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

REPLACED

CHECK OTHERS NEARBY

The Potomac Path

The King's Highway

Photographed by Kevin W., March 4, 2008

1. The King's Highway ~ The Potomac Path Marker

Inscription. The King’s Highway was the first north-south route through Virginia. The road began in Boston and ended in Williamsburg. It may have followed one or more trails that American Indians used before European colonization.

The route was first cleared on land south of what became Prince William County during the 17th century. Then known as the Potomac Path, the route passed through Dumfries after it crossed the Occoquan River at Colchester.

Road Maintenance

In the 17th and 18th centuries, Virginia law required landowners to annually contribute time to road maintenance. Slaves and tenants largely maintained the King’s Highway in Prince William County.

Sections of the King’s Highway were paved in the 1920s and incorporated into U.S. Route 1. Route 1 loosely follows the Potomac Path through Prince William County. Segments of the colonial road are now protected.

Traveling Armies

In 1781, Generals George Washington and Jean-Baptiste de Rochambeau used the King’s Highway to reach Yorktown with their cavalry and wagons. Eighty years later, Federal and Confederate troops followed the road during numerous Civil War campaigns.

Erected 2007 by Prince William County.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

lists: Colonial Era • Roads & Vehicles. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #01 George Washington, and the The Washington-Rochambeau Route series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1781.

Location. This marker has been replaced by another marker nearby. It was located near 38° 37.165′ N, 77° 16.644′ W. Marker was near Leesylvania, Virginia, in Prince William County. It could be reached from Forest Grove Drive north of Rippon Boulevard (Virginia Route 1392), on the right when traveling north. Marker is in a mini-park, on the NE corner of the intersection. Touch for map. Marker was at or near this postal address: 2114 Rippon Boulevard, Woodbridge VA 22191, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker was in the Washington Metropolitan Area,

in Northern Virginia,

and in the Piedmont.

It was also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

Globally, it was in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it found 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 location: Supplying an Army (here, next to this marker); The Old Potomac Path (within shouting distance of this marker); Ellis and Preservation (within shouting distance of this marker); Rippon Lodge (approx. ¼ mile away); The Doeg People (approx. ¼ mile away); Centuries of History

Photographed by Kevin W., March 4, 2008

2. The King's Highway ~ The Potomac Path Marker

Rippon Boulevard and the Mary G. Porter Traditional School can be seen immediately behind the marker.

(approx. ¼ mile away); a different marker also named Historic Landscape (approx. ¼ mile away); The King's Highway (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Leesylvania.

Other markers no longer nearby. Preserving History (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named Centuries of History (was approx. ¼ mile away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Historic Landscape (was approx. ¼ mile away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

More about this marker. On the left is a map detailing the route then known as the Potomac Path. The map carries the caption, "This detail of Peter Jefferson’s and Joshua Fry’s 1751 Map of the most inhabited part of Virginia containing the whole province of Maryland with part of Pensilvania, New Jersey, and North Carolina shows the Potomac Path’s route through Prince William County (highlighted in blue)." The marker identifies the source as Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

The lower center of the marker displays a 1768 newspaper article. It carries the caption, “Mail was carried

King's Highway (Remains). image. Click for full size.

Historic American Buildings Survey, circa 1959

3. King's Highway (Remains).

Parallel to U.S. Route 1, Woodbridge vicinity, Prince William County, VA Library of Congress [HABS VA,76-WOOD.V,3-]

over the King’s Highway and delivered to post offices along the route. This notice in the July 7, 1768 Alexandria Gazette lists people who had letters awaiting them in Dumfries.”

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. A duplicate of this marker is located near a stretch of the old Potomac Path at the National Museum of the Marine Corps.

Also see . . . Virtual Tour of The King's Highway. (Submitted on March 4, 2008, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia.)

Historic American Buildings Survey, circa 1959

4. King's Highway (Remains).

Parallel to U.S. Route 1, Woodbridge vicinity, Prince William County, VA Library of Congress [HABS VA,76-WOOD.V,3-]

Credits. This page was last revised on October 2, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 4, 2008, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia. This page has been viewed 6,619 times since then and 35 times this year. Last updated on October 2, 2025, by N. Jozsa of Woodbridge, Virginia. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 4, 2008, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia. 3, 4. submitted on August 10, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.