Fairfax is surrounded by oak-draped glens that have enchanted many, including its early owner and namesake, Lord Charles Snowden Fairfax. The hereditary baron, whose family once owned much of Virginia, entertained guests in grand Southern style on his lovely estate known as Bird's Nest Glen. Later the home became Pastori's, the beloved local landmark hotel and restaurant visited by famous guests like Irving Berlin, who once serenaded diners from a piano perched on a tree house. The 1906 earthquake chased refugees from San Francisco across the bay, and new Fairfax subdivisions appeared, along with the Fairfax Incline Railway, built to help sell hillside lots. In the same era, its meadows, hay fields, and dairy ranches provided the setting for early silent movie Westerns. Today Bird's Nest Glen is known as the Marin Town and Country Club property, and the city boasts a thriving business district and prosperous residential areas. But it has never lost its rustic charm and hospitality.
Authors William and Brian Sagar, a father-and-son team, have researched and compiled images from the Fairfax Historical Society's archives. William, a retired architect, historian, and newsletter editor for the society, and Brian, who works with images at the Marin Independent Journal, combine their skills to tell this fascinating tale.