Wakefield
Chapel
Annandale, Virginia
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Wakefield
Chapel was built on land given by O. G. Besley to the Trustees
of the Methodist Church. The chapel was built by the Reverend
Elhanen W. Wakefield, the first preacher at the church. He also
provided the materials and did most of the construction work.
The church
was unoccupied between 1963 and 1968 and deteriorated badly. In
1968, the Trustees of the Anglican Church of the Ascension acquired
the property with the intention of restoring it. In 1970, the
original steeple burned and a new one was added.
Reverend Wakefield,
for whom the chapel is named, was a colorful figure in Virginia
Methodism. Born in 1834, he went to California during the Gold
Rush, fought Indians in the West and later served in the Union
forces during the Civil War. Seriously wounded in the Civil War,
he was nearly buried in a common grave before it was discovered
he was still alive. After the war, he rode a wide circuit in Fairfax
County, preaching between Falls Church and Fairfax Courthouse.
Local influence
of the Wakefield Chapel name is reflected in such nearby communities
as "Wakefield Forest," "Chapel Square," "Chapel
Hill," as well as "Wakefield Chapel Road."
Wakefield
Chapel, no longer in use as a church, has been restored for community
use by the Fairfax County Park Authority.
Text
© 1994 Dianne Harrah, Drawing © 1994 Bill Harrah
.
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