THE FAIRFAX STONE is one of the most significant historical landmarks in West Virginia. Located near Blackwater Falls State Park, the stone marked the western boundary of land granted to Lord Fairfax by the King of England in the 1700s. Almost two centuries later, the stone was used as the determining factor in the state boundary between West Virginia and Maryland.
Sitting at the source of the North Branch of the Potomac River, where three counties converge upon the southern tip of Maryland, the Fairfax Stone comes as near as anything to being a cornerstone of the entire state. Early surveyors in West Virginia started from this point.
The original stone erected for Lord Fairfax in 1746 was a small pyramid of sandstone bearing the letters “F X.” However, this stone was destroyed by vandals on August 12, 1910. This modern stone was described as “a monument three and a half feet square, two feet deep, set flush with the surface of the ground, with a height of four feet by four inches. It was marked ‘FX-1746’ on the south side and ‘1910’ on the north side.”
