See a glimpse of Annandale’s past on Oak Hill Day, Sept. 28

Your chance to get a peek inside Annandale’s oldest house is
coming up. Saturday, Sept. 28, is the annual Oak Hill Day when the first floor of the privately
owned 18th-century Georgian-style home is open to visitors.

The house, at 4716 Wakefield Chapel Road, is part of the
22,000-acre land grant to the Fitzhugh family in the 1680s known as the Ravensworth Tract. 

Oak Hill Day begins with a welcoming ceremony at 12:30 p.m. The
house will be open for free, self-guided tours 1-3:45 p.m. Throughout the
afternoon, there will be historic exhibits; dramatic re-enactments and
presentations featuring David Fitzhugh, Mrs. Robert E. Lee, Anny Maria
Fitzhugh, and others. Refreshments will be provided by Annandale High School culinary arts students.  

In previous years, former residents of Oak Hill and ancestors
of the Fitzhugh family showed up and talked about their experiences living in a historic house.

Oak Hill would have been demolished, if historic preservation
activists hadn’t battled to save it. In 2004, the Fairfax County Board of
Supervisors, Park Authority Board, and Northern Virginia Conservation Trust negotiated the purchase of a historic easement from Seville Homes. As part of
the agreement, the owners of Oak Hill provide limited public access to the site
once year.