Lorton in Fairfax County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Mason's Neck
Between the Lines
Photographed by Mike McKeown, September 7, 2026
1. Mason's Neck Marker
A peninsula bounded by the Potomac and Occoquan rivers and Pohick Creek, Mason's Neck, as it was known in the mid-19th century, was an uncertain middle ground during the Civil War. By late summer 1861, Union and Confederate forces established forward lines along Pohick Creek and the Occoquan River, respectively, spawning numerous small engagements but no battles. The war devastated land that nutrient-hungry tobacco plants already had exhausted.
White, as well as free black landowners Elijah and Richard Black-burn and George Williams, struggled to raise crops and livestock on small farms in the face of scavenging soldiers. John Haislip, a white farmer and fisherman, claimed, "They [Union soldiers] took oats, beef, corn, and a horse and wagon fencing a 10" x 20 Log house covered with boards [and] a hog" The soldiers of both sides subjected Mason's Neck residents to intrusion and arrest, as well as imprisonment or conscription.
A Confederate naval blockade of the Potomac River and the eventual presence of both Union and Confederate warships restricted local commerce. On August 4, 1861, Union gunboat Thomas Freeborn
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Union Capt. William Heine (Gen. Samuel P. Heintzelman's corps) and cartographer Lt. Robert K. Sneden gathered intelligence on Mason's Neck, and African American woodchoppers helped them. On January 24, 1862, an escaped woodchopper, "Black Harry," became Heine's servant and guide. Although blacks could not enlist until 1863, Harry wore a cavalry uniform, and Sneden referred to him as "the first black cavalryman of the war."
[Sidebar:]
In 1759. George Mason built Gunston Hall here. He prospered from the sale of tobacco and kept 125 slaves that he never freed. Yet. as author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights. Mason wrote that "all men are by nature equally free, At the Constitution. Convention of 1787, he said of slavery, "providence punishes national sins, by national calamity"a warning that now seems prophetic.
[Captions:]
"Official Map of the Lower Potomac River, Showing Picket Lines January 1862." Lt. Robert K. Sneden Courtesy Virginia Historical Society
"Map of the Seat or Wm. Showing the Battles of July 18, 21 & Oct 21, 1861" - Courtesy Library of Congress
Gunston Hall - Courtesy Gunston Hall
George Mason (1725-1792) Courtesy Gunston Hall
Erected by Virginia
Photographed by Mike McKeown, September 7, 2026
2. Mason's Neck Marker
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Patriots & Patriotism • War, US Civil • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Civil War Trails series list. A significant historical date for this entry is August 4, 1861.
Location. 38° 40.132′ N, 77° 10.078′ W. Marker is in Lorton, Virginia, in Fairfax County. It can be reached from Pohick Bay Drive (County Route 721) north of Gunston Road, on the right when traveling north. The marker stands near the Pohick Bay Campground and Park Office, 0.4 miles east of Pohick Bay Drive. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6501 Pohick Bay Dr, Lorton VA 22079, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area and in Northern Virginia. 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 walking distance of this marker: Shiloh Baptist Church (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); This is Pohick Bay! (approx. 0.4 miles away); Out of Retirement (approx. 0.4 miles away); This "temple" (approx. half a mile away); A Considerable Force (approx. half a mile away); Organizing Nature (approx. half a mile away); Resources within Themselves (approx. 0.6 miles away); What Lies Beneath (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lorton.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 9, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 7, 2026, by Mike McKeown of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 18 times since then. Last updated on September 9, 2026, by Mike McKeown of Baltimore, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 7, 2026, by Mike McKeown of Baltimore, Maryland. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
