Issues of the Fairfax Herald are now publicly accessible and searchable for the first time ever! Over the last several months, Fairfax County Public Library’s Virginia Room has partnered with the Library of Virginia to digitize the Fairfax Herald, which at one time was Fairfax County’s longest running newspaper. In January 2022, all Herald issues from 1886-1964 are now available for searching on Virginia Chronicle, the Library of Virginia's online historical archive of state newspapers. To search for historical news in other Fairfax-area newspapers, check out our Historic Newspaper Index.
Formed in 1742, Fairfax County has a long and fruitful history. The Virginia Room, located on the second floor of the City of Fairfax Regional Library, collects, preserves, and makes accessible local history resources. Researchers can find historical information on Fairfax County individuals, locations, and events. This Local History page serves as a guide to some of our local history resources which include:
This Guide Is Intended For:
Questions? Email the Virginia Room: va_room@fairfaxcounty.gov
Paul McCray, NOVA Parks historian, tells the history of the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad which had a major effect on how Northern Virginia developed. Some of the 2,000 photos of the railroad he …
Burke Historical Society Lecture Series.
Mayor Dr. Earnie Porta will discuss the history of the Town of Occoquan in Prince William County. Amid land occupied by Native Americans for thousands of y…
The Virginia Room has created a new guide to research materials relating to Black history in Fairfax County, Virginia. While this guide aims to offer a robust selection of available resources, it is not exhaustive. Included are books, school yearbooks, oral histories, manuscript collections, photographs, and subject files available in the Virginia Room on Black history. This guide will be periodically updated with additional resources.
