Prince William Co VA Genealogy: Historic Places
 
 

Historical Sites With Present Day Historical Marker Locations

Prince William County Territory,

which included the areas of Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria, Loudoun, and Fauquier, was reduced to its present size and shape in 1759. Its first courthouse was built in 1731 on the south bank of the Occoquan at Woodbridge. The court house was relocated five times, moving in 1893 to Manassas, the present county seat.

History of Dumfries (13) Northbound Rt. l near Dumfries First settled in the early 18th century, became in 1749 the first town in Prince William County chartered by the House of Burgesses. It soon grew in wealth and importance as a major port, rivaling Alexandria, Baltimore, and New York in tonnage shipped. The town's status as a center for the sale and shipment of tobacco, despite its inland location on a creek, reached its peak in the 1760s. In 1762, the county court moved to Dumfries, where it remained for 60 years. Ironically, the soil erosion caused by tobacco farming resulted in the silting up of Quantico Creek. The prosperity and population of Dumfries declined and the court moved to Brentsville in 1822.

Prince William County Courthouse

, Dumfries, 1760-1822 Fairfax and Duke Street

Dumfries Raid

(14) Northbound Rt. 1 near "V,"Dumfries On 26 December 1862, Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart led 1,800 cavalry out of Fredericksburg on his third and last major raid. Stuart divided his column and on 27 December launched a two-pronged attack on Dumfries, a major Union supply base. The garrison thwarted the Confederate cavalry commanded by Brig Gen. Fitzhugh Lee and Brig. Gen. W.H.F. ("Rooney") Lee despite the efforts of Stuart's legendary horse artillery. Stuart continued the raid through Occoquan, Burke's Station, Fairfax Court House, Warrenton, and Culpeper before returning to Fredericksburg on 1 Jan 1836. During the raid, Stuart seized some 200 prisoners, as many horses and mules and 20 wagonloads of equipment.

Dumfries

, a thriving 18th Century shipping port which rivaled Boston and New York, was chartered in 1749. Several towns were chartered before the Civil War, but, of these, only Haymarket (1739) and Occoquan (1804) remain with Dumfries as functioning municipalities today. The town of Quantico(1927) came into existence after the creation of the Quantico Marine Corps Base. Manassas and Manassas Park withdrew from the County in 1975 to become independent cities.

Just east of this location along Quantico Creek was the plantation known as Graham Park. This property was patented by John Graham (1711-1787), who came to Virginia from Scotland about 1733. Graham is known as the founder of Dumfries since the town sprang to life from 60 acres taken from his plantaion in 1749. He was a successful merchant, trustee of Dumfries and county clerk.

The Potomac Path or King's Highway

became a major transportation route, linking the northern and southern colonies. Lafayette, Washington and Rochambeau were travelers along this route stopping at the Woodbridge plantation of George Mason; Rippon Lodge, home of Colonel Richard Blackburn; and the Stagecoach Inn at the port of Dumfries. U.S. Route 1 closely follows this early route. Henry Lee Ill, known as "Light Horse Harry " and the father of General Robert E. Lee, lived just north of Dumfries on the Leesylvania Plantation.

Potomac Path (6) Rt. 1 near Rippon Landing To the east is the only preserved segment of the Potomac Path, the earliest north-south route in northern Virginia. Following an ancient Indian trail, the road, later known as the King's Highway, assumed great importance for overland travel between the colonies and in the early days of the Republic. Washington and Rochambeau traveled this route to Yorktown in 1781 as did the French Army on its return the following year. Rippon Lodge, a portion of which was in 1725 by Col. Richard Blackburn, stands nearby.

Foreseeing the coming break with the Mother Country, the citizens of Prince William assembled at Dumfries on June 6, 1774, and adopted the Prince William County Resolves. Later in the same year, one of the first companies of Minutemen in Virginia was organized. William Grayson, a native son, played a prominent role in securing Virginia's ratification of the Constitution and was to become Virginia's first United States Senator.

Prince William was the setting for the First and Second Battles of Manassas, two of the most significant battles of the War Between the States. Today, the events of these battles are remembered and monumentalized in the Manassas National Battlefield Park located just northwest of the City of Manassas.

Neabsco Creek

(7) Rt. 1 and Neabsco Mills Road Nearby are the sites of a fort ordered built in 1679, and of the oldest tomb found in the county, that of Rose Peters - 1690. Iron mining was begun here as early as 1734. Remains of a colonial furnace, foundry, and mill have been discovered. Confederate regiments were camped in the vicinity to support gun batteries set up in the winter of 1861-1862 to interdict union navigation of the Potomac River

Henry Lee
Henry Lee, from Wikipedia

Henry Lee III "Light Horse Harry"

(9) 1756-1818 Leesylvania State Park off Neabsco Road 177&1781 Cavalry Commander 1779 awarded Congressional Medal 1786-1788 Member Continental Congress 1791-1794 Governor of Virginia 17991801 Member of U.S. Congress Father of General Robert E. Lee C.S.A. Henry Lee Ill was born nearby at the mansion house of "Leesylvania Plantation."

"Leesylvania"

(10) Rt. 1 at the present day Garfield Police Station This historically important property was part of a land grant dating back to 1658 and was the site of "Leesylvania", the home of Henry Lee 11(1729-1789). The Neabsco Iron Foundry, which was located nearby, furnished "pig iron and shot" to the Virginia Navy and also helped to equip the Commonwealth's Militia during the Revolution.

Leesylvania State Park

(11) Neabsco Road at entrance to park This 508-acre park was donated to the Commonwealth in 1978 by Daniel K. Ludwig and was opened on June 17, 1989. The park, whose name means "Lee's Woods," is the ancestral home of the famous Lee family of Virginia. The land, which was patented in 1658, was the home of Henry Lee II and Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee Ill, father of General Robert E. Lee. Nearby Freestone Point was the site of a Confederate artillery emplacement which successfully blockaded the Potomac River during the Civil War.

Fairfax County Area

is 417 SQ miles, formed in 1742 from Prince William and Loudoun, and named for Lord Fairfax, proprietor of the Northern Neck. Mount Vernon, George Washington's home, is in this county.

One Hundred and Fifty Yards East.

. (2) Rt. 1 and Annapolis Way One hundred and fifty yards east of this spot stood the first courthouse of Prince William County organized in 1731. This monument erected by the Bicentennial Committee of Prince William County, September 5, 1931, was presented to the people of the county by Wade R. Ellis of Rippon Lodge, chairman of the committee.

The Occoquan

(3) Rt. 1 and Annapolis Way Near here in 1608 Captain John Smith found the "King's House of the Doeg Indians. In 1729, "King" TM Carter built a landing here to ship copper ore. A town called Colchester was established here in 1753. Occoquan, to the west, was founded in 1804. On December 27,1862, Wade Hampton raided Occoquan.

Early Land Patents

(4) Rt 1 and Woodbridge Commuter Rail In 1653, Thomas Burbage obtained 3,000 acres between the Occoquan and Neabsco Creek. Burbage's Neck later passed to Martin Scarlet (d. 1695), pioneer settler and sometime Burgess. George Mason II gained 534 acres of Occoquan River frontage including a ferry landing and the site of the first Prince William Court House

Stafford County

The area is 274 SQ miles Formed in 1664 from Westmoreland, and named for Staffordshire, England. The Army of the Potomac camped in this county, 1862- 1863.

Quantico

(17) Rt.1, just south of the Iwo Jima statue Earliest land patents for this area date back to 1654. Great plantations "Dipple" and "Berea" were built nearby. Virginia Naval elements were based in the vicinity during the Revolutionary War. Charter enacted in 1788 for new port town "Carrborough" . Confederate battery "Evansport" active during blockade of Washington in 1861-1862. Resort community "Potomac" was established in 1872. U.S. Marine Corps began major installation in 1917. Present town of Quantico incorporated in 1927.

Troop Movements and Camp

(19) Rt. 234 near Montclair entrance Prince William militia opened a road nearby in preparation for the Yorktown Campaign of 1781. French and American calvary (sic) wagon trains, and cattle unable to use the ferry at Woodbridge, traveled this road, fording the river at Wolf Run Shoals, on the way to Dumfries. The same road was used by Confederate and Union forces, and the 6th N.C. Infantry quartered near here during the winter of 1861-1862.

Alexander Henderson

(20) At end of Dolphin Beach Road on the hill, Alexander Henderson, colonial merchant, born Glascow, Scotland 1738 came to Colchester, Va. 1756. Moved to Dumfries 1787, where his home still stands. Served as vestryman Pohick Church, Magistrate of Fairfax and Prince William Cos., member Virginia General Assembly, Virginia delegate to Mt. Vernon Conference - 1785 which led to Constitutional Convention - 1787. Died Nov.22, 1815. Buried here with his wife Sarah Moore Henderson (1751-Dec. 14, 1816). Their son, Archibald, (1783-1859) was Commandant of the United States Marine Corps for over 38 years.

William Grayson's Grave

(5) Rt.1 near Marumsco Plaza William Grayson, lawyer, member of the Continental Congress, Constitutional Convention and U.S. Senate, is buried nearby on property formerly part of "Belle Air" the family plantation. In 1774, Grayson organized Prince William county's first revolutionary militia unit. He commanded a Virginia regiment and served as Aide-de-Camp to Washington.

Campaign of 1781

(12) Rt 1, Dumfries Lafayette, coming to Virginia to take command, moved by this road, April 1781. Here passed Washington and Rochambeau, going to Yorktown, September 1781.

Colonial Road

(33) Aden Road and Leeta Cornus Drive The road bed here follows the south branch of the Dumfries Road, in use before 1740, which crossed Cedar Run at Tacquet's Ford. The route connected the Port of Dumfries with Red Store, now known as Warrenton, and the interior settlements beyond. Dower House was built about 1775 on Effingham Plantation. The main house, built later by Col. William Alexander, great grandson of John Alexander, for whom the city of Alexandria is named stands a short distance to the south.

Second Prince William County Courthouse

(34) Aden Road and MCB 8 In 1743, the second Prince William County Courthouse was built near here along Cedar Run, replacing the first county courthouse in Woodbridge. After the creation of Fairfax county, the Cedar Run location, owned by Philemon Waters, became the center of Prince William County. The court remained here only until 1759, when it moved to Dumfries after the creation of Fauquier County. Henry Lee, father of Governor Henry ("Lighthorse Harry") Lee, and grandfather of General Robert E. Lee, practiced law here. The building, like its predecessor, no longer stands.

Cedar Run Court House Site

(35) On Quantico Marine Base Cedar Run Court House Site Second Prince William Court House 1742-1760 Pr. Wm. Co. Hist. Comm.

Asbury Church

(36) Fleetwood Drive, east of Aden Road Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church, South was built 1893-1894 on land donated by Newton and Annie Allen Sayers of Massadale Farm. Methodist circuit riders stopped regularly at this farm to administer to the spiritual needs of their followers in the neighborhood before the Asbury congregation was formed. The church was named for Bishop Francis Asbury, famed circuit rider of colonial times and the early days of the Republic. Confederate veterans helped to erect Asbury Church. They included Master Carpenter Frank Colvin of Catlett, Va. and John Herndon, Haywood Herndon and Newton Sayers of the Aden area.

Greenwich

(37) Vint Hill Road near Burwell Road Thru this village in January, 1779 passed the British and Hessian troops captured at the Battle of Saratoga on their way to prisoner of war camps located near Charlottesville. Later on June 5,1781 General Anthony Wayne brought his brigade of the Pennsylvania Line over the same route on his way to support Lafayette in the final campaign of the Revolutionary war. Erected 1976 other donated land on which the Mt. Olive Baptist Church stands. The family has a long history of service to the county. Several members are buried in the church's cemetery.

Washington's First Journey to the Frontier

(29) The mill at Tackett's Mill On March 11, 1748, George Washington and George William Fairfax crossed the Occoquan above the falls near here. Washington to enter the service of Lord Fairfax, and Lord Fairfax to meet his constituents in Frederick County. They traveled by horseback on an unmarked route roughly paralleling the Davis Ford-Minnieville corridor to the Court House near Independent Hill. By evening they reached Nevil's Ordinary on the south fork of the Dumfries Road, 40 mills from Ft. Belvior, the starting point.

Town of Occoquan

(30) Rt 123, at Occoquan Bridge, Nathaniel Ellicott formally established the town in 1804, bringing to fruition industrial and commercial developments begun 'at or near the falls of Occoquan' by John Ballendine c. 1750. The estuary of the Occoquan has attracted the attention of travelers since the time of John Smith. Adjacent lands were patented by the 16505; copper was being shipped from 'King' Carter's landing, and tobacco from a public warehouse by the 1730s.

Town of Occoquan

(31) Corner of Washington and Mill Streets, In 1758 when John Ballendine built his dwelling "Rockledge," at Occoquan, the town began to prosper. By 1765 it was a flourishing industrial settlement with grist mills, foundry and tobacco warehouses. "Rockledge" and a portion of merchants (grist) mill still stand at the west end of Mill Street.

Occoquan

, a strategic point on the river, saw skirmishes during the Civil War. Gen. Wade Hampton headquartered here in 1862 at the Hammill Hotel. The building still stands at the corner of Union and Commerce Streets.

Military Operations

(32) Davis Ford Road near Baun Race Road Preparatory to the Battle of Yorktown (c. 1781) General Washington ordered a troop road cut through this area to move American and French forces via the ford on the Occoquan River at Wolf Run Shoals. The road was again used during the Civil War for military purposes. Bacon Race Church (c. 1845) served as a supply depot for Wade Hampton's Confederate Brigade. Several Confederate Regiments were camped in the vicinity to support blockade operations along the Potomac River during the winter of 1861-1862.

Unknown Century Time Capsule

(42) Bristow Road at tbe Brentsville Courtbouse Century Time Capsule To be Opened April 2077 Sealed April 1977 By Pr. Wm. Co. Hist. Comm. in Celebration of the American Revolution Bicentennial

Rufflier Public School Number 1

(43) July 20, 1872 On Center Street near Peabody Street Named for Wm. H. Ruffner, Virginia's first Superintendent of Public Instruction, and opened as a public school on this date. Before free public schools were established by the Virginia Constitution of 1869, a one room free school was in operation with voluntary gifts.

Manassas

(44) Corner of West and Center Streets According to tradition the name Manassas was derived either from an Indian source or from Manasseh, a Jewish innkeeper at Manassas Gap (35 miles west). The community originated in 1852 at the junction of the Manassas Gap and Orange & Alexandria railroads, which linked northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. with the Shenandoah Valley and central Virginia. During the Civil War the junction's strategic importance led to the battles of First and Second Manassas (Bull Run), both Confederate victories. Manassas was incorporated as a town in 1873 and became a city in 1975.

George Carr Round

(45) Old courthouse in Manassas, A Union veteran of the Civil War Round came to Manassas in 1868. He helped found the first public school in Manassas in 1869, served on the Town Council, was a member of the Virginia General Assembly, and worked to establish a National Battlefield Park at Manassas. His most outstanding achievement was organizing the "Manassas National Jubilee of Peace" in 1911. This 50th Anniversary of First Manassas (Bull Run) was attended by President Taft and thousands of participants.

In Comemoration of the Manassas National Jubilee of Peace

(46) Old courthouse in Manassas The first instance in history where survivors of a great battle met fifty years after and exchanged friendly greetings at the place of actual combat. Here on July21, 1911, the closing scene was enacted, the tableau of the re-United States. The President, the governor of Virginia, and forty-eight maidens in white took part with 1000 veterans of the blue and the gray and 10,000 citizens of the new America.

Minnieville

(21) Cardinal Dr. and Minnieville Road Nearby is Bel Air Plantation (c. 1740) burial site of Parson Mason Locke Weems, first biographer of George Washington. French and American troops moved through this community on their way to Yorktown in 1781. Northern dairymen developed large farms here in the early 19h century. The Confederate 3rd Brigade was located in this area in 1861 ~2. On this corner stood the Minnieville Post office L (1884~1924).

Benita Brown Drive

(22) Named in honor of Benita Fitzgerald-Brown Olympic Gold Medalist 100 Meter Hurdles ,XXIII Olympiad 84, US National Champion -100 Meter Hurdles 1983 Benita was born in Manassas, Virginia on July 6, 1961 and attended Prince William County schools until her graduation from Gar-Field Senior High School in 1979. An active citizen of Dale City, she attended the First Mount Zion Baptist Church, was a member of the Dalelites, the Dale City Lassie League, the Gar-Field Symphonic Band and the National Honor Society. She was a Women in Community Action debutante, a national merit achievement commended student and a honorary member of Lioness International and Women in Community Action. She graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1984 with a degree in industrial engineering and married Laron Cregg Brown of Dayton, Ohio. Her parents Rodger and Fannie Fitzgerald are Dale City residents.

Neabsco Mills Ironworks

(23) The Neabsco Mills Ironworks complex, under the ownership of three generations of the Tayloe family, of Richmond County, operated between 1737 and 1828. Located near this site, it was one of the longest continuously operating ironworks in present-day Northern Virginia. The 5,000-acre iron plantation, which was worked by resident free laborers, indentured servants, and slaves, was a multifaceted operation. The workers produced not only pig and bar iron for sale at home and export to Great Britain, but also engaged in shipbuilding, milling, leatherworking, shoemaking, and farming. The complex was an important supplier of iron for weaponry during the American Revolution and the War of 1812.

Old Telegraph Road

(24) Main door entrance to Potomac Mills Mall Just to the east the original route of the ancient trail used to lay the first telegraph wire from Washington to New Orleans in 1847. During the Civil War it became a strategic military objective. It was first used by Confederate forces supporting their blockade of the Potomac River. Later, it was used by Union occupational troops.

Old Bethel High School

(25) Smoketown Road in parking lot of Smoketown Plaza On this site once stood the first high school in eastern Prince William County. The original two-story wood frame building was built in 1914. Lightning struck and destroyed the school on June 12, 1927. It was rebuilt as a two-room brick elementary school on the same site. Bethel was the center of many rural activities which reflected the simple lifestyle of this farming community. On March 31, 1968 the school was rededicated as the Muriel Humphrey School for the mentally retarded and became the first such institution in eastern Prince William County with an education program. The two-room brick school was razed on October 24, 1986.

Old Bethel Church

(26) Davis Ford Road near Smoketown Road In 1850, the people of this area decided to build a church where the Word of God could be preached and expounded. Burr and Emsey Glascock donated the land and were the main leaders. Private donations by the people of the community were a large factor in accomplishing the work. After the Civil War, the church needed extensive repair because it had been used as a hospital and horse stable by troops of both armies. Bethel which means "House of God" has faithfully served as a meeting place for all people. The church was moved to its present site in October 1977 where it is still loved by all who worship there - amen.

Russell House and Store

(27) Junction of Minnieville and Davis Ford Roads This 19th century two-story flagstone covered Russell House represents a type of local architecture predominant in rural Northern Virginia from the mid-19th century to the 1960s. The house, its barn, granary and other outbuildings made up one of the last farms in eastern Prince William County. Originally a hog and dairy farm, it was converted to dairying in the 1950's. The farm buildings were torn down in 1991. On this site also stood the Russell Store, the center of local commercial and social activity in the Bethel, Smoketown, Agnewville and Hoadley sections of the county. The two-story general store, dating from the early 1900s, was operated by Daisy Tavenner Russell from 1917 until 1977. It was razed in 1992.

The Chinn Family

(28) Davis Ford and Telegraph Roads Near this site lived six generations of the Chinn family, one of Prince William County's early (black) families. The family traces its heritage to Nance, a slave born in 1794 on the Roe Plantation near present day Lake Ridge. Nancy's daughter Mary Jane married Tom Chinn, a fellow slave and they had eight sons. Following emancipation the Chinns brought 500 acres along Telegraph and Davis Ford Roads. Several members of the family built homes in the area, known as Agnewville, or later Chinntown. One son ran a general store

Bristow Military Operations

(38) Rt. 28 at Broad Creek Run (39&4O) Here on the afternoon of August 26,1862 Stonewall Jackson's army destroyed the railroad and bridge across Broad Run cutting Pope's supply line and bringing on the Second Battle of Manassas. On October 14, 1863 A.P. Hill leading the II Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia struck Mead's army crossing Broad Run and suffered a severe defeat from G. K. Warren's II Corps hidden behind the railroad embankment.

Battle of Bristoe Station

(39) Bristow Road near railroad track in Bristow In autumn 1863 Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, with Lt. Gen. A.P. Hill's III Corps in the lead, pursued Maj. Gen. George G. Meade's Union army as it withdrew toward Washington. On the afternoon of 14 October Maj. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren's II Corps, Meade's rear guard, took a strong defensive position along this railroad embankment to meet an impetuous attack by elements of Hill's corps from the northwest. The Confederates were repulsed with heavy losses (about 1,300 casualties to Warren's 548), including an unsupported battery of five guns about 500 yards north. Warren stealthily withdrew after dark to resume his march to Centreville. About 43 Union and 137 Confederate dead were buried on the field.

Action at Briscoe Station

(40) Bristow Road near railroad tracks in Bristow , On 24 August 1862 Maj. Gen. Thomas J. ("Stonewall") Jackson's command, led by Col. Thomas T. Munford's 2nd Virginia Cavalry and Maj. Gen. John Pope's Union army. They surprised and captured Pope's infantry pickets, derailed two northbound trains, destroyed the Broad Run bridge, and cut telegraph wires to sever the Union lines of supply and communication with Washington. Jackson then captured Pope's supply depot at Manassas Junction (present-day Manassas). Left as a rear guard, Ewell held off Union Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker's division near Kettle Run the next day just before the Second Battle of Manassas. Future Marker

Brentsville

(41) Bristow Road at the Brentsville Church Fourth seat of the Prince William County Government. Courthouse, jail, Episcopal Chapel, and white house were built in 1822 on land originally part of the Brent Town tract confiscated from Robert Bristow, a Tory, in 1779. St. James Church of Dettingen Parish (now Hatcher's Memorial Baptist), was built in 1847 on the site of the old chapel. During the War Between the States Col. Mosby operated in this area. In 1893 the county seat was moved to Manassas.

Simon Kenton's Birthplace

(62) Rt. 234 and Rt. 15, Near Hopewell Gap, five miles west, is historical marker for Simon Kenton, born there, 1755. Leaving home in 1771, he became an associate of Daniel Boone and George Rogers Clark in Indian fighting. He won fame as a scout and as one of the founders of Kentucky. Kenton died in Ohio in 1836. Click here for more information on Simon Kenton.

The Carolina Road

(63) Rt. 15 near James Long Park The Carolina Road, earlier an Indian hunting path, roughly approximating Route 15 at this point, derived its name from trade between Frederick, Maryland and Georgia. Later the road was used by settlers emigrating to western lands. Because of notorious gangs of thieves besetting travelers the road was also known as Rogue's Road. Its most famous traveler was Lafayette who rode triumphantly by here on August 24, 1825, on his way to Oakhill, home of ex-President Monroe. Nearby Burnside, Waverly, Mill Park, Mt. Atlas, Evergreen, Snow Hill, and other plantations carved from the huge Carter Bull Run tract were served by the Carolina Road.

Thoroughfare Gap

(64) Rt. 55, Gainsville Five miles northwest is Thoroughfare Gap in the Bull Run Mountains. Through that Gap J.E. Johnston and Jackson came, July 19, 1861, on their way to the First Battle of Manassas. Through it Lee sent Jackson August 26, 1862, and followed with Longstreet to take part in the Second Battle of Manassas.

Colonial Roads

(65) Fayette Road and Washington St, Haymarket The town of Haymarket, chartered in 1799, owes its location to the junction of the Old Carolina Road and the north branch of the Dumfries Road at the site of the Red House. The Carolina Road developed from the Iroquois hunting path which was abandoned by the Indians after 1772 when they were forced by treaty beyond the Blue Ridge. The Dumfries Road was in use as a major trade route between the Potomac and the Shenandoah Valley before 1740.

Buckland

(66) Lee Highway and Buckland Mill Road The town of Buckland, named for William Buckland, architect, was chartered in 1798 with streets and lots on both sides of Broad Run near the mill of John Love. Tranquility, future site of Buckland Hall nearby, was John Love's seat. This property was transferred in 1853 to Richard Bland Lee, nephew of Lighthorse Harry Lee of Leesylvania. Buckland Tavern, now restored as a dwelling, served during the early 19h century as a refreshing stop on the Alexandria-Warrenton Turn

First Battle of Manassas

(57) Rt. 29, west of 234 On the Matthews Hill, just to the north, the Confederates repulsed the attack of the Unionists. Coming from the north, in the forenoon of July 21, 1861. The Union forces, reinforced, drove the Confederates to the Henry Hill, just to the south. There the latter reformed under cover of Stonewall Jackson, in the afternoon, McDowell vainly attempted to rally his retreating troops on the Matthews Hill after they had been driven down the Henry Hill.

Untitled Marker

(58) Rt. 29, west of Rt. 234 This marker, erected by the Haymarket Agricultural Club, indicates the spot where General R. E. Lee, General Longstreet, and General Jackson, met on August 2th, 1862, about 12:30p.m. as certified by Lieut. Col. Edmund Berkeley, sole survivor of the meeting, who served that day on General Longstreet's staff, by special order.

Second Battle of Manassas

(59) Rt. 29, west of Rt. 234 The center of Lee's Army rested here on August 30, 1862; Jackson was to the north of this road, Longstreet to the south. Late in the afternoon, after Jackson had repulsed Pope's assaults, Longstreet moved eastward, driving the Union forces facing him toward Henry Hill. Jackson advanced southward at the same time.

Sudley Methodist Church

(60) Rt. 234,8 miles north of Manassas The site for the first church a small brick building, was donated by Landon Carter of Woodland in 1822. During the Battles of Manassas (Bull Run), it was used as a field hospital by both the North and the South, but was so badly damaged that it was razed and a frame church built in its place. The second church was struck by lightning in 1918 and burned. The present church was dedicated in 1922. The annual Sudley Church bazaar has been a gathering place for friends and neighbors for decades.

Jennie Dean

(61) Rt. 234 near Sudley Methodist Church at the Jennie Dean Church Jennie Dean (1852-1913) was born in slavery near here. A pioneer in the advancement of education and religion among the Black citizens of Prince William and neighboring counties. Miss Dean founded the Manassas Industrial School for Colored Youth in 1894 and Mount Calvary Baptist Church in 1880. The Manassas Centennial Commission proclaimed her Woman of the Century. She is buried in the church cemetery nearby.

Henry House

(51) Rt. 234, south of Rt. 29 These are the grounds of the Henry House, where occurred the main action of the First Battle of Manassas, July21, 1861, and the closing scene of the Second Battle of Manassas, August30, 1862.

James Robinson House

(52) Rt. 29, Rt. 234 To the south stood the farmhouse of James Robinson, a former slave freed by Landon Carter. There, during the First Battle of Manassas on 21 July 1861, Col. Wade Hampton's Legion covered the Confederates falling back to Henry Hill, where Jackson stood "like a stone wall." The house survived that battle, and during the Second Battle of Manassas in August 1862 served the Union troops as a field hospital. Congress later authorized compensation to Robinson for the property damages. The present house stands partially

The Stone Bridge

(54) Rt. 29, east of Rt. 234 The old stone bridge, just to the north, played a part in the Battles of Manassas. Here rested the Confederate left in the early morning of July 21,1861; over the bridge Pope's retreating Army passed, August 30,1862.

Campaign of Second Manassas

(55) Rt 29, west of Rt. 234, Here Taliaferro, of Jackson's force, came into the highway in the late night of August 27,1862. He was marching from Manassas to the position about a mile and a half to the north held by Jackson in the Second Battle of Manassas.

First Battle of Manassas

(56) Rt. 29, west of Rt. 234 Henry Hill lies just to the south. Here the Confederates repulsed the repeated attacks of the Union Army under McDowell, July21, 1861.

Fifth Prince William County Courthouse

(47) Lee Avenue, Manassas The city of Manassas originated in 1852 at the junction of the Manassas Gap and the Orange & Alexandria railroads. During the Civil War, the junction's strategic significance led to two important battles nearby. After the war, as the community grew, citizens sought to move the county seat there from Brentsville. In 1872, a year before Manassas was incorporated as a town, and again in 1888, referenda failed. A third referendum in 1892 succeeded. This Romanesque Revival courthouse, designed by James C. Teague and Philip T. Marye, of Norfolk and Newport News, was completed in 1893 and served the county until 1984 when a new courthouse was built nearby.

McLean Farm

(48) (Yorkshire Plmtation) Rt. 28 at Yorkshire Market Part of an early 18th century plantation established on Bull Run by Col. Richard Blackburn formerly of Yorkshire, England. The land was acquired by Wilmer McLean in 1854. The battle which opened 1st Manassas raged across this farm July 18, 1861, with the house and barn used as a headquarters and hospital by Confederate troops. Following 1st Manassas, in an attempt to escape the forefront of the war, McLean moved his family to the tiny village of Appomattox Court House. There, four years later, the War would come' full circle to end in McLean's parlor with Lee's surrender to Grant, April 9, 1865.

Ben Lomond Farm

(49) Sudley Manor Road at the Ben Lomond Manor House The Federal style tone, "Manor" house and its accessory buildings are the visible reminders of Ben Lomond Farm, which was begun in about 1830 by Benjamin Tasker Chinn, the grandson of Robert "Councillor" Carter. Ben Lomond is one of the few remaining Carter family houses in an area which once exhibited such fine country residents as Portici, Pittsylvania, Hazel Plain, Mountain View, Elmwood, Sudley and Woodland. The house served as a hospital during the First and Second Battles of Manassas. The small stone accessory building west of the house is thought to have been a slave quarter. In 1980, this building was moved by Prince William County from its original site east of the house to save it from demolition.

Dean Divers Church

(50)Bethlehem Roads south of Ball Ford Road This area was known as Five Forks during the Civil War and was settled by freed slaves during Reconstruction. In 1900 a missionary Sunday School was opened on Balls Ford Road by Miss Jennie Dean. In 1909 this site was donated by Henritta Page. Through financial contributions by the Divers Family of New Jersey and efforts of Miss Dean, the establishment of Dean Divers Baptist Church became a reality.

Beverley Mill (67) Rt. 55 

First Manassas Monuments

Second Manassas Monuments Other Manassas Monuments Old Town Manassas Markers

For more information contact:

Prince William County Historical Commission
(703)792-6830