ABOUT PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY

Located 30 miles outside of Washington, DC, Prince William County welcomes visitors annually, who enjoy the unique historic towns, boutique and outlet shopping, historical civil war battle grounds, championship golf courses, and verdant parks. Within minutes from the National Museum of the Marine Corps is Potomac Mills Mall, featuring more than 200 retail and outlet stores. If you’re seeking outdoor activities there are acres of hiking trails to explore in Locust Shade Park, Prince William Forest Park or Leesylvania State Park. Take 95 north to explore historic waterfront Occoquan, hit the links at Ospreys Golf Club, Lake Ridge Golf Course or Forest Greens Golf Club. Bring the family to SkateQuest and glide across their Olympic-size rink. There’s never a shortage of activities to see or do in Prince William County.

Prince William County consists of two cities and four towns with a 2006 estimated population of 370,000 residents. The first recorded inhabitants of Prince William County were the Nanticoke Indians more commonly known as the Doegs in the early 1500’s. The tribe, which thrived in a structured and highly organized society established a community dependent on fish and natural resources of the Potomac River. The Doeg tribe built their largest settlement on a hill overlooking the Occoquan River near the present day Lazy Susan Dinner Theatre.

In 1608, Captain John Smith and his crew sailed from Jamestown to the Occoquan River, in an effort to discover new food and resources for the struggling, starving Jamestown colonists.

Prince William County was formed in 1730 and was named for King George’s son, Prince William Augustus. The county supplied one of the first companies of Minutemen to the colonial armies during the Revolutionary War and one of the greatest soldiers, Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee.  Lee was born on Leesylvania Plantation off of the Potomac River, which is now Leesylvania State Park. This Revolutionary War hero would later father the Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

Later, an unheard of town would take center stage on July 21, 1861 as the first large-scale battle of the Civil War took place in Manassas. The First Battle of Manassas (Battle of Bull Run) took the lives of many who at the time underestimated the scope of this four year fight for what the Northerners referred to as the War of the Rebellion and the Southerners the War Between the States. Thirteen months later, the Union and Confederate armies collided near Bull Run again at the Second Battle of Manassas (Battle of Bull Run). A much larger battle than the first, casualties were five times those of the first battle and the duration was twice as long as the first battle. By the early 1900’s, Manassas not only recovered, but was thriving with businesses lining the streets. The Southern Railway depot served as a hub for travelers and businessmen. Hopkins Candy Factory on South Battle Street was the regions supplier of chocolate, creams, drops and crystallized jellies. After many diverse uses over the years, the Hopkins Candy Factory building still stands renovated as an art gallery and headquarters for the area’s Center for the Arts.

In July of 1911, one thousand veterans of the First Battle of Manassas gathered at the Prince William County Courthouse in Manassas to commemorate the battle’s fiftieth anniversary. The Jubilee of Peace was attended by more than 10,000 visitors and President William Howard Taft. In October, the city sponsors a family-oriented festival with arts and crafts, games and food vendors called the Fall “Jubilee”, a tribute to that historic commemoration held many years ago.

Throughout the twentieth century, Prince William County and Manassas continued to thrive. What once used to be a suburb of Washington DC hails as its own community rich with culture, history and southern charm that makes you want to come back and see us again and again.