Agnewville also known as Smoketown or Chinntown is an extinct
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
in
Prince William County,
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 territorie ...
. Agnewville lies to the west of the town of
Occoquan at the intersection of Minnieville (formerly Davis Ford) and Telegraph Roads. It has also been known as Agnesville
[The Prince William County Historical Commission (Va.) 2006 pp.52-54] and Chinn Town.
[
Agnewville ran along Minnieville Road from Old Bridge Road to the old Horner Road (near the current Caton Hill Road). Agnewville flourished from 1890 to 1927.
]
History
The land that became Agnewville was purchased and settled by freed slaves. The Chinn Family, freed by Henny Fielder Roe after the American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
, was given enough money to purchase about 500 acres[''The Washington Post'', December 14, 1989, Brooke A Masters, "Memorial to a Va. Matriarch", p Va 12] of land in 1889.[
The U.S. Post Office in Agnewville was established in 1891, and was closed in March 1927, with the mail services transferred to the Woodbridge Post Office.][
The Mount Olive Baptist Church was founded in 1915 on Telegraph Road,][ with land donated by William Wallace Chinn.][
Agnewville was located along the main stage road out of ]Occoquan, Virginia
Occoquan () is a town in Prince William County, Virginia. The population was 934 at the 2010 United States Census. The town is a suburb of Washington, D.C. and is adjacent to Woodbridge. The current mayor is Earnest W. Porta Jr.
History
Occoqua ...
. The decline of Agnewville came with the relocation of the main highway from Telegraph Road to the present day U.S. Route 1 through Woodbridge, Virginia
Woodbridge is a census-designated place (CDP) in Prince William County, Virginia, United States, located south of Washington, D.C.. Bounded by the Occoquan and Potomac rivers, Woodbridge had 44,668 residents at the 2020 census.
Woodbridge o ...
.[
]
Economy
Farming and logging were the main economic activities.[
]
Present day
Most of Agnewville has been redeveloped. North of Minnieville Road is now the community of Lake Ridge, Virginia
Lake Ridge is a census-designated place (CDP) in Prince William County, Virginia, Prince William County, Virginia, United States. It is an annex of Woodbridge, Virginia. The population was 41,058 at the 2010 census, an increase of 35% from 2000.
H ...
. South of Minnieville Road has been developed to some extent, and much of the undeveloped area is zoned for commercial and residential development.
Notes
References
*The Prince William County Historical Commission (Va.) (2006).
*Prince William County Historical Commission disappearing towns project / Prince William County Historical Commission.
External links
{{authority control
Unincorporated communities in Prince William County, Virginia
Washington metropolitan area
Unincorporated communities in Virginia