Batestown in Prince William County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Old Cabin Branch
⎯⎯⎯
Clarkson School

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), March 12, 2021

1. Old Cabin Branch / Clarkson School Marker

Inscription. Free African Americans were present in Prince William County as early as the mid-eighteenth century. After the Civil War, emancipated slaves joined other African American families in a growing community near Cabin Branch. Batestown, as it became known, was located on the eastern side of what is now Prince William Forest Park. Education was highly valued among the families of Batestown as evidenced by the number of children who had to walk many miles daily to attend school. The Cabin Branch School, also known as Clarkson School, was established in 1889 on Mine Road to accommodate the local African American children. A larger, one room schoolhouse was built in 1916 on the west side of Mine Road, adjacent to the Little Union Baptist Church, and less than one half mile south of the original school site. The new school continued to serve Batestown children until 1950 when the Washington-Reid Elementary School opened on Dumfries Road.

Erected 2018 by Prince William County Historical Commission.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education • Settlements & Settlers.

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In addition, it is included in the Virginia, Prince William County Historical Commission series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1889.

Location. 38° 34.766′ N, 77° 20.823′ W. Marker is in Batestown, Virginia, in Prince William County. It is on Mine Road 0.9 miles north of Victoria Falls Drive, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 17204 Mine Rd, Dumfries VA 22025, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area,

in Northern Virginia,

and in the Piedmont.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), March 12, 2021

2. Old Cabin Branch / Clarkson School Marker

flies: Little Union Baptist Church (here, next to this marker); a different marker also named Little Union Baptist Church (within shouting distance of this marker); Reclaiming the Land (approx. 0.3 miles away); Pyrite Mine (approx. 0.3 miles away); Pyrite Mine Road (approx. one mile away); Quantico Church (approx. 1.1 miles away); In Memory (approx. 1.1 miles away); Dumfries Slave and Free African American Cemetery (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Batestown.

Credits. This page was last revised on March 12, 2021. It was originally submitted on March 12, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 607 times since then and 42 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 12, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.

Old Cabin Branch⎯⎯⎯Clarkson School

Old Cabin Branch
⎯⎯⎯
Clarkson School