usalem Baptist Church located on the Ox Road between Fairfax and
Fairfax Station. This church had been built on the site of the old
colonial "Payne's Church."

Illustrating the period when gaslights replaced candles, an elaborate
brass chandelier fitted for gas illumination has been found in the
courthouse attic. It is possibly the fixture which the sheriff was
directed at the February 1890 court to purchase, for a price not to
exceed $25.00. In about 1902, electric lights were installed.[158]

During the restoration of the courthouse following the Civil War one
major alteration of the exterior appearance of the courthouse occurred
when the brickwork between the windows on the first and second floors
was removed to change the windows into single two-story-long vertical
openings. The courthouse windows remained this way until 1968 when
renovation of the original section of the courthouse was carried out,
and double rows were reestablished as they appeared in photographs
taken during the Civil War.

[Illustration: The old courthouse, 1800, prior to restoration in
1967.]

[Illustration: The old courthouse after restoration in 1967.]

Reportedly, another major refurbishment of the courtroom occurred
about 1920. In keeping with the style of that time, the emphasis was
on panelling with dark, polished woods, and moderately ornamental
carving which achieved an appearance of massiveness and dignity. The
judge's bench was located at the west end of the courtroom on a raised
platform and behind a heavy wooden balustrade. Against the west wall
of the room and behind the judge's bench, wooden panelling covered the
space from the southwest corner of the room to a doorway beside the
bench which led into smaller chambers in the rear. This panelling was
topped with a swan's neck pediment behind the judge's chair. At floor
level, beside the judge's bench and behind the balustrade, were the
witness stand and clerk's desk.

The jury box was located along the south wall of the room and faced an
enclosure where tables for counsel and reporters were placed. These,
in turn, were separated from the public seats by a carved wooden
balustrade. Seating for the public on the ground floor was provided in
two sections of wooden benches--the former church pews referred to
earlier--separated by a center aisle. At the rear of this section was
another balustrade setting it apart from the open space inside the
door to the entrance arcade. The two