Owners, part 1

Lord Fairfax of Cameron

We have learned from our research into the age of the house that we are complete slouches, and have big shoes to fill. In the first 20 years of its existence, LJH was occupied by some of the city’s most prominent citizens and leaders. While we have traced the land ownership all the way back to Lord Fairfax, it was Cyrus Osborn who first had a use for the land as part of his property and orchard. Osborn sold his farm after the Civil War to Isaac Crossman, after whom Christ Crossman United Methodist Church at Lee and Columbia is named, who subsequently subdivided it.

Wells Forbes, a local farmer and city leader, appears to have constructed the house circa 1873 after buying a 6-acre parcel of Cyrus and Seth Osborn’s farm from Crossman, although on city maps the name of Landin Aldrich is listed as the resident (but not the owner). Mr. Forbes served for 3 years on the Falls Church City Council from 1875-1877, and 1878-1879. He passed away at the age of 68 in the year 1880, that year selling the property as part of what was known as the “Graham Purchase” to William P. Graham and his wife Bettie.

Forbes' grave at Oakwood

Mr. Graham and his wife lived in Larner-Jones house for 8 years, and William was also one of the city’s most involved leaders. In addition to serving as Mayor of the city of Falls Church while he resided in Larner-Jones House, he was a trustee of the Falls Church Cemetery (now Oakwood Cemetery), the incorporator of the Falls Church and Potomac Railway Company, and a vestryman and superintendent of the Sunday school at Columbia Baptist Church (across the street from us).

During their ownership of the property, in 1882, the Grahams subdivided the 6-acre lot and built another house at what is likely now 319 North Maple Avenue, itself a historic Falls Church property. The Grahams sold the lot containing Larner-Jones House to E.F. Crocker and his wife Rosetta in 1887.

While only living briefly in Larner-Jones House for a year, E.F. Crocker also put his stamp on the community. From serving on the City Council in 1876, to acting as Town Clerk, Town Sergeant, and finally city justice, Mr. Crocker was heavily involved in the city’s affairs. He began his first of two multi-year tenures as Postmaster just around the time he was preparing to sell the property to Samuel S. Luttrell. Mr. Luttrell and his wife were long-time city residents, and Samuel went on to be the Mayor of Falls Church from 1916-1918.

Spring

Flat-sawn balusters installed

A lot of exterior work has gotten done over the last few weeks, and spring has helped really transform the look of LJH on our lot. The reproduction flat-sawn balusters, modeled after pictures we have from the house in the 1970s, have been installed on the back porch, as well as along the side porch in replacement of the pressure-treated wood deck that was built more recently.

Looking better

More significant to the exterior view is the work done by our landscapers, who have now transformed both side yards into something that not only no longer contains a poison ivy forest, but actually looks great too. The enclosed side yard's transformation began in late October, but all of the plants and grass remained dormant until the last few weeks, and have greened up nicely. The side yard abutting the street has just been freshly redone, minus two haggard old trees that stifled any real plant or grass growth.

Both gas fireplaces have been installed, although work remains to be done to finish the mantels around each. Not much use for the extra heat in late May, but by the fall we will have a nice new feature to enjoy. Permits for the carriage house have been obtained, and hopefully we will get moving on that project, and the driveway, sometime soon.

Almost ready for fall

Shed

Enter at Your Own Risk!

The blog returns from a winter of discontent and, well, actual work, as summer approaches. Many have asked "aren't you done by now?" To that we simply answer that our experience has taught us that these projects have something of a long tail to them, so to speak. While we are certainly 95%+ complete, there are still a number of items to be done.

We have recently acquired gas fireplaces for the screen porch (done except for the floor) and the old living room to be installed in a few weeks. The latter after learning, to no one's surprise, that the 70-year-old chimney is more or less unusable. All of our cedar flat-sawn balusters and corbels for the eaves arrived last week, and are awaiting installation and painting. The library bookcases and original back door still must be addressed.

Short work...

...for guys with the right tools

Most significantly, the carriage house and driveway is a massive and separate project that will take much of this year. Making way for the carriage house became necessary, largely due to the speed at which the existing "shed" seemed to be falling over. So over a short 3 hours, we liberated the old church window from the structure, saved a few other pieces (like the horseshoe adorning the roof crest), and deposited the rest of the thing in a rather sizable dumpster where it couldn't fall on anyone at an inopportune time.

After a lot of thought about what we wanted in the carriage house, including a look at some really amazing timber frame work, we settled on a design that resembles a barn, but with the shape and layout to fit two cars attendant bikes and lawn gear, and allows us to incorporate the awesome church window present in the old shed. The permitting process has begun, and we are hoping to break ground on that (simpler) project sometime in June.

Something like this...