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First created in 1870, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors currently serves as the governing body for Fairfax County. Containing nine districts each with their own supervisor and one at-large Chairman, the Board of Supervisors is responsible for government functions including local taxation, approving land use, and appointing officials to varying government authorities such as the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority and the Fairfax County Park Authority. Prior to the creation of the Board of Supervisors, many of these functions were handled by the local court. Because of this, many of our collections here at the HRC relate to these functions, including our frequently used tax records collection.
For example, in our 1869 Minute Book, we can see the entry for the bonds given for the first supervisors. On July 25th 1870, the day of their first meeting, we see J. G. Worthington, Dr H. B. Day, Henry D. Rice, Jonathan H Gray, and Courtland Lukins putting up $1000 bonds for being Supervisors.
 Fairfax County Minute Book 1869, page 161
Today, the Board of Supervisors looks quite different from its inception in 1870. Fairfax County was originally divided into sections that were called “townships”: Centreville, Lee, Mount Vernon, Falls Church, Providence, and Dranesville. As the county’s population has grown over time, the original six townships have been divided into the districts that exist today. One of our smaller collections contains a group of documents from 1873 that describe the boundaries of each township. These boundaries can also be seen in the 1879 Hopkins Atlas, which highlights landowners and landmarks within the districts of Fairfax County.
 Boundaries for Centreville Township, from Drawer X Subject Files, Townships 1873
 Boundaries for Dranesville Township, from Drawer X Subject Files, Townships 1873
 Mt Vernon District, Hopkins Atlas 1879
 Providence District, Hopkins Atlas 1879
We can also see the members of the Board of Supervisors in our Term Papers collection. Just like in the 1869 Minute Book, in 1873, we see Supervisors putting up bonds after being elected to their positions. These records can be used to confirm who served as Supervisors and when they were elected.
 Bond for John B. Coleman, Dranesville Township Supervisor, Fairfax Term Papers 1873-111
Today, the Board of Supervisors has its own clerk responsible for their record keeping. While most of the records the Board of Supervisors has generated throughout its history are not court records stored here at the HRC, there are still valuable documents and resources located here that can help tell the story of the Board and those who have been elected to serve on it.
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