Marking the junction of Grant,
Preston and Tucker Counties, the Fairfax Stone is 2 miles off US 219, 4
miles north of Thomas, West Virginia. The stone is one of the
oldest markers in the United States. In 1681 Charles II of England
granted Lord Hampton 6 million acres in this area. The grant
was inherited by Lord Fairfax in 1722.
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 for the whole state. Some of the
earliest surveys in West Virginia started from the point and some
historians believe that the original stone may have been set by George
Washington, a surveyor in his youth. The spot marks the boundary
between Maryland and West Virginia and the headwaters of the Potomac
River.
Fairfax Stone State Park, a 4-acre West Virginia State
park, is located just off of Route 219 north of Thomas, WV.
