"Fawnborough", the name given to the Rappahannock Mountain Range grant to Thomas Fairfax, son of William Fairfax, in 1740, has been adopted by the Hall family as the name of their estate.

The present "Fawnborough" is located on the northeast spur of the Rappahannock Mountain Range, known as Strother's Mountain. It adjoins another prominent peak of the Range known as Hall's Point and just beyond is the Wild Cat Mountain (most of which is now embraced by "Merry Oak Farm"). These distinctive sections of the north end of the Range are subtly divided by deep cuts or swales cut through the greenstone· rock formations ions ago.

The property owned by the Michael T. Hall family (of no known relationship to one William Hall for whom Hall's Point apparently received its name) has been accumulated not only from the Fairfax grant, but also contains portions of neighboring early grants. There is a small portion from the Bryan O'Bannon grant of 1728 and a recent (1990) purchase from what was the Nathaniel Chapman grant of 1749. On this grant, or on a hiatus between the Chapman and O'Bannon grants, stood the famous landmark, Lawrence's Old Tavern. The name has moved north from the site of the original tavern about a quarter of a mile and shortened to "Old Tavern''.

The history of each acreage which has been brought together within the past five years by the Hall family, is the subject of this documented chronicle. On the first purchase from Lee R. Prestwood in 1987, which was largely a portion of the Fairfax grant, named "Fawn­ borough", the Halls have built their home, the site of which is the highest point of Strother's Mountain.

A brief History of Fawnborough
as told by John Gott