• a leaf rests in Quantico Creek

    Prince William Forest

    Park Virginia

  • Firewood

    Outside firewood is prohibited in Prince William Forest Park, unless it is certified USDA 'bug free' firewood. Any dead and downed wood can be collected in the park for in-park use. Help us protect the forest from invasive species!

  • Oak Ridge Campground B and C Loops Full 5/26

    The B and C Loops of Oak Ridge Campground are full for Saturday night, May 26th. A loop is a first come, first served loop of the campground so you can arrive early to get a site. Call the visitor center from 9 to 5 for a current A Loop site count.

  • Sold Out of the Military Pass

    We have sold out of our cache of the new InterAgency Military Pass. We have ordered 500 more and will post here and on our facebook/twitter pages when our shipment arrives.

  • Warm Wet Spring = More Ticks

    Please check yourself and your pets for ticks continually during and after your visit. Ticks are less prevelent if you stay on trail or in mowed areas. Wearing light colored clothing helps you spot them before the attach.

  • Warm Wet Spring = More Ticks

    Please check yourself and your pets for ticks continually during and after your visit. Ticks are less prevelent if you stay on trail or in mowed areas. Wearing light colored clothing helps you spot them before the attach.

Mills in the Park

Ruins of a mill
Ruins of one of the local mills.
National Park Service
 

Milling was one of several industries that helped this area grow in the colonial era. This industry, in addition to the tobacco trade, rose up on the banks of Quantico Creek, spurring the growth of the town of Dumfries and the hillsides that became Prince William Forest Park.

 

The First Mill

Gibson’s Mill was the first mill in the area, constructed at the mouth of Quantico Creek in 1691. Little is known about the mill, but it did spur the growth of a small town on the banks of Quantico Creek. Records from the area are virtually inexistent until 1740, when locals requested that the town be planned in a grid pattern. Dumfries was incorporated in 1749 and became a significant colonial port.

 

Economy in Transition

After the port of Dumfries collapsed in the late 1700s, milling remained while the economy shifted toward subsistence agriculture. By the 1820s, there were four mills operating on Quantico and Chopawamsic Creeks. None were large scale.

 

Chapman’s Mill, also referred to as Missouri or Purcell’s Mill, sat along Chopawamsic Creek. A combination gristmill and sawmill sat here since before the American Revolution. There are some records that show it was once a slave depot. Following the war, it was a post office.

 

Located on Quantico Creek, Clifton’s Mill was one of the larger operations in the area. It was a water-powered gristmill. Records indicate that it was intended to be a Clifton Mill was terribly unsuccessful. It was sold twice to pay owners’ debts. James Deneale owned the mill from 1813 to 1824 and saw that water power was an important part of America’s future, but was not able to turn a profit. He put the mill up for sale in 1818.

There were two other mills along the South Fork of Quantico Creek, but neither of these were successful, nor are there any remnants of them. Despite the possibility of industrial development, these mills failed more often than not. By the mid-1800s, the area of the park became a small, self-contained agrarian community.

Continue on to the Cabin Branch Pyrite Mine

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Did You Know?

Did You Know?

Prince William Forest Park preserves the largest inventory of Civilian Conservation Corps structures (153) in the National Park System. Four of the five cabin camps are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as historic districts.