Mason's Hill - Misplaced Pages

Mason’s Hill is a geographic eminence located in Fairfax County, Virginia. Its summit rises to 397 feet (121 m) above sea level.

Location and name

Mason’s Hill is located at 38°50′12″N 77°10′12″W / 38.836585°N 77.169890°W / 38.836585; -77.169890. The hill is named after Virginia's prominent Mason family, particularly grandson of George Mason and owner of the house on the hill Murray Mason, a former US Navy captain who took a commission in the Confederate Navy, as well as his older brother James Murray Mason, a former US Senator from Virginia who later became the Confederate envoy to Great Britain.

The hill is also near Munson’s Hill, 2 miles (3.2 km) to its northeast. It is located in Annandale, Virginia, along Columbia Pike and just to the north of Little River Turnpike.

According to state and county historic markers, the location was used early in the American Civil War by Confederate Col. J.E.B. Stuart and his 1st Virginia Cavalry following the First Battle of Manassas; Col. Edward Porter Alexander built a signal observation tower with a six-foot "astronomical glass" to observe Washington, D.C. until Confederate forces withdrew to Centreville in September 1861.

As noted elsewhere on Misplaced Pages, on Sunday, August 25, 1861, there was a little known skirmish here between the Union (American Civil War) and the Confederate States of America.

The area now contains a mix of private residences, a school, a church, and the Fairfax County, Virginia Mason District Government Center as well as the Fairfax County Park Authority Mason District Park. State historic marker T-50 is located at 38°50′16″N 77°09′49″W / 38.837852°N 77.163515°W / 38.837852; -77.163515 adjacent to the Government Center, and the county historic marker is located within Mason District Park at 38°50′07″N 77°10′23″W / 38.835316°N 77.173115°W / 38.835316; -77.173115.

Google Earth.
N.J.V. (October 2, 1861). "THE OCCUPATION OF MASON'S HILL". New York Times.
Sherell Williams (October 17, 2012). "Mason's Hill Civil War Marker Dedication Set for Saturday". Annandale Patch.
"Mason District Home". Fairfax County Virginia.
"Mason's Hill Marker, T-50". MarkerHistory.com.

v t e Fairfax County, Virginia in the American Civil War
Battles	Battle of Blackburn's Ford Battle of Chantilly Battle of Dranesville Battle of Fairfax Court House (June 1861) Battle of Fairfax Court House (June 1863) First Battle of Bull Run Second Battle of Bull Run Battle of Vienna, Virginia
Skirmishes	Bog Wallow Ambush Lewinsville
Raids	Burke's Station Raid Mosby's Raids
Units	8th Virginia Infantry 17th Virginia Infantry 1st Virginia Cavalry 43rd Battalion of Virginia Cavalry Georgia Hussars (later Jeff Davis Cavalry Legion, Company F) 3rd Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment 45th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment 16th Regiment New York Volunteer Cavalry First New Jersey Brigade 2nd Vermont Brigade XXII Corps (Union Army) Union Army Balloon Corps
People	Clara Barton Michael Corcoran Antonia Ford Thaddeus Lowe John Quincy Marr John S. Mosby Laura Ratcliffe Edwin H. Stoughton
Sites	Clarens (Alexandria, Virginia) Centreville Military Railroad Colvin Run Mill Fort Lyon (Virginia) Fort Marcy Park Hope Park Huntley (plantation) Fort O'Rourke Merrybrook Oak Hill (Annandale, Virginia) Okeley Manor Ossian Hall (plantation) Ox Hill Battlefield Park Ravensworth (plantation) St. Mary's Church (Fairfax Station, Virginia) Taylor's Tavern William Gunnell House (Fairfax, Virginia) Mason's Hill Minor's Hill Munson's Hill Upton's Hill Bailey's Crossroads Wolf Run Shoals