Legacy Projects
(check back often as dates and times are subject to change)

Commemorative Entrance Garden

The Town of Occoquan has established a Commemorative Entrance Garden at the corner of Commerce and Washington Streets to welcome visitors to the town. Under the supervision of committee member Walter Bailey, the garden was planted in the fall of 2006 by Lake Ridge Nursery on property donated by Town residents Vernon and Hazel Dawson. Plantings in the garden include Wintergreen Boxwood, Georgia Blue Veronica, Softtouch Holly, and Nandina Firepower. The garden was formally dedicated on Sunday, April 22, 2007 to coincide with the Virginia 2007 theme for the month of April, "National Environment/Garden Month." Click here to view photos of the event.

East Coast Greenway® & Hike from McCoart to Occoquan

The East Cost Greenway® is a proposed 2600-mile, shared-use pathway that will pass through Prince William County and connect cities along the entire eastern seaboard of the United States, from Calais, Maine, to Key West, Florida. Virginia is one of 15 states and the District of Columbia through which the Greenway will run. Considered the “urban equivalent of the Appalachian Trail," the Greenway will link sites showcasing the nation’s industrial, historic, and cultural diversity, as well as spur the building of a network of pedestrian and bicycling pathways. Occoquan last year reaffirmed its commitment to the passage of Interstate Bike Route 1--the only national bike route in the country--through the town. This year, working with representatives for the Greenway and VDOT, Occoquan obtained approval for the routing of the East Coast Greenway through the town as well. Occoquan dedicated its portion of the Greenway on Saturday, May 19th, coinciding with the Virginia 2007 theme for the month of May, "National Transportation Month." David Brickley, former state delegate and Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Natural Resources, and current member of the Board of Trustees of the East Coast Greenway Alliance, was the featured speaker. The dedication ceremony took place at 2:30 p.m. on the lawn of Town Hall, 314 Mill Street, Occoquan, VA. As part of the dedication Village Skis & Bikes performed free bicycle checks and minor bicycle repairs at the entrance of the Greenway into town, and Occoquan merchant Tastefully Yours provided free food and drink.

In conjunction with the dedication, the Virginia 2007 Commemoration Committee co-sponsored with the Prince William Conservation Alliance, a hike from the McCoart Government Center on the Prince William Parkway to the Town of Occoquan. The hike highlighted the growing interest in and need for a comprehensive trails system in the county. Participants in the hike arrived in Occoquan just in time for the East Coast Greenway® dedication.

Click here to view photos of the dedication.

Civil War Trails Program Marker Dedication

Civil War Trails is an effort by individuals and local governments to enhance understanding of the Civil War experience by interpreting and linking, where appropriate, previously uninterpreted and unconnected sites. There are some 400 Virginia Civil War Trails sites, ranging from thousands of acres to country crossroads. At the initiative of Dolores Elder and the sponsorship of Historic Occoquan, Inc., the Town of Occoquan was added as a Civil War Trails site earlier this year. In June, an interpretive marker was installed adjacent to the Mill House Museum on Mill Street describing the Confederate cavalry raids of December 1862 and the town's subsequent role in the Gettysburg Campaign. Occoquan's dedication of the marker was held on July 21st to coincide with the Virginia 2007 theme for the month of July, "Celebration of Liberty." The ceremony featured a presentation by Gary Elder on Civil War events that occurred in Occoquan and Civil War re-enactors from the 49th Virginia Infantry Regiment of Woodbridge.

Click here to view the Occoquan Civil War Trails Marker text and images (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader), and here to view photos of the dedication.

Mill Conduit Display and Local History Markers Dedication

During construction at the northwestern end of Mill Street several years ago, workers discovered a piece of conduit from Occoquan's 18th century mill, the first automated mill in the country. Workers also discovered a girder from the 1878 iron truss bridge across the Occoquan River that was destroyed by Hurricane Agnes in 1972. Historic Occoquan, Inc. plans to display both artifacts, along with interpretive signs adjacent to the Mill House Museum at 413 Mill Street. Dedication of the Mill Conduit display was held on August 25th to coincide with the Virginia 2007 theme for the month of August, "Agriculture and Industry Month."

In addition, Occoquan also celebrated on August 25th the completion of its local history markers program. Over the past several years the town has installed a total of fourteen (14) local history markers, providing information on the following people and institutions important to the town's heritage: the Dogue Indians, the Occoquan River Bridges, Ellicott's Mill, the Methodist Church, Mill Street, the Occoquan Wharves, the 1804 Boundary Stone, the 1804 Occoquan Town Plat, Ogle Harris' Store, Ebenezer Baptist Church, the Old Hammill Hotel, Odd Fellows Hall, Commerce Street, and Rockledge.

Naming of Occoquan River Footbridge

The Town of Occoquan has received approval from the Virginia Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) to formally name the footbridge across the Occoquan River after Nathaniel Ellicott, one of the town's colonial-era founders. In 1795, Ellicott, owner of the Occoquan Mills, petitioned and received authorization from the Virginia General Assembly to erect a toll bridge across the Occoquan River near his mills approximately one and one half miles above Colchester. The bridge was constructed in 1797 and after sustaining damage was rebuilt in 1807. In 1804 a thirty-one acre tract owned by Nathaniel Ellicott and two others was laid out and formally established as the Town of Occoquan. Later, at considerable expense and to the benefit of the town, Ellicott also constructed a new road of approximately ten miles in length leading off from the old route by Colchester a little north of Pohick Church, crossing Pohick Creek, passing through well cultivated country to the Occoquan River, winding through the Town of Occoquan, and rejoining the old road some distance from Dumfries. Finally, in 1805 the new road constructed by Nathaniel Ellicott contributed to the commencement of a new mail stage from Occoquan to Dumfries and new business in the town. Both Fairfax County and Prince William County have endorsed the town's request, which was approved by the CTB in March. A Taste of Occoquan event in Mamie Davis Park, and a Founder's Day Town Gala were held on October 14, 2007 to accompany the formal dedication of the bridge, and to coincide with the Virginia 2007 theme for the month of October, "Local History Month."