Accokeek Furnace Archeological Site is a historic

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or recorded history, historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline ...

located near

Stafford Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, England. It is located about south of Stoke-on-Trent, north of Wolverhampton, and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 71,673 at the 2021–2022 United Kingd ...

Stafford County, Virginia Stafford County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is approximately south of Washington, D.C. It is part of the Northern Virginia region, and the D.C area. It is one of the fastest-growing and highest-income counties in ...

. The Principio Company of

Cecil County, Maryland Cecil County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland at the northeastern corner of the state, bordering both Pennsylvania and Delaware. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 103,725. The county seat is Elkton. The ...

, constructed the Accokeek Iron Furnace about 1726 on land leased from

Augustine Washington Augustine Washington Sr. (1694 – April 12, 1743) was a Virginian planter and merchant. Born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, he was the father of 10 children, among them the first president of the United States, George Washington, soldier an ...

, father of

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

. After his death in 1743, his son Lawrence Washington inherited his interest in the company and furnace. When he died in 1752, his share descended to his brother

Augustine Washington Jr. Augustine Washington Jr. (1720 – May 1762) was an American planter, military officer and politician best known for being the half-brother of George Washington. Early and family life A member of the Washington family. He was the third and yo ...

Operations at this site ceased around 1753. A historical marker denoting this site is located on the grounds of Colonial Forge High School. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1984.

References

Washington family Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Stafford County, Virginia 1726 establishments in the Colony of Virginia {{StaffordCountyVA-NRHP-stub