d,
Stafford, King George, Prince William, Fairfax, Loudon, Fauquier,
Culpeper, Clarke, Madison and Page in Virginia and numerous counties in
West Virginia.

Lord Fairfax was exceptionally interested in fox hunting and reserved
great tracts for this sport. Sometimes he spent weeks at a time hunting.
He made a rule that whoever caught the fox should cut off its tail and
hold it aloft and should have no part of the expense of the subsequent
frolic. As soon as a fox was started all the young men would gallop off
at a great rate, while Fairfax waited behind with a servant familiar
with the hills and streams and who had a good ear; following the
servant's directions he frequently stuck the fox's tail in his hat and
rejoined the hunters!

Familiar to everyone is the fact that Lord Fairfax engaged Washington, a
boy of about sixteen, to survey his vast lands beyond the Blue Ridge.
Through this undertaking the latter gained a thorough knowledge of
frontier life and a reputation for dependability and self-confidence.
These attributes were to be needed later for participation in the French
and Indian War. A warm and lasting friendship grew up between the
proprietor and Washington.

Being British by birth and sympathy the course of the Revolution was
watched with mingled hopes and anxieties by Fairfax. When news of the
final capitulation at Yorktown arrived late in October 1781 the feeble,
disappointed and tired old man called his servant and asked to be put to
bed since he felt the time had come for him to die. In December of that
same year the great proprietor of the Northern Neck of Virginia died.

Winchester--The Frontier Town of the Valley

The first inhabitants of Winchester were a large tribe of Shawnee
Indians. Two houses occupied by white men are supposed to have been
standing as early as 1738.

Known as Old Town and Fredericktown it was named Winchester in 1752 in
honor of the English home of its founder, Colonel James Wood. The
settlement grew so rapidly it was necessary several times to enlarge its
boundaries. Colonel Wood and Lord Fairfax both donated additional lots
in order to extend the corporate limits of the town.

During the French and Indian War Colonel George Washington was asked to
go to Winchester to defend the Valley. He found refugees overrunning the
place and determined to build a fort on the outskirts of the town which
would afford protection in case of raids. He imported his own blacksmith