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2015 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 640
Commending the Town of Vienna.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 23, 2015
Agreed to by the Senate, January 29, 2015

 

WHEREAS, the Town of Vienna in Fairfax County, which offers residents the charms of a small town with easy access to the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2015; and

WHEREAS, while officially established in 1890, the Town of Vienna traces its deepest roots to the construction of the original Fairfax County Courthouse in the 1700s; a small village—named Ayr Hill after Ayr, Scotland—grew near that court house; and

WHEREAS, the village continued to grow with the arrival of a railroad in 1858, and the site of present-day Vienna was a major campground for both Union and Confederate forces during the Civil War; and

WHEREAS, the Battle of Vienna, the first time in American history in which a railroad was used tactically during war, took place near where the Vienna Community Center now stands; and

WHEREAS, after the war, many northern families relocated to the Vienna area, drawn by the milder climate, fertile soil, and proximity to the nation’s capital; and

WHEREAS, in 1890, the village of 300 residents was incorporated as a town in an effort to improve public schools and roads; Orrin T. Hine, the first Mayor of Vienna, earned the respect of community members as a passionate advocate for public education; and

WHEREAS, in its early years, the Town of Vienna saw the construction of several new churches, as well as many thriving businesses; the Money and King Funeral Home was founded in 1881 and remains the town’s oldest continuous business; and

WHEREAS, the longstanding Vienna Volunteer Fire Department has been safeguarding the lives and property of Vienna residents since it was established in 1903 by Leon Freeman, who stored the department’s hand-drawn chemical engine under his porch; and

WHEREAS, the Town of Vienna continued to expand rapidly with the construction of a trolley line to Washington, D.C., in 1903, and over 10,000 new residents moved to the area after World War II; and

WHEREAS, in 1954, the Town of Vienna’s first modern shopping center opened, and by 1961, the growing population spurred the establishment of what is now known as Inova Fairfax Hospital; the community also benefited from the opening of Dulles International Airport in 1962, Tysons Corner Center in 1968, and the Vienna Metrorail station in 1986; and

WHEREAS, throughout its history, the Town of Vienna has cultivated a strong sense of community fellowship and preserved proud traditions and institutions that have helped the area maintain its small-town atmosphere through decades of growth; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Town of Vienna on the occasion of its 125th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Town of Vienna as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the town’s rich heritage and unique place in the history of the Commonwealth.