Haymarket is a town in Prince William County,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

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. The population was 1,545 as of the 2020 census.

History

Haymarket is built on land that used to be hunting grounds of the western

Iroquois The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Ind ...

nations, who came from the

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and

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area around the

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. They used hunting paths through the land 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 ...

region. Due to the hunting paths, this location, and later the town, were given the nickname ''The Crossroads''. The town of Haymarket began to be developed and built 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 the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, formally founded in 1799 on the land of William Skinker. The

Virginia General Assembly The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, and the first elected legislative assembly in the New World. It was established on July 30, ...

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 Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

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 uninhabited. A skirmish took place on October 19, 1863, involving the Second Brigade, Second Division, and Fifth Army Corps. Another skirmish took place in June 1863. They both involved Union encounters with the Confederate cavalry. Following General Robert E. Lee'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 Prince William County 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.Historical Information
Town of Haymarket, retrieved October 30, 2013. 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 or convicted transgressor or to intimidate others. It can also be an extreme form of in ...

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'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' 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 the present day, most of the buildings in central Haymarket have remained unchanged. 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 a 76.32 mile east–west Interstate Highway in the East Coast of the United States, eastern United States. The highway runs from an interchange with Interstate 81 in Virginia, I-81 near Middletown, Virginia, on its w ...

. 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 County (United States), counties and independent city (United States), independent cities in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. ...

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

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...

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 of the

Boy Scouts of America Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...

. 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 Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

, 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 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 ...

Geography

Haymarket is located at (38.812670, −77.635084). Haymarket is located in the

Piedmont region of Virginia The Piedmont region of Virginia is a part of the greater Piedmont physiographic region which stretches from the falls of the Potomac, Rappahannock, and James Rivers to the Blue Ridge Mountains. The region runs across the middle of the state from ...

, 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. They are located approximately east of the main chain, across the Loudoun Valley. The Bull Run Mountains, together with Catoct ...

. Haymarket is located just outside of the region considered "NOVA". Geographically, Haymarket serves as a marker to show the start of Virginia outside of the "NOVA" region. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.5 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 2020 census, there were 1,545 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: Standing 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 geog ...

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 chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 5.35%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.80% Asian, 0.68% from other races, and 1.14% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

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 Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

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 aged 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 average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

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

Recreation

Haymarket is home to several golf courses, with over 38 golf courses located within 20 miles of the town. Notable courses include the Bull Run Golf Club and Raspberry Golf Academy, both situated in the nearby Bull Run Mountain Estates. Another recreational area, Silver Lake Regional Park, can be found just outside Haymarket. This park spans over 230 acres and features a 23-acre lake, which is fed by the Little Bull Run and is open to fishing and non-motorized boats. The lake is home to various fish species, including trout, bass, and catfish. Additionally, the adjacent James S. Long Regional Park offers 4.6 miles of equestrian trails, which connect to Silver Lake Regional Park via a bridge. Haymarket is located within the

piedmont region of Virginia The Piedmont region of Virginia is a part of the greater Piedmont physiographic region which stretches from the falls of the Potomac, Rappahannock, and James Rivers to the Blue Ridge Mountains. The region runs across the middle of the state from ...

, an area known for its wineries, such as La Grange. The history of winemaking in Prince William County dates back to the 1800s and early 1900s, when several wineries were in operation.

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 lower 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 Interstate 40, I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee, Dandridge, Tennessee; its nort ...

near Front Royal, and eastward to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, with connections to

Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the ...

via Interstate 495. North-south travel is provided via

U.S. Route 15 U.S. Route 15 or U.S. Highway 15 (US 15) is a United States Numbered Highway, serving the states of South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York. The route is signed north–south, from US ...

, 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 Rou ...

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

References

External links

*
St. Paul's School

Haymarket Elementary School

Silver Lake Regional Park
{{authority control Towns in Prince William County, Virginia Populated places established in 1799 1799 establishments in Virginia Towns in Virginia