Leesylvania in Prince William County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Ellis and Preservation
The King's Highway
Photographed by Kevin W., January 2, 2025
1. Ellis and Preservation Marker
The King's Highway was one of the few roads in the early United States to receive Federal funding. This road connected urban centers such as Boston, Philadelphia, Alexandria, Dumfries, Richmond, and Williamsburg. A better road allowed the safe and speedy travel of mail. It also gave more transportation options for travelers and farmers taking crops to market.
Wade Hampton Ellis owned Rippon Lodge from 1924 until his death in 1948. He took a strong interest in preserving the 18th-century roadbed on his property.
Wade and his wife Dessie worked with the Daughters of the American Revolution to install a commemorative plaque in 1933. A newspaper notice for the plaque dedication described the road: " the old King's Highway which runs two miles through the grounds of Rippon Lodge This highway, the oldest post road in northern Virginia, used to run from Mount Vernon to Richmond "
[Captions:]
Daughters of the American Revolution Dedication
The plaque now stands near the Mary G. Porter Traditional School on Rippon Boulevard.
Prince William County Office of Historic Preservations Collections
Sunken Roadbed
Sections of the King's Highway are still visible near Rippon Lodge and other areas in Prince William County.
Prince William County
this page online
Erected by Prince William County Historical Commission.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Roads & Vehicles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1924.
Location. 38° 37.172′ N, 77° 16.671′ W. Marker is in Leesylvania, Virginia, in Prince William County. It is at the intersection of Forest Grove Drive (Virginia Route 1396) and Rippon Boulevard ( Route 1392), on the right when traveling north on Forest Grove Drive. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2114 Rippon Blvd, Woodbridge VA 22191, 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, and in the Mid-Atlantic. 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 walking distance of this marker: The Old Potomac Path (here, next to this marker); Supplying an Army (within shouting distance of this marker); Rippon Lodge (approx. Ό mile away); The King's Highway (approx. Ό mile away); Centuries of History (approx. Ό mile away); a different marker also named Historic Landscape (approx. 0.3 miles away); Native Americans from Eastern Prince William County (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Doeg People (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Leesylvania.
Other markers no longer nearby. Preserving History (was here, next to this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); The Potomac Path
Photographed by Kevin W., January 2, 2025
2. Ellis and Preservation and the Old Potomac Path DAR commemorative markers.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 2, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 5, 2025, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia. This page has been viewed 176 times since then and 30 times this year. Last updated on October 1, 2025, by N. Jozsa of Woodbridge, Virginia. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 5, 2025, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
