Virginia Rambler: Ghost Roads, Part 1

Maps show us where we are, where we've been, and where we're going. And sometimes, they also show us where we can't go. "Ghost roads" appear on maps, but when you get to them, they aren't drivable, and maybe not there at all.

Accotink Road in Lorton is one of these ghost roads. At the point where it intersects with Fisher Woods Drive, it devolves into a deeply rutted gravel path. Clearly it's been many years since it was fit for vehicular traffic, but it's still there on the map.

Here's the start of the abandoned stretch of Accotink. You can see the end of the paved "driveway" that extends down to the Thorsen house (the last house on the paved road), tucked into the woods just to the left of this vista.

Off to the left, two pillars rest on the ground. They appears to have been gateposts.... somewhere. Possibly at Twinbrook, an estate that was formerly near the start of this stretch of Accotink Road. Or possibly at Mount Air, the 18th century plantation whose ruins Accotink Road borders.

This road becomes increasingly rutted as you continue. It had rained hard a few days before our visit, and you can see the mud deposits and pebbles. For such mundane materials, it's oddly picturesque.

This hollow would make a perfect den for a fox, rabbit, or other small creature.

At a T intersection, to the right is Kernan Run; from here, this stream runs through adjacent Mount Air. (See map at top of this post.) The stream is named for Mrs. George Kernan, the mother of the last owner of Mount Air.

Further down the road, on the left, is a rusty gate. You have to look hard to see that beyond this gate, there was once a road. This is Swank Road, subject of my next Ghost Roads post.

And to our surprise, a posted hunting area. (Remember: this is suburbia--lots of houses, schools, and convenience stores, not so many hunting zones.) While we were hiking, we heard shots. Yikes.

Only platform hunting is permitted here. Could this wooden structure be the remains of a platform?

Beyond the posted hunting sign, the going gets rougher. To continue, you have to scramble over, under, and around the fallen trees that cross the path.

If you weren't looking down, you'd miss it: a section of abandoned rails; beyond it, an inexplicably paved short stretch of road. On or very near this site was a railroad spur that connected the Newington line to the former Camp A. A. Humphreys (present-day Fort Belvoir). It was built by the Army Corps of Engineers during World War I to transport troops to the army base to be deployed. [4], [5]

The engineers who built this spur camped on the grounds of Mount Air. The rails tell a story: they were originally ordered by the Russian government, but the country, which had its hands full with the pesky Russian revolution, couldn't accept delivery in 1917, so the rails were diverted to Lorton, Virginia instead. (Thank you, Communism.) [1], [2]

Here's a close-up of the rail, and another section, painted and embedded in the ground at an 80-degree angle. Soon, these remnants of a past era will be gone, replaced by the grounds of the new National Museum of the United States Army. [3] Few people know the rails are here now, and no doubt few people will notice when they're gone. It's sad to think that process of building the museum created to share the history of the U.S. Army will obliterate part of that history.

Just beyond the rails, Accotink Road ends where it meets the Fairfax County Parkway. Half of this ghost road will vanish when the new museum is built. Perhaps it will continue to haunt the maps for a bit longer.

Notes

[1] from Mount Air by Edith Sprouse (p. 51), C 1970, Division of Planning, Fairfax County.

[2]  http://www.trainweb.org/rf&p/archive/stations/stations.htm

[3] http://thenmusa.org/

[4] http://www.army.mil/article/33827/Mount_Air__Former_homestead_tied_to_Fort_Belvoir_history/

[5] http://worldofdecay.blogspot.com/2012/07/railroad-warehouses-fort-belvoir.html


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