The Fairfax Hunt History: 1928–1972
Sections: Introduction | 1928-1972 | 1972-2010
A History of The Fairfax Hunt, 1928–1972
In 1928, a newcomer to Fairfax County, A. Smith Bowman Sr., a gentleman from Kentucky and an ardent foxhunter, suggested to some friends and neighbors that they should join him in organizing a "foxhunters club in Fairfax County." Bowman said, "I have a pack of 6 Walker-type hounds and some acres of land. That should be enough for a start." His suggestion was well received; thus, The Fairfax Hunt was established. From this beginning, under a long line of most able Masters, of whom A. Smith Bowman Sr., was the first, it has grown to be The Fairfax Hunt as we know it today.
The hunt was fortunate in its territory. At that time, Fairfax County had hardly been touched by urbanization; large tracts of land were still privately owned. Bowman's estate, Sunset Hills, included some 4,000 acres.
By 1929, the Hunt had grown impressively, and Bowman sought formal registration from the Masters of Foxhounds Association of America (MFHA). His request, dated September 12, 1929, to the MFHA, located at that time in Boston, was succinct, homespun, and to the point: "I have organized a foxhunters club in Fairfax County, Virginia, and would like a copy of the rules governing such clubs. If there is any expense attached to this, please advise me and I will remit."
Bowman's request for registration of his "foxhunters club" was accepted. As a result, The Fairfax Hunt on November 13, 1929, had its coming-out party and made its entrance into the world of the established hunts. This is one of the high points of the history of The Fairfax Hunt. On that day, the field took off from the Bowman home at Sunset Hills no fewer than 100 strong. At least nine Masters of Foxhounds from other hunts were present. Later in the day, a lavish hunt breakfast was held at the Bowman home, attended by some 300 guests. And this brings us to an unusual aspect of The Fairfax Hunt, which is that, from its very beginning, and unlike most other hunts, it has been both a hunting and a social organization.
Bowman acknowledged official registration in a letter to Henry G. Vaughan, president of the MFHA, in part, as follows: "We have now some forty contributing members, enough to meet our running expenses."
Bowman loaned the club a building of 35 rooms. Thus, the Hunt acquired its first clubhouse, which was used until 1936. Many pleasant social activities, hunt breakfasts, and balls took place there, including the first subscription breakfast. For this occasion, Mrs. Bowman had asked Mrs. Robert (Ruth) Graham and Mrs. Charles (Kitty) Pozer to assist her. The menu was ham, creamed chicken in patty shells, salad, hot rolls, and cherry pie. The price was 50 cents.
With registration, the hunting country was mapped and recorded with the MFHA. The original territory had the shape of a trapezoid, the top right angle resting at Chain Bridge and the bottom right angle at Yorkshire on Bull Run, quite close to Manassas. The right sideline passed just west of Falls Church, to Burke and east of Clifton. From Yorkshire, the bottom sideline ran in a northwesterly direction and then veered northeastward following the Loudoun County line back to the Potomac River by the way of Pleasant Valley, Herndon, and Dranesville. From that point, the top side of the rectangle followed the Potomac River back to Chain Bridge.
In the spring of 1933, Captain C.R.P. Rodgers (U.S.N.) and John F. Finnerty, Joint Masters, applied to the MFHA for Formal Recognition, which was promptly granted. In 1937, the hunt went one step further to establish its identity. It sought and received corporate status under the laws of the state of Virginia, its legal name being the proud one of “The Fairfax Hunt."
For a decade, throughout the thirties, the opening meets were traditionally held on the historic Fairfax Courthouse green. These were happy years for the dedicated foxhunter. The country, except for a few towns, was one of rolling plains and farm lands, somewhat heavily wooded. Wherever the Masters chose to meet, good sport was always available.
The membership of The Fairfax Hunt continued to grow. In addition to the few original members, the 1930s brought an outstanding group of men and women, of character and ability, dedicated to the interests and welfare of The Fairfax Hunt and foxhunting. Due to its proximity to the nation's capital, the hunt from the start attracted many of the officers then stationed at Fort Myer. General George Patton and his family hunted with us quite regularly, as did General Jonathan (Skinny) Wainwright, and so did Daniel Cox Fahey, Jr., and our own George Millholland, Pat Hurley, then- Secretary of War and owner of Belmont Plantation, was a frequent guest. This list of notables, and near notables, could go on and on.
From 1936 through 1951, the hunt found itself without clubhouse facilities. The old building that Bowman had so kindly allowed the hunt to use as a clubhouse was torn down. For 15 years, until the present clubhouse was built, hunt breakfasts and other social affairs were held at the estates of members who provided the gracious hospitality one associates with foxhunting. During that period, except for the war years, the traditional hunt ball was held at the Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C.
In 1951, The Fairfax Hunt was again the recipient, as it had been so often in the past, of a gift from the Bowman family. That year, Bowman and his sons, Smith Jr. and DeLong, deeded to The Fairfax Hunt a tract of 10 acres of land on the northern edge of what is now Reston. There the clubhouse was built.
Part of the present clubhouse has a fascinating history. The attractive reception room, the Log House, was discovered quite by chance. The Roy Money family had for many years owned a clapboard farmhouse on Beulah Road in the town of Vienna.
In the spring of 1951, wanting a more modern dwelling for his family, Money decided to have the old house torn down and there, under clapboard and plaster, a 200-year-old log house was uncovered. Thanks to the foresight of Stewart Preece, then our Master of Foxhounds, several members of the hunt banded together and purchased the old log house. It was carefully dismantled, numbered log by log (the numbers are still visible), and rebuilt on its current location, where it became the nucleus of our present day clubhouse.
At first, only a modest kitchen and restroom facilities were added to it. Some five years later the large "Hall" was added. Thus, the second clubhouse stood until 1970, when the kitchen was enlarged and modernized and the entire building was improved and air-conditioned.
Further, of great importance during the Mastership of James O. Pease (1953–1958 and 1961–1964), the Fairfax Junior Hunt was organized. Since its inception, the Junior Hunt, under the leadership of its senior advisors, has been a unique and outstanding model of its kind, open to qualified young riders between the ages of 10 and 20. These youngsters are carefully schooled in horsemanship, hunting courtesies, field protocol, and the hunting traditions that are so much a part of foxhunting.
Throughout the late forties and early fifties, The Fairfax Hunt also hosted a horse show each spring on the Club's grounds that gained national recognition. Under the leadership of June Eaton (Mrs. James O. Pease), this show became one of the country's outstanding hunter shows.
During Preece's Mastership, 1946–1953, when he personally hunted the hounds, The Fairfax Hunt met regularly in the Vienna-Herndon area, in the vast and rural acreage of the Bowman's lovely Sunset Hills—beautifully paneled and trailed. For years, the opening meet was held at Spring Glade, Mr. and Mrs. Lisle Smith’s residence, and numerous hunts met at Mr. and Mrs. C.D. Todd's historic Fairfax Lodge, once the Hunting Lodge of Lord Bryan Fairfax, followed by bountiful breakfasts.
This countryside offered such complete foxhunting that little else was needed. However, during the later era of the Masterships of Pease and J. Wade Dorset (which ended in 1964), the erosion of foxhunting country was gradually forcing the Hunt out of the Vienna area. It was in this period that the board of governors authorized the employment of a professional huntsman, which continues to this day.
By the late fifties, interest began to shift to point-to-point racing and race meets. Recognizing this in 1957, the president appointed a committee, chaired by Randolph D. Rouse, to investigate and make a recommendation concerning the matter of a point-to-point.
This committee recommended that, instead of a point-to-point, The Fairfax Hunt should host a race meet sanctioned by the National Steeplechase and Hunt Association. The Bowman family made a site available, and William duPont of Wilmington, Delaware, was invited to advise on the layout of a race course. Following duPont's suggestions and supported by the enthusiasm of the hunt membership, the first race meet was organized and run in the fall of 1958.
Around this time, other dramatic changes took place in the foxhunting country. Dulles International Airport became a reality, and the access road from Washington split the hunting territory. Sunset Hills, now 7,200 acres, long the delight of The Fairfax Hunt, was sold and became the city of Reston! Then the community of Sterling Park suddenly emerged nearby. These three developments marked the end of foxhunting in the area east of Dulles Airport and Sterling and forced the Hunt to expand westward.
Additional territory was sought from the Loudoun, Middleburg, and Piedmont hunts along the west boundary of The Fairfax Hunt country, and with the consent and gracious cooperation of their Masters with Randolph D. Rouse, Master of Foxhounds since 1961, hunting moved westward. By the late sixties, Rouse had obtained leases from Middleburg and Loudoun, and The Fairfax Hunt was meeting with increasing frequency in the Ashburn-Arcola area.
The Fairfax Hunt has from its beginning been privileged with dedicated leadership. With the continued wholehearted cooperation and support from its members, hunting and nonhunting, the future can be faced with the same eagerness that marked the hunt’s beginning.
Sections: Introduction | 1928-1972 | 1972-2010
