Haymarket is a town in

Prince William County Prince William County is located on the Potomac River in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population sits at 482,204, making it Virginia's second-most populous county. Its county seat is the independent city of Manassas ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The population was 1,552 as of the 2020 census.

History

OLD TOWN HALL AND SCHOOL, PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VA

Haymarket is on land that was a hunting ground of the western

Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...

nations, who came from the New York and

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

area around the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lak ...

. They used hunting paths through here until 1722, when they made a treaty with the colonies of Virginia and New York to move into the

Blue Ridge Mountain Blue Ridge Mountain, also known as Blue Mountain, is the colloquial name of the westernmost ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northern Virginia and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The Appalachian Trail traverses the entire length of th ...

region. Due to the hunting paths, this location, and later the town, were given the nickname ''The Crossroads''. The town of Haymarket was developed here after the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, formally founded in 1799 on the land of William Skinker. The Virginia General Assembly gave Skinker the rights to lay out the town, which he drew to consist of 13 streets and 140 lots. Shortly after, a clerk's office and jail were constructed in 1801, as the town had been selected as the site of what is now a district court. The town owed its early development to business and trade associated with the regular court sessions. In 1807, the Virginia General Assembly abolished the district court in favor of the circuit court system, which established a court at each county seat. Until 1830 the court house remained the focal point of the town, while serving multiple purposes. In 1830, the court house was converted into and deeded as an Episcopal church; in 1833 it was consecrated as St Paul's. During the Civil War, on November 4, 1862, Union troops invaded Haymarket and set the entire town on fire. Only four buildings survived: three small houses and St. Paul's Church. For the remainder of the war, Haymarket remained mostly unpopulated. A skirmish took place on October 19, 1863, involving the Second Brigade, Second Division, and Fifth Army Corp. Another skirmish took place on June 1863. They both involved Union encounters with the Confederate cavalry. Following

General Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of North ...

's surrender, Haymarket began to recover. Slowly it regained its former prosperity and size.

Post-Reconstruction era to present

Haymarket was incorporated in 1882, the second town in

to do so. The first mayor elected was Garrett Hulfish and the first councilmen elected were T.A. Smith, Charles Jordan, and William W. Meade. In May 1882 during the council's second meeting, the rudimentary ordinances were drafted and adopted. On March 19, 1892, Lee Heflin and Joseph Dye were

lynched Lynching is an extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged transgressor, punish a convicted transgressor, or intimidate people. It can also be an ex ...

in Haymarket. They had been convicted of the murder of a girl and sentenced to death, but the mob thought the legal system moved too slowly. The men were hanged from trees at the edge of woods; then the mob shot into their bodies. ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' said, "mob law...is a dangerous thing to encourage. There is too much of it already throughout the country, and it spreads like a contagion so long as public sentiment tacitly approves it." It was unusual that white men were lynched; in Virginia and the rest of the South, usually black men were victims of lynching."Mob Carries Out Death Sentence"
''History Engine'', University of Richmond, 2008-2015 From 1882 to today, most of the buildings of central Haymarket have remained the same. The town borders U.S Route 15. Growth has occurred outside the town. While no schools are located within the town, the larger area has five schools – all part of the Prince William County School System. In the 1970s during the construction of the Interstate System, Haymarket was served by Exit 40 of

Interstate 66 Interstate 66 (I-66) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. It runs from an interchange with I-81 near Middletown, Virginia, on its western end to an interchange with U.S. Route 29 (US 29) in Washing ...

. Being connected to the interstate, during a period of growth in the

Northern Virginia Northern Virginia, locally referred to as NOVA or NoVA, comprises several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. It is a widespread region radiating westward and southward from Washington, D.C. Wit ...

region, has produced a population boom in the area of suburban development. In 1994

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Disney Stud ...

bought extensive amounts of land in Haymarket for a proposed Disney's America theme park. Local resistance to the resort, because of perceived adverse effects on the Manassas Battlefield, resulted in the defeat of the park. William B. Snyder, a local businessman, convinced Disney to sell the property to him. Snyder, in turn, sold off most of the land to developers, except for the donated to the

National Capital Area Council The National Capital Area Council (NCAC) is a local council of the Boy Scouts of America within the Northeast Region (Boy Scouts of America), Northeast Region that serves the Washington metropolitan area, including Washington, D.C., portions of ...

of the

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded ...

. It used this land to develop Camp Snyder. In addition to St. Paul's Church,

Evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

, Locust Bottom, Mt. Atlas, and Old Town Hall and School are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

Geography

Haymarket is located at (38.812670, −77.635084). Haymarket is located in the Piedmont region of Virginia, sitting at the base of

Bull Run Mountains The Bull Run Mountains are a mountain range of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northern Virginia in the United States. Located approximately east of the main chain, across the Loudoun Valley. The Bull Run Mountains, together with Catoctin Mount ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the town has a total area of 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²), all of it land. The greater town of Haymarket ( ZIP code 20169) has a total area of 32.2 square miles (83.4 km²), with 0.2 square miles (0.5 km²) of water.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2020, there were 1,552 people living in the town. The 2019 census reported 464 households, and 377 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 1,725.2 people per square mile (665.5/km²). There were 337 housing units at an average density of 661.4 per square mile (255.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.04%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 5.35%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.80% Asian, 0.68% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.14% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

or Latino of any race were 2.73% of the population. There were 464 households, out of which 52.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, an estimated 60.8% were married couples living together, 8.41% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.75% were non-families. 19.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.34 and the average family size was 3.67. In the town, the population was spread out, with 32.4% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 20 to 24, 12.2% from 25 to 34, 40.3% from 35 to 64, and 6.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $128,125; the

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

was $46,943. Haymarket's zip code 20169 is the wealthiest in

. About 3.7% of the population was below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

Points of Interest

Haymarket has over 38 courses within 20 miles of the town. Located just outside of Haymarket are the Bull Run Golf Club and Raspberry Golf Academy in the Bull Run Mountain Estates.

Silver Lake Regional Park is located outside of Haymarket. The park has over 230 acres as well as a 23-acre lake for fishing and non-motorized boats that is fed by the Little Bull Run. The 23-acre lake is stocked with species such as trout, bass, and catfish. The nearby James S. Long Regional Park has 4.6 miles of equestrian trails that connect to Silver Lake Regional Park via a bridge.

The piedmont region of Virginia, where Haymarket is located, produces many wineries such as La Grange. Prince William County has a history of winemaking that owes to the many wineries that were in operation during the 1800s and early 1900s.

Education

* Battlefield High School has been ranked by US News as the Number 1 high school in the Prince William County Public School System for several years. Additionally, the school has been ranked as Number 18 in the state as well as Number 833 nationally in 2021 out of 17,857 high schools nationwide. * Haymarket Elementary School opened on September 2, 2014, after an August 19, 2014 ribbon-cutting ceremony. * Mountain View Elementary opened in September 1995. * Ronald Reagan Middle School opened in 2012. * Samuel L. Gravely, Jr. Elementary School opened in 2008. * Alvey Elementary School opened in 2003 and enrolled 458 students as of September 2020.

Public Safety

Haymarket, Virginia is considered one of the safest places in America, reporting a crime rate of less than 85% of all towns in America with a population of 1,000 or more residents. The crime rate in Haymarket is 14.7 times lower than the US average. In 2016, only 16 total offences were known to exist to law enforcement.

Transportation

is the primary highway serving Haymarket. It extends westward to

Interstate 81 Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Isla ...

near Front Royal, and eastward to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, with connections to Interstate 95 via Interstate 495. North-south travel is provided via U.S. Route 15, which skims the northwest side of town. US 15 connects north to Leesburg and south to Warrenton.

Virginia State Route 55 State Route 55 (SR 55) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. Known for most of its length as John Marshall Highway, the state highway runs from the West Virginia state line, where the highway continues as West Virginia Route ...

also passes through Haymarket, serving as a local service road for I-66 and acting as Main Street within Haymarket.

References

External links

*
Prince William County Government

St. Paul's School

Haymarket Elementary School
{{authority control Towns in Prince William County, Virginia Populated places established in 1799 1799 establishments in Virginia Towns in Virginia