South Fairfax Chamber Dedicates New Lorton 'Welcome' Sign

Lorton's new eight-foot-tall "welcome" sign was unveiled on Thursday, along northbound Route 1 near Gunston Road. The sign carries the logos of 10 Lorton-area organizations and boldly reads "Lorton, Virginia - 1875." 

"It's here to stay," said Shep Crow, a founding member of the South Fairfax Chamber of Commerce, who led the effort to get the old sign removed and replaced.  

Crow and Lorton's Ray Rainwater took down the former sign, and Crow spent two years raising support and gaining County approval for the new sign. Each community organization listed on the sign contributed funds for the project.

Mount Vernon District Supervisor Gerry Hyland complimented Crow at the dedication ceremony. "Without your efforts in spearheading this project this would not have happened," he said. "It gives us a way of telling people who come up Route 1 about how marvelous a community that they are entering, and introduces them to all of the wonderful organizations that make up Lorton."

The Lorton organizations listed are: 

• Lorton Lions Club
• Mason Neck Citizens Association
• The Lorton Community Action Center
• The South Fairfax Chamber of Commerce
• The South County Federation
• American Legion Post 162
• The Moose Family Center
• The Lorton Volunteer Fire Department
• Rotary International
• Lorton Heritage Society

Crow has lived on Mason Neck since his retirement from federal contracting in 1999. He first came to Lorton in 1954 as a 2nd Lt. in the U.S. Army, where he worked at the Nike Missile site for three years. 

Crow's next project is to dedicate a bench at Pohick Bay Park for Mason Neck's Ray Rainwater, who passed away earlier this year.  

Read: Lorton's Old Welcome Sign Soon to be Replaced. 

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