Dominion Valley Garden Club
Blue Star Memorial Garden
In 2007, the Dominion Valley Garden Club (DVGC) teamed with the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) to honor former, present, and future members of the Armed Forces. The DVGC installed a Blue Star By-Way Marker at the Fairfax Station Railroad Museum, an important and historical site in our county with history dating back to the Civil War. The DVGC designed and planted a large garden which surrounds the DAR’s flagpole and our Blue Star Marker.
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For the past 18 years, the DVGC has maintained the Blue Star Memorial Garden. In recent years we have expanded our care to several garden areas around the museum. Every May, the Dominion Valley Garden Club replants the garden. After the initial planting, a monthly rotation of members is assigned to tend the garden from May through November. All members participate in this project and funding is provided through a small budget from the club’s treasury.
Historic St. Mary's Garden
Blue Star Memorial Garden
In 1977, as its first major community project, the newly formed Dominion Valley
Garden Club undertook the restoration of the gardens of the St. Mary’s Historic Church in
Fairfax Station, Virginia. The church was built in 1858 and its early parishioners were primarily Irish immigrants employed by the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. During the Civil War, wounded soldiers were brought by train to be treated and evacuated to Alexandria and
Washington DC. Clara Barton, who would subsequently establish the American Red Cross,
tended to the wounded and made the church her headquarters. The Club’s efforts were
recognized with a Historic Preservation Award from the National Capital Area Federation of
Garden Clubs and a Certificate of Merit from the 24 County History Commission.
In recognition of the Club’s 50th anniversary, in 2024 the DVGC updated and refreshed the gardens at Historic Saint Mary’s. Working with a local landscaping firm, members selected
appropriate plantings and replaced bushes and restored flower beds. A plaque memorializing our role in preserving the garden was installed as
well as a charming stone birdbath, continuing the Dominion Valley Garden
Club’s legacy at the historic church. The Club’ s efforts were recognized by the
National Capital Area Garden Clubs with a Certificate of Merit First Place NCA
25: Historic Preservation Award.