Lee Chapel was built in 1871 as a Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Robert E. Lee. The Chapel replaced Mount Carmel Church which had burned down. In 1923 the chapel closed because of “combined circumstances and impassable roads.” In 1939 the chapel reopened through the efforts of former members and new residents in the community. The chapel closed permanently in October 1951 because of the impending construction of Burke Airport*. Then the abandoned chapel became victim to vandalism and later was destroyed under a controlled burning. Today. the Sydenstricker United Methodist Church maintains the cemetery, which is tucked away in the woods in the midst of suburbia on Fairfax County Parkway.
Photos of Lee Chapel Cemetery
County Survey Record
*More information about proposed Burke airport. Citizen opposition such as reflected in this letter defeated locating the airport in Burke. After an eight year campaign, the federal government chose an alternate site in Chantilly – today’s Dulles Airport – and advertised the condemned Burke land for sale.
