The marker reads:
On this site stood the
HANGMAN'S TREE
According to legend, an old oak used by Col. Mosby to hang Union spies after the Battle of the Peach Orchard during the Civil War.
Regarding spies, the Victorian Society at Falls Church's book Victorian Falls Church has this to offer:
Spies, male and female, military and civilian, black and white, abounded as Falls Church became a floating no-man's land between the armies of the Blue and the Gray. Forts were built, signal flags waved their wigwag, and makeshift hospitals nurtured the sick and wounded. Here Prof. Thaddeus Lowe launched his famous reconnaissance balloons in and about the village of Falls Church. The famous "Gray Ghost" of the Confederacy, Col. John Singleton Mosby, led many a raid in and around Falls Church. These raids created consternation but had little effect on the final outcome.
Regarding the Battle of the Peach Orchard, the Falls Church Village Preservation and Improvement Society site concludes:
Falls Church may thus have a distinction which hitherto has gone unrecognized, namely, of being the scene of the longest battle of the Civil War with the fewest casualties. The Battle of the Peach Orchard appears to have started early one morning in August 1861 and to have been renewed with increased cunning and unabated zeal almost each morning thereafter until October-or, until the last peach in the orchard had been picked and eaten.
The Hangman's Tree reportedly was damaged by construction work and replaced by the marker in 1968, but a 1940's-era photo was published in Victorian Falls Church and can be found in this Falls Church Times Online article.
UPDATE [4.16.2011] New log-only nano container in different location replaces muggled original -- remember to bring a pen. Ample parking for BBQ, burrito and coffee lovers. Saturday morning farmer's market just around the corner if you time it right. NOTE: depending on the time of day, extra stealth may be required. Enjoy!
Congrats to M&R for the FTF, in the dark, no less!
UPDATE [8.11.2014] Due to many lost containers, I've changed the location very slightly to a spot that will hopefully provide long-term placement and updated the clue. Enjoy!
UPDATE [1.3.2015] Created an entirely new container and selected a new location that hopefully will be less prone to muggling.