Liberia and the Weirs

Liberia and the Weirs. 1825 - present. , Currently situated on 18 acres, this house once occupied 2,000 acres of farmland and forest. Built in 1825, Liberia was the home of William and Harriet Weir. Because they lived far from settled areas , Brentsville, located five miles away, was the closest community , the Weirs created a self-sufficient plantation that included acres of crops and hundreds of farm animals. Dozens of buildings were located here, scattered through miles of rural landscape. Barns, a dairy, a gristmill, a laundry, kitchen, slave quarters, a school, general store, and post office dotted the Weir property. The work to manage this extensive operation was performed by enslaved and white laborers and skilled craftsmen., For thirty-six years, the Weirs lived here and increased their wealthy and farming operation. With the outbreak of the Civil War though, family loyalties were divided. William did not vote for secession but three of his sons served in the Confederate Army. When war threatened their safety in 1862, the family moved to Fluvanna County. A son, Walter, inherited the property after his father's death but was never able to bring the farm back to its pre-war level of prosperity., [Sidebar:] , In mid-19th century America, formal schooling was uncommon, especially in rural areas like Manassas. Wealthy families sometimes hired private tutors, which is what William Weir did when he opened the Liberia Mathematical and Classical School. For years, a small ad in an 1847 issue of the Alexandria GAzette was the only proof the school existed. An unexpected donataion of a math exam with the words "Liberia School" at the top of the page provided additioanl support to this history. , , Manassas Museum Collection, [Captions:] , These images show Liberia and the surrounding property as it changed owners over the course of 161 years. The City of Manassas has owned the property since 1986. , , Manassas Museum Collection, The property owned by William Weir encompassed most of modern day Manassas (1825-1888) (top left). , , Library of Congress, Liberia was a dairy farm when owned by Alexandria businessman Robert Portner (1888-1947) (bottom left). , , Manassas Museum Collection, Liberia under Breeden family ownership (1947-1986) (above). , , Manassas Museum Collection