Established 166 years ago in 1851, Fairfax Station was originally a station of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, with proximity to the county seat of Fairfax; it was known as "Lee's Station" during its first year. During the Civil War in August 1862, Clara Barton tended to wounded Union and Confederate troops at the station after the Second Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), with headquarters at nearby St. Mary's Church. An employee of the U.S. Patent Office in Washington at the start of the war, Barton later founded the American Red Cross in 1881. A small skirmish was also fought during at Brimstone Hill near Fairfax Station, the last in the county during the war.
The construction of St. Mary's began in 1858, and it was the first Catholic church in Fairfax County. Its parishioners were primarily Irish immigrants, employed by the railroad. The area was renamed Swetnam in 1897, and reverted to Fairfax Station in 1921.
Located 4.5 miles from Fairfax Station was the site of The Battle of Fairfax Court House. Click the link for more Civil War history of the area.