Lt. Col. Silas Burke (b.1796–d.1854) lived here with his wife, Hannah Coffer. Burke, for whom Burke's Station on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad was named, served as a director of the railroad and the Fairfax Turnpike Company. An innkeeper and farmer, Burke was elected president of the Fairfax Agricultural Society in 1850. He held many county offices with distinction, including road surveyor, commissioner of public buildings and schools, county court justice, presiding justice, and sheriff.
