Bealeton is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in

Fauquier County Fauquier is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 72,972. The county seat is Warrenton. Fauquier County is in Northern Virginia and is a part of the Washington metropolitan area. History In 160 ...

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, at the intersection of

U.S. Route 17 U.S. Route 17 or U.S. Highway 17 (US 17), also known as the Coastal Highway, is a north–south United States Highway that spans in the southeastern United States. It runs close to the Atlantic Coast for much of its length, wit ...

and State Route 28. The population was 4,435 at the 2010 census.

Public school Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...

s in Bealeton include Grace Miller Elementary, Cedar Lee Middle, and Liberty High School. Bealeton is home to its own post office, with ZIP code 22712.

Geography

Bealeton is located in southwestern Fauquier County. U.S. Route 17 leads north to Warrenton, the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

, and southeast to Fredericksburg. VA 28 leads northeast to Manassas and southwest to U.S. Routes 29 and 15, which lead an additional to Culpeper. According to the

U.S. 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 the ...

, the CDP has a total area of , of which , or 0.23%, is water. The area drains south via Marsh Run to the

Rappahannock River The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 It traverses the entir ...

History

Bealeton was originally a stop on the former

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 to Gordonsville, with another section from Charlottesville to Lynchburg. The road played a crucial rol ...

(absorbed ultimately into the Southern Railway in 1894, now

Norfolk Southern The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Railroad classes, Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway (U.S.), Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the ...

), and the old railroad station building can be seen in the Bealeton Station development in front of the Bealeton Library building. The building was previously located on County Road 805, Bealeton Road, which runs parallel and near the railway. The area was a major traveling point during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

and saw many skirmishes related to nearby engagements. Despite the presence of

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

troops during the early years of the war,

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

troops succeeded in pushing the Confederate line south of the Rappahannock River and eventually into Fredericksburg. This move led to the control of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, thus allowing the Union army to transport supplies deep into southern Virginia. Bealeton lost importance with the decline of railroad travel and became a bedroom community of Warrenton and

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 ...

primarily. This was aided by the comprehensive plan that made authorized water and sewer availability in 1967. Bealeton retains many large farms and provides a unique blend of agriculture, commercial, and residential development.

Local attractions

Since 1970, Bealeton has been home to one of the last

barnstorming Barnstorming was a form of entertainment in which stunt pilots performed tricks individually or in groups that were called flying circuses. Devised to "impress people with the skill of pilots and the sturdiness of planes," it became popular in t ...

air show An air show (or airshow, air fair, air tattoo) is a public event where aircraft are exhibited. They often include aerobatics demonstrations, without they are called "static air shows" with aircraft parked on the ground. The largest air show m ...

s in America, simply called the "Flying Circus". Open every Sunday, May through October, activities include All-American barnstorming,

wing walking Wing walking is the act of moving along the wings of an aeroplane (most commonly a biplane) during flight, sometimes transferring between planes. It originated as a daredevil stunt in the aerial barnstorming shows of the 1920s, and became the sub ...

parachuting Parachuting, including also skydiving, is a method of transiting from a high point in the atmosphere to the surface of Earth with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachute or parachutes. For ...

aerobatic Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aerial" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and glid ...

performances and open-cockpit

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

rides. Bealeton is also the home of the world's largest old-fashioned roller skate. It was originally created as a float for a fireman's parade and put in place in front of the rink by Hugo Stribling when he opened Hugo's Skateway in 1978. The skating rink has changed hands several times since Hugo's was sold in 2007. The most recent owners closed the doors in January 2017 after their lease was terminated. Morais Vineyards & Winery opened in 2011 and is Bealeton's only vineyard and winery, located right on Route 17. It is considered a Portuguese-style winery with a wedding venue that attracts thousands of people each year.

References

External links

Fauquier County Public Library
with a Bealeton branch
Bealeton Station Depot
at Virginia.org {{Fauquier County, Virginia Census-designated places in Fauquier County, Virginia