The mobile quarantine facility ( MQF ) was a converted Airstream trailer used by NASA to quarantine astronauts returning from Apollo lunar missions for the first few days after splashdown . The MQF was on the aircraft carrier that picked up the capsule. Once the aircraft carrier reached port, the MQF was flown to Houston, and the crew served the remainder of the 21 days of quarantine in the Lunar Receiving Laboratory at the Manned Spacecraft Center. The purpose of the quarantine was to prevent the spread of any contagions from the Moon, though the existence of such contagions was considered unlikely. It functioned by maintaining a lower pressure inside and filtering any air vented.
43-504: In June of 1967, NASA awarded contract to design and build the four MQF's to Melpar, Inc., of Falls Church , Virginia. Lawrence K. Eliason was the head project manager. The MQF contained living and sleeping facilities as well as communications equipment which the astronauts used to converse with their families. The Apollo 11 crew also used this equipment to speak with President Nixon , who personally welcomed them back to Earth in July 1969 aboard
86-604: A Pre-K to 8th grade Christian parochial school of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod . The Falls Church News-Press is a free weekly newspaper founded in 1991 that focuses on local news and commentary and includes nationally syndicated columns. The area is also served by national and regional newspapers, including The Washington Times and The Washington Post . The city is also served by numerous citizen- and corporate-sponsored Internet blogs. WAMU Radio 88.5 produces news and opinion programs with
129-514: A fine home on the south side of the Leesburg Pike, at the crook where it curves around the summit of Munson's Hill. The home was demolished 100 years later, in 1962, to make way for a large apartment building, Munson Hill Apartments (now Towers), which still stands on the site at 6129 Leesburg Pike. In 1955 the summit of Munson's Hill was bulldozed and flattened to create more land on which to build single-family homes. The hill as it appears today
172-516: A large portion of eastern Fairfax County, including the dense commercial areas of Tysons Corner and Merrifield , until January 2014, when the water utility was sold to the Fairfax County Water Authority . The city is served by Falls Church City Public Schools : Of the four Falls Church City Public Schools, one, Mount Daniel Elementary School, is located outside city limits in neighboring Fairfax County. Falls Church High School
215-632: A local focus. Although two stations on the Washington Metro 's Orange Line have "Falls Church" in their names, neither lies within the City of Falls Church: East Falls Church station is in Arlington County and West Falls Church station is in Fairfax County . The primary roads serving Falls Church directly are U.S. Route 29 and Virginia State Route 7 . The portion of US 29 through Falls Church
258-417: A local history collection, including newspaper files, local government documents, and photographs. The State Theatre stages a wide variety of live performances. Built as a movie house in 1936, it was reputed to be the first air-conditioned theater on the east coast. It closed in 1983; after extensive renovations in the 1990s, including a stage, bar, and restaurant, it re-opened as a music venue. Falls Church
301-575: A nationally affiliated party nomination. City services and functions include education, parks and recreation, library, police, land use, zoning, building inspections, street maintenance, and storm water and sanitary sewer service. Often named a Tree City USA , the city has one full-time arborist. Some public services are provided by agreement with the city's county neighbors of Arlington and Fairfax, including certain health and human services (Fairfax); and court services, transport, and fire/rescue services (Arlington). The city provided water utility service to
344-447: Is a part of this encircling chain, along with Mason's Hill to its immediate southeast and Upton's and Minor's hills to its northwest. Munson's Hill takes its name from Daniel O. Munson, who moved to a 180-acre (0.73 km ) farm on the hill in 1851 and opened an extensive nursery, later called Munson Hill Nurseries, which operated into the mid-1900s. Munson was joined on his farm by his father, Timothy Bishop Munson, and they built
387-634: Is also coincident with Virginia State Route 237 . Most of Virginia State Route 338 is also within Falls Church. Interstate 66 passes just north of the city, while Interstate 495 passes a few miles to the west. In 2006, Falls Church entered into a sister city relationship with Kokolopori , Democratic Republic of the Congo . Munson%27s Hill Munson's Hill is a geographic eminence located in eastern Fairfax County, Virginia . Its summit rises to 367 feet (112 m) above sea level. Munson's Hill
430-579: Is also the smallest county-equivalent in the United States by area. The center of the city is the crossroads of Virginia State Route 7 (Broad St./Leesburg Pike) and U.S. Route 29 (Washington St./Lee Highway). Tripps Run, a tributary of the Cameron Run Watershed , drains two-thirds of Falls Church, while the Four Mile Run watershed drains the other third of the city. Four Mile Run flows at
473-570: Is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia , United States. As of the 2020 census , the population was 14,658. Falls Church is part of both Northern Virginia and the Washington metropolitan area . As of 2020, it has a median household income of $ 146,922, the second-highest household income of any county in the nation behind Loudoun County, Virginia . Taking its name from The Falls Church , an 18th-century Church of England , later
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#1732883963048516-464: Is governed by a seven-member city council, each elected at large for four-year, staggered terms. Council members are typically career professionals holding down full-time jobs. In addition to attending a minimum of 22 council meetings and 22 work sessions each year, they also attend meetings of local boards and commissions and regional organizations (several Council Members serve on committees of regional organizations as well). Members also participate in
559-401: Is located at 38°51′35″N 77°08′44″W / 38.85983°N 77.14554°W / 38.85983; -77.14554 . The hill is adjacent to Upton's Hill (410 ft) on its north. It is located at an area called Seven Corners , where Leesburg Pike, U.S. Route 50, Sleepy Hollow Road, and Wilson Boulevard intersect. Until recent decades the area of heights where the roads intersect
602-638: Is not part of the Falls Church City Public School system, but rather the Fairfax County Public Schools ; it does not serve the city of Falls Church. Falls Church City is eligible to send up to three students per year to the Fairfax County magnet school, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology . The city is home to Saint James Catholic School, a parochial school serving grades K–8, and Grace Christian Academy,
645-588: Is somewhat shorter than before. Munson's Hill overlooks the broad, flat plain that is Bailey's Crossroads. During the Civil War Confederate Army officers and Southern journalists visited frequently and never failed to remark upon the view, which included much of Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia. One war correspondent of the Charleston Mercury newspaper visited in September 1861 and offered
688-654: The American Revolution the area is most known for The Falls Church vestrymen George Washington and George Mason . A copy of the United States Declaration of Independence was read to citizens from the steps of The Falls Church during the summer of 1776. During the American Civil War Falls Church voted 44–26 in favor of secession. The Confederate army occupied the then village of Falls Church as well as Munson's and Upton's hills to
731-610: The East Falls Church Metro station. Most of Banneker Park is in Arlington County, across Van Buren Street from Isaac Crossman Park at Four Mile Run. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.2 km ), all of it land and none of it water. Falls Church is the smallest independent city by area in Virginia. Since independent cities in Virginia are considered county-equivalents, it
774-509: The Episcopal Church , Falls Church gained township status within Fairfax County in 1875. In 1948, it seceded from Fairfax County and was incorporated as the City of Falls Church, an independent city with county-level governance status although it is not nominally a county. The city's corporate boundaries do not include all of the area historically known as Falls Church; these areas include portions of Seven Corners and other portions of
817-805: The American and British press during the early months of the Civil War. Several depict Daniel Munson's three-story barn, and one depicts his home. These have been reprinted in full in a local history of the Civil War entitled A Virginia Village Goes to War--Falls Church During the Civil War . The Munson's Hill Nurseries recovered after the Civil War and supplied much of Northern Virginia with its domesticated greenery. In Falls Church Broad Street and Washington Street were lined with silver maples planted by Daniel Munson in 1889. Those lining West Broad Street were cut in 1948–49, and those along East Broad Street met their doom in 1958, all due to street widening. The legacy of
860-482: The Commonwealth of Virginia and the smallest county-equivalent municipality in the United States. The independent city of Falls Church is named for the 1734 Church of England (later Episcopal Church ) church building named The Falls Church founded at the intersection of important Native American trails that were later paved and named Broad Street, Lee Highway and Little Falls Street. The first known government in
903-598: The East, probably due to their views of Washington . On September 28, 1861, Confederate troops withdrew from Falls Church and nearby hills, retreating to the heights at Centreville . Union troops took Munson's and Upton's hills, yet the village was never entirely brought under Union rule. Mosby's Raiders made several armed incursions into the heart of Falls Church to kidnap and murder suspected Northern sympathizers in 1864 and 1865. Cherry Hill Farmhouse and Barn, an 1845 Greek-Revival farmhouse and 1856 barn, owned and managed by
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#1732883963048946-612: The Falls Church Farmer's Market is held Saturdays year-round, Jan 3 – April 25 (9 am – Noon), May 2 – Dec 26 (8 am – Noon), at the City Hall Parking Lot, 300 Park Ave. In addition to regional attention, in 2010 the market was ranked first in the medium category of the American Farmland Trust's contest to identify America's Favorite Farmers' Markets. The Falls Church Village Preservation and Improvement Society
989-728: The Munson home, Daniel Munson mounted his horse and attempted to flee toward Union army lines. As he exited his gate onto the Leesburg Turnpike, Confederate sharpshooters shot his horse out from under him. He got up and ran across the fields towards Bailey's Crossroads and escaped capture, eventually making it to the protection of Union lines. This all changed during the night of September 28, 1861. The Confederate Army silently withdrew from Falls Church and Munson's, Mason's and Upton's hills, and retreated to Centreville , which they fortified. The Union Army, to its extreme embarrassment, discovered
1032-485: The Munson trees—which formed a beautiful leafy bower—continues to be something Falls Church seeks to emulate today, through successful street-tree planting programs. Munson's Hill was fully developed in the 1950s and early 1960s. Much of it is covered by the commercial and shopping area called Seven Corners , consisting of many large stores and shopping centers lining either side of Leesburg Pike. The hill's slopes and former summit are occupied by single-family housing. It
1075-607: The Stove-Pipes" all poke caustic fun at Northern generals. One song called Munson's Hill a "mountain of sand" . Life during this time was hard for the Munsons, particularly the elderly Timothy B. Munson, who as a native New Yorker felt it necessary to seek refuge in Washington. After the Southern army withdrew from the area he suffered numerous deprivations while under the military rule of
1118-507: The U.S. Capitol, using "looking glasses" (telescopes), could see fearsome-looking Confederate cannon mounted in emplacements all across Munson's Hill. The village of Falls Church , just 1.4 miles (2.3 km) away, hosted the local Confederate headquarters. The area became a deathtrap during this time as Confederate sharpshooters, with their commanding view of Bailey's Crossroads , shot and killed as many Union army soldiers as they could. During one particularly intense firefight very close to
1161-488: The Union Army—-and, ironically, the worst were meted out by the poorly disciplined soldiers of the 37th New York Infantry , from Munson's home state. In a letter to a Washington newspaper Munson cataloged all the deprivations and offenses and closed with the plea, "My God! How long must these things continue? We may well exclaim, Save us from our friends!!!" Numerous lithographs of Munson's Hill were published in
1204-430: The United States, with a median annual household income of $ 113,313. While Fortune 500 companies General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman have headquarters with mailing addresses in Falls Church, they are physically in Fairfax County . According to the city's 2021 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the top employers in the city are: The city has broken ground on several redevelopment projects to be completed in
1247-471: The Virginia Municipal League and some serve on statewide committees. The mayor is elected by members of the council. The city operates in a typical council–manager form of municipal government, with a city manager hired by the council to serve as the city's chief administrative officer. The city's elected Sheriff is Metin "Matt" Cay. Candidates for city elections typically do not run under
1290-521: The area was the Iroquois Confederacy . After exploration by Captain John Smith , England began sending colonists to what they called Virginia. While no records have yet been found showing the earliest colony settlement in the area, a cottage demolished between 1908 and 1914, two blocks from the city center, bore a stone engraved with the date "1699" set into one of its two large chimneys. During
1333-461: The base of Minor's Hill , which overlooks Falls Church on its north, and Upton's Hill , which bounds the area to its east. Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race. In 2011, Falls Church was named the richest county (or county equivalent) in
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1376-896: The city of Falls Church, are open to the public on select Saturdays in summer. Tinner Hill Arch and Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation represent a locus of early African American history in the area, including the site of the first rural chapter of the NAACP . Two of the District of Columbia's original 1791 boundary stones are located in public parks on the boundary between Falls Church and Arlington County . The west cornerstone stands in Andrew Ellicott Park at 2824 Meridian Street, Falls Church and N. Arizona Street, Arlington, just south of West Street. Stone number SW9 stands in Benjamin Banneker Park on Van Buren Street, south of 18th Street, near
1419-424: The current Falls Church postal districts in Fairfax County and Arlington County , known as East Falls Church , which was part of the town of Falls Church from 1875 to 1936. For statistical purposes, the U.S. Department of Commerce 's Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the City of Falls Church with Fairfax City and Fairfax County. At 2.11 square miles, Falls Church is the smallest incorporated municipality in
1462-476: The deep foliage. Right in front of you, and only four miles and a half away, in an air line, the great steeple of Alexandria, banner-crowned, stands up against the clear sky. The town itself is obscured by an intervening strip of woodland; but the works on Seminary Hill, which command the approach, can be seen with the naked eye. To the left of these fortifications, the dome of the Capitol lifts its ponderous head from
1505-453: The fearsome-looking cannon to be "Quaker guns" – logs painted black. The army was the subject of ridicule throughout the North, where confounded citizens pondered how their army was kept at bay for two months with nothing more than what Mother Nature grew in her own foundry! Songs were written by Northern lyricists lampooning their army. "The Bold Engineer", "Munson's Hill!", and "The Battle of
1548-435: The following description: Standing on the crest of the hill, the panorama unrolled before you, is one of exquisite beauty. The river sweeps around the base of the hills beyond, hidden from view, but easily traced by the blue line of mist which marks its course. Beyond the unseen boundary of our contending countries an infinite plain stretches south to the horizon, relieved here and there by a solitary farmstead nestled down in
1591-508: The next few years, including the West Falls Church Economic Development Project and Founders Row along Route 7/Broad street. The city holds an annual Memorial Day Parade with bands, military units, civic associations, and fire/rescue stations, in recent years the event has featured a street festival with food, crafts, and non-profit organization booths, and a 3K fun run (the 2009 race drew some 3,000 runners).
1634-459: The plain of Bailey's Crossroads and all the way into the federal capital. More to the point, Washingtonians could also see a massive Confederate flag fluttering in the breeze from high atop the hill. A stalemate then ensued, as Washington and its residents grew increasingly concerned that the Confederacy would launch an attack from Falls Church and its hills via the river bridges. Observers at
1677-544: The recovery ship USS Hornet after splashdown. The trailers housed the three crew as well as a physician, William Carpentier , and an engineer, John Hirasaki , who ran the MQF and powered down the command module. Four MQFs were built for NASA: The quarantine requirement was eliminated following Apollo 14 once it was proven the Moon was sterile and that the facilities were therefore unnecessary. Falls Church Falls Church
1720-476: The town passed a segregation ordinance by creating segregated districts in the town. The ordinance was not enforced after the U. S. Supreme Court ruling in Buchanan v. Warley in 1917. The Mary Riley Styles Public Library is Falls Church's public library; established in 1899, its current building was constructed for the purpose in 1958 and expanded in 1993 and 2021. In addition to its circulating collections, it houses
1763-762: The white shoulders of the city, which slope away on either side... The hill was famous during the American Civil War , when it made international news headlines repeatedly. After the war opened in South Carolina, events quickly moved to Northern Virginia. A calamitous loss suffered at the First Battle of Manassas by the Union Army in July 1861 caused it to withdraw almost completely from Northern Virginia. Confederate Army troops quickly occupied Munson's, Upton's and Mason's hills, from which they had commanding views of
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1806-532: Was called Perkins' Hill and was considered a geographically distinct hill by local residents. Geographers, however, appear to consider the two as one. The junction of the Potomac River with the Anacostia River occurs in a natural depression. The lower portion of Washington, D.C., and its Monumental Core thus are located in a naturally occurring "bowl" circled by hills and bluffs on every side. Munson's Hill
1849-509: Was founded in 1885 by Arthur Douglas and re-established in 1965 to promote the history, culture, and beautification of the city. The Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation was founded in 1997 by Edwin B. Henderson II to preserve the Civil Rights and African American history and culture. Falls Church is where the first rural branch of the NAACP was established stemming from events that took place in 1915, when
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