From the 1600s to present day, Great Falls has had a sense of community hard to find anywhere else. In 1608, Captain John Smith became the first to explore the area of Great Falls after the Native Americans. Smith brought back news to the settlement of the abundant game and waterfalls that he had discovered and suggested that they cultivate the land there and pasture animals for food in the winter.
Until 1722, however, the Native Americans continued to make up a majority of the Great Falls area. In 1722, Governor Spottswood of Virginia signed the Treaty of Albany with the Iroquois Nation, forcing the Native Americans to relocate to the western side of the Blue Ridge.
When Thomas Lee became the resident agent for the landholders of the Northern Neck Proprietary, or Great Falls area, in 1711, he dreamed a future for the Falls as a powerful commercial center. Although this was his desire, Lee failed in making it a reality when he offended the powerful Carter family in 1728 due to his refusal to help Robert “King” Carter build an ore dock below the Falls. For many years, the Carters held their grudge and stopped all of Lee’s attempts to make something of the Falls.
Two generations later, Richard Henry Lee, also known as Light-Horse Harry Lee, built a town named Matildaville in honor of his first wife. At that time, Matildaville was a part of Loudoun County, but in 1742, Fairfax County was formed to encompass Fairfax, Loudon, and Arlington County. Matildaville was moderately successful with its own warehouse, shops, forge barracks, sawmill and gristmill.
The Potowmack Company headquarters was also located at Matildaville from 1785 to 1799. The General Assembly of Virginia created the Potowmack Canal Company after George Washington requested that a charter be issued to open up the Potomac River for navigation. George Washington had first become familiar with the area when he was doing survey work for the Ohio Company in 1749.
THE CANAL LOCKS were completed in 1795 and the Potowmack Canal became the first canal in the United States. It operated until 1828 when it was abandoned for the Chesapeake and Ohio Canals. Although Matildaville had thrived for twenty years, when the Potowmack Company failed, Matildaville followed.
During the Civil War, Great Falls was an area of constant activity. The Battle of Dranesville, a skirmish between Union and Confederate foraging parties, was fought at the intersection of Georgetown Pike, Leesburg Pike and Reston Avenue. Georgetown Pike continued to be patrolled by Union cavalry during the war and regiments camped in the area until April of 1865.
Great Falls had first been known as Forestville, named by a visiting colonel before the Civil War, who had been impressed by the beautiful forests in the area. The community was at first widely scattered on large farms and many did not even know their neighbors until the Great Falls Grange was created in 1920. The organization of the Great Falls Grange worked for better roads, a foundation for the school, and a new post office.
The churches in Great Falls also created a social life for many in the community with their pie socials, oyster suppers and box parties. During the summer, Camp Meetings, which were quite similar to revivals, were hosted by area churches and could last up to one month. Colvin Run Mill was also an attraction for many during the winter with its skating parties and many people would gather there to collect ice to make ice cream. Above all, Great Falls Park was a favorite place for almost every Great Falls family. The park was a place where families could picnic, fish and relax together. These social events brought the people of Great Falls closer together. “I knew every single person in the community,” said Milburn Sanders, a longtime resident of Great Falls.
IN 1906, THE WASHINGTON and Old Dominion Railroad trolley enabled people to buy property along Old Dominion Drive and commute to work in the city. When the railroad was disbanded in the 1930s, it became a well-traveled road.
Along with these changes, schools also improved, as one-room schoolhouses became two-story buildings in 1924. Until 1845, many schools had been used as churches and had held services on Sundays. As the number of students grew, older pupils had to be transferred to Herndon until 1953, when children could walk to their new school on Walker Road, present day Great Falls Elementary School.
Before 1959, when the Great Falls Post Office was opened, the community was served by rural delivery out of Herndon and Vienna. The opening of the post office brought with it a change of name for the town. Forestville became Great Falls in order to avoid confusion with the other Forestvilles in Maryland and Virginia.
Nearly two hundred years after the fall of Matildaville, Great Falls experienced a population increase of fifty percent from the years 1960 to 1967.