under date of 1764 the advertisement published in the Maryland Gazette for "undertakers to build Falls Church."

The accounts of the Clerk of the Vestry at this date show Truro Parish credited with 1,807 tithables at 37 pounds of tobacco each, or a total of 66,859 pounds. The expenditures debited against this amount include 17,280 pounds of tobacco for salary of minister, 560 pounds each to the sexton at Pohick Church and Falls Church, 500 pounds to the sexton at Alexandria, 3,000 pounds to Clerk of Vestry, besides sundry payments toward the support of the indigent of the parish.

Earnest efforts have been made to locate the Vestry Book of Fairfax Parish containing information relating to Falls Church after the division of Truro Parish in 1765. This book was in charge of the rector of Christ Church, Alexandria, at the outbreak of the civil war and is supposed to have been lost or destroyed.

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