Lee Highway

Lee Highway in Fairfax County is a remnant of the transcontinental Lee Highway that originally connected New York City with San Francisco, California.

As it currently exists, Lee Highway enters the county at the border of the City of Falls Church, then passes through Merrifield, Fairfax, and Centreville.

A portion of the road that would eventually become Lee Highway was surveyed by a young George Washington.[1]

The idea of a transcontinental highway that followed a course through the southern United States has its specific origin in a letter written in 1919 by Dr. Samuel M. Johnson to David C. Humphreys, a professor of engineering at Washington and Lee University.[1] The original plan, adopted at a meeting in Bristol, Virginia on December 13 of that year, was for a road from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to New Orleans, Lousiana.[2] However, in 1920, Dr. Johnson announced a far more ambitious plan, which was to have the highway stretch from New York to San Francisco via New Orleans; a southern counterpart to the Lincoln Highway.[3]

On November 3, 1922, a meeting was held in the Fairfax Court House that resulted in the approval of a bond issue of $175,000 for construction of the Lee Highway in Fairfax County.[4] The final issue was for $275,000 and was approved by residents of the Falls Church and Providence Districts.[5]

Construction of the eight-mile stretch of road from Falls Church to Fairfax hit a snag in 1923 when it was determined by Colonel Henry G. Shirley, the Chairman of the Virginia Highway Commission, that the low bid by the Lane Brothers Construction Company was ineligible, as the secretary of that company was also a member of the Virginia General Assembly.[6] The bid of $230,000 by L. M. Johnston was also found to be unsatisfactory, and a camp for prison laborers was erected at Camp Alger, near Merrifield, was built.[7]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Lee Highway." The Washington Post (1923-1954): LM5. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1995). Apr 25 1931. Web. 5 June 2012.
  2. ↑ "Perfect Plans for Lee Highway." The Washington Post (1877-1922): 3. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1995). Dec 14 1919. Web. 5 June 2012.
  3. ↑ "Broaden Project for Lee Highway." The Washington Post (1877-1922): 6. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1995). Sep 19 1920. Web. 5 June 2012.
  4. ↑ "Back Lee Highway Issue." The Washington Post (1877-1922): 21. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1995). Nov 05 1922. Web. 5 June 2012.
  5. ↑ "Pass $275,000 Bond Issue." The Washington Post (1877-1922): 13. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1995). Nov 08 1922. Web. 5 June 2012.
  6. ↑ "State Officer in Firm, Contract may be Lost." The Washington Post (1923-1954): 3. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1995). Jun 11 1923. Web. 5 June 2012.
  7. ↑ "First Move made for Link of Road on Lee Highway." The Washington Post (1923-1954): 13. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1995). Jul 24 1923. Web. 5 June 2012/

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