Historical Markers and War Memorials in Woodbridge, Virginia
Manassas is the county seat for Prince William County
Woodbridge is in Prince William County
Prince William County(660) ► ADJACENT TO PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY Fairfax County(709) ► Fauquier County(119) ► Loudoun County(345) ► Manassas(93) ► Manassas Park(7) ► Stafford County(213) ► Charles County, Maryland(150) ►
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On Colchester Ferry Place just north of Potomac Path Drive, in the median.
The land and water before you are significant in Prince William County's history. Dogue Indians once lived along the Occoquan Creek. The King's Highway passed the County's first courthouse, which stood nearby.
On April 7, 1791 George . . . — — Map (db m198381) HM
Near Admiral Black Drive west of Blackburn Road, on the left when traveling west.
Rippon Lodge is among the oldest known homes in Prince William County. It is built on land that was first settled in the 17th century.
The original portions of the house were built circa 1747 by Richard Blackburn, a carpenter from Ripon, . . . — — Map (db m131563) HM
Near Admiral Black Drive west of Blackburn Road, on the left when traveling west.
Here Lieth the Body of
Collo. Richard Blackburn
Who Departed this Life
July the 15th 1757
In the 52d. Year of his Age
He was born in Rippon in England from whence he came to Virginia, where he acquired a reputable charracter, was . . . — — Map (db m233855) HM
On Jefferson Davis Highway (U.S. 1) at Annapolis Way, on the right when traveling south on Jefferson Davis Highway. Reported permanently removed.
In 1653, Thomas Burbage obtained 3,000 acres between the Occoquan and Neabsco Creek. Burbage’s Neck later passed to Martin Scarlet (d.1695), pioneer settler and sometime Burgess. George Mason II gained 534 acres of Occoquan River frontage including . . . — — Map (db m2336) HM
Near Dawson Beach Road east of Highams Court, on the right when traveling east. Reported damaged.
From 1950 to 1994, the U.S. Army operated a radio transmitting station and electronics research facility on this site. This cold-war-era military base was the heart of the Army communications and electromagnetic pulse research. In 1995, the entire . . . — — Map (db m131559) HM
Near Harbor Side Street east of Custis Street, on the right when traveling east.
Occoquan Creek flows in front of you. Occoquan is an American Indian word meaning at the end of the water. The Dogue Indians may have named this creek. They lived in the area for centuries before European exploration and were part of the . . . — — Map (db m5928) HM
On Richmond Highway (U.S. 1) at Annapolis Way, on the right when traveling south on Richmond Highway. Reported permanently removed.
Fairfax County. Area 417 Square Miles. Formed in 1742 from Prince William and Loudoun, and named for Lord Fairfax, proprietor of the Northern Neck. Mount Vernon, George Washington’s home, is in this county.
Prince William . . . — — Map (db m2335) HM
On Dawson Beach Road, 0.6 miles east of Highams Court, on the right when traveling east.
You are now passing through one of the rarest and most endangered habitats in our region — native grasslands. Why are they so rare? Agriculture and urban development destroy grasslands, and natural processes change them. Left alone, grasslands are . . . — — Map (db m206647) HM
Near Admiral Black Drive west of Blackburn Road, on the left when traveling west.
The landscape you see before you has changed quite a lot since the house was built in the 18th century. Situated on Neabsco Creek and the Kings Highway (now Route 1), the site allowed Richard Blackburn easy access to move hisgoods to market. . . . — — Map (db m131561) HM
Near Admiral Black Drive west of Blackburn Road, on the left when traveling west.
Benjamin Latrobe
Benjamin Henry Latrobe (1764-1820) moved to Virginia from England in 1796. He is best known for his work on the United States Capitol. In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson summoned him to Washington to complete the . . . — — Map (db m5644) HM
Near Admiral Black Drive west of Blackburn Road, on the left when traveling west.
Latrobe’s Visit
Architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe (1764 – 1820) was Thomas Blackburn’s friend. Latrobe visited Rippon Lodge in July, 1796. He described his stay in his journals and drew the property.
On July 11, Latrobe stood on . . . — — Map (db m5642) HM
On Jefferson Davis Highway (U.S. 1) at Annapolis Way, on the right when traveling south on Jefferson Davis Highway. Reported permanently removed.
Captain John Smith explored this region in 1608. The town of Occoquan began with the opening of a tobacco warehouse on the shore of the Occoquan River in 1734. Occoquan grew as the focus of the commercial and manufacturing activities of John . . . — — Map (db m2337) HM
Near Dawson Beach Road, 0.5 miles east of Highams Court, on the right when traveling east.
This bird banding station was established in March 2001. It is one of hundreds around the nation that monitor the migration of our songbirds. The station is sanctioned under a permit from the U.S. Geological Survey and operated under the . . . — — Map (db m206648) HM
On Jefferson Davis Highway (U.S. 1) 0.1 miles south of Dale Blvd and Rippon Blvd, on the right when traveling south.
To the east is the only preserved segment of the Potomac Path, the earliest north-south route in northern Virginia. Following an ancient Indian trail, the road, later known as the King's Highway, assumed great importance for overland travel between . . . — — Map (db m2164) HM
On Forest Grove Drive at Rippon Boulevard (County Route 784), on the right when traveling north on Forest Grove Drive.
A Road to Rippon Lodge
Rippon Lodge Historic Site on Blackburn road has a long association with The King’s Highway. A segment of the road cut directly through the property when the Blackburn family lived there during the 18th century. The . . . — — Map (db m5975) HM
On Blackburn Road at Admiral Black Drive, on the right when traveling south on Blackburn Road.
Noted for his cratsmanship on the first Falls Church and other structures for prominent landowners, to include the Washington family. Richard Blackburn (1710-1757) built Rippon Lodge as his main estate house circa 1747. Richard's son, Thomas . . . — — Map (db m131560) HM
Near Admiral Black Drive west of Blackburn Road, on the left when traveling west.
Numerous graves are located within the Rippon lodge cemetery. The slate tablets, carved stones and slabs are neatly arranged. But some of these markers are placed on mounds that may not be graves or stand where burials do not exist.
Martin . . . — — Map (db m131569) HM
Near Admiral Black Drive west of Blackburn Road when traveling west.
Rippon Burials
Few grave stones remain in the Rippon Lodge burying ground, but many unmarked graves are beneath the ground. Blackburn and Atkinson family members were buried here for decades, but the locations of most individual graves are . . . — — Map (db m131568) HM
On Jefferson Davis Highway (U.S. 1) at Annapolis Way, on the right on Jefferson Davis Highway. Reported permanently removed.
One hundred and fifty yards east of this spot stood the first courthouse of Prince William County organized in 1731. This monument erected by the Bicentennial Committee of Prince William County, September 25, 1931, was presented to the people of the . . . — — Map (db m2339) HM
Near Belmont Bay Drive east of Tides Street, on the left when traveling east.
The Potomac River, often referred to as the "Nation's River", has been significant in the Country's history. Colonists traveled on the river and shipped tobacco, timber and grains from its ports. The Potomac River is still a vital resource. . . . — — Map (db m116774) HM
On Forest Grove Drive at Rippon Boulevard (County Route 784), on the right when traveling north on Forest Grove Drive.
The Old Potomac Path
Originally an Indian Trail and traversed by early settlers, it later became the first coach and post road between Northern and Southern Colonies, and was called
The King’s Highway
General Washington often stopped . . . — — Map (db m241858) HM
Near Forest Grove Drive north of Rippon Boulevard (Virginia Route 784), on the right when traveling north.
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 . . . — — Map (db m5959) HM
On Dawson Beach Road south of Highams Court, on the right when traveling north.
In 1994, the U.S. Army base located on this tract of land and known as the Woodbridge Research Facility was closed. The site was combined with the existing Marumsco Creek National Wildlife Refuge. Today, this refuge with its upland meadows and vast . . . — — Map (db m131592) HM
On West Longview Drive north of Longview Drive, on the right when traveling north.
William Grayson, lawyer, member of the Continental Congress, Constitutional Convention and U.S. Senate, is buried nearby on property formerly part of “Belle Air,” the family plantation. In 1774, Grayson organized Prince William County’s . . . — — Map (db m770) HM
