gable ends of said
house ranged with the streets. I have therefore taken the ...... of
said house as a guide". The tavern was valued at $4000.00 at that
time.

Robert Ratcliffe had evidently used the northwest corner of the
tavern when in 1805 he laid off the town when An Act of the Assembly
established a "Town at Fairfax Court House on the Land of Richard
Ratcliffe by the name of Providence".

[Illustration: FAIRFAX COURT HOUSE
_Photo by Ollie Atkins_]

Meanwhile, a red brick building had been erected for the court
house. It had a gabled roof, an arcaded loggia and a cupola. In the
cupola hung a very fine bell which had been imported from England.
This bell rang to remind the citizens of church time, court, town
meetings, etc.

The inside of the court house was beautifully paneled with walnut
wainscoating and behind the Justice's chair the wall was paneled
from floor to ceiling. There was a gallery for slaves and rows of
hand carved wooden pews for freemen.

On the outside was a place for tying horses in the yard and nearby
stood a well with the traditional "old oaken bucket". The
inscription on the bucket read, "He who drinks therefrom will return
to drink again!"

Among the first Justices of the Peace to serve in the new Court
House after April of 1800 were James Coleman, David Stuart, Charles
Little, William Stanhope, Richard Bland Lee, Robert F. Hooe, William
Payne, Richard Ratcliffe, William Deneale, Humphrey Peake, Richard
W. Poeh, Hancock Lee, William Gunnell, Richard M. Scott, Francy
Adams, James Wiley, Augustine I. Smith, and James Waugh. These men
formed a committee that took turns serving as Justices of the Peace.
They were known as Gentlemen Justices and were appointed and
commissioned by the governor until 1851.

In 1843 an agricultural journal was published at the Fairfax County
seat. It was called the "Farmer's Intelligencer" and was edited and
published by J. D. Hitt. The first issue which appeared on October
21, 1843, showed agitation for a revision of the Virginia
constitution in advocating a more economical and simplified court
procedure. It may or may not have been indicative of general
feelings at the time, but from 1851 until 1870 Justices were elected
by the voters of the County. Among these were Silas Burke, John B.
Hunter, James Hunter, W. W. Ellzey, Minnan Burke, Ira Williams, M.
R. Selecman, William W. Ball, John Millan, Nelson Conrad, T. M.
Ford, David Fitzhugh, S. T. Stuart and