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Loudoun Branch Of The Manassas Gap Railroad
The Loudoun Branch of the Manassas Gap Railroad was a planned branch extension of the Manassas Gap Railroad that was to connect the Orange and Alexandria Railroad (O&A) to Harpers Ferry and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Route The route was to diverge from the O&A near Centerville and head west through Loudoun County, crossing the Catoctin Mountain along the Goose Creek water gap, then turning northward towards the village of Goose Creek (present day Lincoln) and Purcel's Store (present day Purcellville) before continuing northerly, along the eastern base of Short Hill Mountain. At the north end of the mountain, the line was to bear westward passing around the Short Hill and Blue Ridge Mountain along the bank of the Potomac River to its confluence with the Shenandoah River, at which point it would cross the latter river to reach Harpers Ferry. Construction and demise Work started on the line in 1851, the same year as the main line of the Manassas Gap Railroad. The railro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Manassas Gap Railroad
The Manassas Gap Railroad (MGRR) ran from Mount Jackson, Virginia, to the Orange and Alexandria Railroad's Manassas Junction, which later became the city of Manassas, Virginia. Chartered by the Virginia General Assembly in 1850, the MGRR was a narrow gauge line whose 90 completed miles of track included of 60 pounds-per-yard T-rail and of 52 pounds-per-yard T-rail. A total of nine locomotives and 232 cars were operated on the line, serving 20 stations. During the American Civil War, the Confederate Army used the railroad to move troops and raid the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Today, several portions of an unfinished extension to the roadbed remain abandoned in Fairfax County. Founding and early history With Edward Carrington Marshall as president and financial assistance from the Virginia Board of Public Works, construction was started westward in 1851 from a junction with the Orange and Alexandria Railroad (O&A) at Tudor Hall in Prince William County (a location the rai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 the mountain along its western slope and crest. Geography The mountain extends from the Potomac River in the north to Linden Gap in the south. Along this section of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Blue Ridge Mountain comprises the sole ridge of the chain in the immediate vicinity and contains few spur ridges or peaks. The notable exceptions are the Bull Run and Catoctin mountains, which lie approximately to the east across the Loudoun Valley, and Short Hill Mountain, located to the east, which runs parallel to the Blue Ridge for near its northern terminus. To the west of the mountain is the lower Shenandoah Valley. Blue Ridge Mountain is noticeably lower in elevation than other sections of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. The southe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. With a population of 1,150,309 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most populous county in Virginia, the most populous jurisdiction in the Washington metropolitan area, and the most populous location in the Washington–Baltimore combined statistical area. The county seat is Fairfax, Virginia, Fairfax; however, because it is an Independent city (United States)#Virginia, independent city under Virginia law, the city of Fairfax is not part of the county. The county is part of the Northern Virginia region and forms part of the suburban ring of Washington, D.C., the nation's capital. The county is predominantly suburban with some Urban area, urban and Rural area, rural pockets. It borders Montgomery County, Maryland to its north, Falls Church, Virginia, Falls Church, Alexandria, Virginia, Alexandria, Arlington Coun ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Manassas Junction, Virginia
Manassas (), formerly Manassas Junction, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. The population was 42,772 at the 2020 Census. It is the county seat of Prince William County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. Manassas borders the independent city of Manassas Park, Virginia. The Bureau of Economic Analysis includes both Manassas and Manassas Park with Prince William County for statistical purposes. Manassas contains several historic sites dating from 1825 to 1914. Manassas surrounds the county courthouse, which is located on county property. Manassas is part of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area and is in the Northern Virginia region. Etymology The independent city of Manassas takes its name from uncertain origins. One theory posits a Native American origin, potentially from a word such as Manas, meaning “island” or denoting a gathering place. Another theory suggests it derives fro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 census made it the List of cities in Virginia, sixth-most populous city in Virginia and List of United States cities by population, 169th-most populous city in the U.S. Alexandria is a principal city of the Washington metropolitan area, which is part of the larger Washington–Baltimore combined statistical area. Like the rest of Northern Virginia and Central Maryland, present-day Alexandria has been influenced by its proximity to the U.S. capital. It is largely populated by professionals working in the United States federal civil service, federal civil service, in the United States Armed Forces, U.S. military, or for one of the many private companies which contract to Government contractor, provide services to the Federal government of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting against the United States forces to support the rebellion of the Southern states and uphold and expand Slavery in the United States, the institution of slavery. On February 28, 1861, the Provisional Confederate Congress established a provisional volunteer army and gave control over military operations and authority for mustering state forces and volunteers to the newly chosen Confederate States president, Jefferson Davis (1808–1889). Davis was a graduate of the United States Military Academy, on the Hudson River at West Point, New York, and colonel of a volunteer regiment during the Mexican–American War (1846–1848). He had also been a United States senator from Mississippi and served a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Panic Of 1857
The Panic of 1857 was a financial crisis in the United States caused by the declining international economy and over-expansion of the domestic economy. Because of the invention of the telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ... by Samuel F. Morse in 1844, the Panic of 1857 was the first financial crisis to spread rapidly throughout the United States. The world economy was more interconnected by the 1850s, which made the Panic of 1857 the first worldwide economic crisis. In Britain, the Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, Palmerston government circumvented the requirements of the Bank Charter Act 1844, which required gold and silver reserves to back up the amount of money in circulation. Surfacing news of this circumvention set off the Panic in Britain. B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shenandoah River
The Shenandoah River is the principal tributary of the Potomac River, long with two River fork, forks approximately long each,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 in the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia. The river and its Tributary, tributaries drain the central and lower Shenandoah Valley and the Page Valley in the Appalachian Mountains, Appalachians on the west side of the Blue Ridge Mountains, in northwestern Virginia and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. There is a hydroelectric plant along the Shenandoah River constructed in 2014 by Dominion Energy, Dominion. Course The Shenandoah River is formed northeast of Front Royal, Virginia, Front Royal near Riverton, by the confluence (geography), confluence of the South Fork Shenandoah River, South Fork and the North Fork Shenandoah River, North Fork. It flows northeast across Warren County, Virginia, Warren County, passing unde ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Potomac River
The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved August 15, 2011 with a Drainage basin, drainage area of , and is the fourth-largest river along the East Coast of the United States. More than 6 million people live within its drainage basin, watershed. The river forms part of the borders between Maryland and Washington, D.C., on the left descending bank, and West Virginia and Virginia on the right descending bank. Except for a small portion of its headwaters in West Virginia, the #North Branch Potomac River, North Branch Potomac River is considered part of Maryland to the low-water mark on the opposite bank. The South Branch Potomac River lies completely within the state of West Virginia except for its headwaters, which lie i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Short Hill Mountain
Short Hill Mountain is a mountain ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northwest Loudoun County, Virginia, Loudoun County, Virginia. Geography Short Hill rises sharply from the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont countryside of the Loudoun Valley, northwest of Purcellville, Virginia, Purcellville. It is a low-lying ridge, barely over in elevation. The mountain ridge extends northeast for approximately before descending to the Hillsboro Gap, through which the North Fork of Catoctin Creek (Virginia), Catoctin Creek flows and the town of Hillsboro, Loudoun County, Virginia, Hillsboro is located. North of the gap, the ridge quickly achieves heights of greater than , and continues for , gradually gaining elevation, before dropping precipitously to the Potomac River. The portion of the mountain south of Hillsboro Gap is known as Signal Mountain (Virginia), Signal Mountain for the Union Army signaling station located on its summit during the American Civil War. North of the Potomac, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orange And Alexandria Railroad
The Orange and Alexandria Railroad (O&A) was a railroad in Virginia, United States. Chartered in 1848, it eventually extended from Alexandria, Virginia, Alexandria to Gordonsville, Virginia, Gordonsville, with another section from Charlottesville, Virginia, Charlottesville to Lynchburg, Virginia, Lynchburg. The road played a crucial role in the American Civil War, saw the first of many mergers in 1867, and eventually became an important part of the modern-day Norfolk Southern rail system. Antebellum period The Virginia General Assembly issued a charter to the O&A on May 28, 1848, to run from Alexandria to Gordonsville. Construction began in 1850 and was completed in April 1854, when it connected with the Virginia Central Railroad in Orange County, Virginia, Orange County. Its longtime president was John S. Barbour Jr., a Virginia lawyer, part-time delegate and son of U.S. Representative John S. Barbour, John Strode Barbour. In 1854, the General Assembly granted the O&A the righ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Purcellville, Virginia
Purcellville is a town in Loudoun County, Virginia, Loudoun County, Virginia. The population was 8,929 according to the 2020 census. Purcellville is the major population center for Western Loudoun and the Loudoun Valley. Many of the older structures remaining in Purcellville reflect the Victorian architecture popular during the early twentieth century. History Although the first land grant in the area was issued by Lord Fairfax of Cameron in 1740, it was not until 1764 that Purcellville's first known settler, James Dillon from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, arrived. The early ox cart track which wound westward from Leesburg towards the Blue Ridge, known later as the "Great Road," served as the town's nucleus, although farms existed in the area, and Ketoctin Baptist Church had been founded nearby by 1752. The first recorded business, an ordinary (a combined store and inn), was established by Abraham Vickers in 1799. This was followed by a second ordinary, established by Stacey Taylor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
