Mount Vernon's Woodlawn Stables threatened by expansion of Route 1 A recent riding lesson at Woodlawn Stables, with Route 1 in the background. The pending widening of the Highway is threatening to take some of the historic land that was part of George Washington's original farmland. (Shamus Ian Fatzinger - Fairfax County Times) Part of Fairfax County's long history as a rural county was its farms filled with horses and stables, a vestige of which remains in the southern part of the county near Lorton and Fairfax Station. But progress marches on, and as traffic and Fort Belvoir have filled up Route 1, planners have decided to widen the Highway, as locals know it. This poses big problems for Woodlawn Stables, Kali Schumitz reported recently in the Fairfax County Times (and our Local Living section). Realigning Route 1 could cut right through the horse stables at Woodlawn, which houses 50 horses and hosts many riding lessons on its 126 acres, which was once part of George Washington's Mount Vernon estate. A group called Save Woodlawn Stables has risen up, and is meeting at the Sherwood Hall Library just off Route 1 on June 5 to preserve what it calls "the largest equestrian facility in the area and one of the only area stables that provides both public lessons and boarding services." The group has gathered more than 3,000 signatures on a petition, which is no small number, and Supervisor Gerry Hyland told Schumitz that he wants to arrange a compromise. Read the rest of the story here, and state Del. Scott Surovell has a very detailed analysis on his blog.