“How did Frying Pan Branch get its curious name?” I often get asked this question here. Frying Pan Branch is a small stream with a big history. I will tell you the many theories behind the name “Frying Pan” in relation to the area around the Town of Herndon.
Frying Pan is a historic area south of Herndon. It includes Frying Pan Farm Park and the Frying Pan Baptist Meeting House. The area was originally called Frying Pan. Later, it changed to Floris.
Historically, Floris and Herndon were closely connected. Farmers from Floris would come to Herndon. They bought supplies like equipment, tools, grain, and feed. They also brought their products to the train station.
The name Frying Pan dates back about 300 years. At that time, Robert “King” Carter formed a company to mine copper here. But nobody knows for sure where the name Frying Pan came from.
One theory says that two of King Carter’s surveyors camped by a stream in the 1720s. They smelled smoke and found Seneca Indians cooking horse meat. The surveyors killed two Indians and ate the horse meat themselves. This incident was significant enough to name the location. But there is no proof of this story.
Another theory says settlers walked along streams looking for cabin sites. When a stream had a pond at its mouth, it was called a “frying pan.” The stream leading into the woods was the handle. Today, Frying Pan Branch runs by Frying Pan Farm Park. It connects with Horsepen Run near Carter’s copper mine.
Another story comes from John Davis. In 1801, he was hiking from New Jersey to near Manassas. He met a boy who said, “You be in the pan now.” Davis said Frying Pan had four huts and a Meeting House. The story says Indians camped there and “missed their frying pan in the morning.” It is not clear what “missed their frying pan” means.
Historians say that English colonists found a frying pan by a stream. So they named the creek Frying Pan Branch.
Another story claims that General Braddock left a frying pan at the spring during the French and Indian War.
Some say Confederate Colonel John Singleton Mosby’s men washed their frying pans in the spring during the Civil War. They left one behind. But the Frying Pan name was used over 100 years before the Civil War.
Another story says British soldiers cooked breakfast by a creek during the War of 1812. American troops surprised them. The British called it the Frying Pan skirmish. The community adopted the name. However, the Frying Pan stream was on maps dating back to Carter’s time. So the 1812 story is not likely.
A librarian said groups of people camped by the water. In their haste, they left their frying pan behind. Depending on the story, the people were soldiers from the War of 1812, copper miners from 1728, or even Indians. Another story says the shape of the run emptying into a round pool suggested the name.
The name Frying Pan appears in Virginia records in 1728. Robert “King” Carter bought land to build a copper mine. Some stories say miners left their frying pan behind. But the name was already in use before they arrived.
Maps from 1725 showed a stream named Frying Pan. The exact origins of the name may always be a mystery.
By the late 1800s, Frying Pan village was a summer retreat for Washingtonians. A boarding house guest thought the community should have a more genteel name. In 1892, the village and post office were renamed Floris. Floris means flower in Latin.
In conclusion, while the true origin of the name Frying Pan Branch remains a mystery, its many stories provide a glimpse into the area’s rich history. From surveyors and soldiers to miners and Native Americans, each tale adds a layer of intrigue to this unique landmark.