Hidden History of Northern Virginia

by Charles A. Mills

Overview

A collection of hidden tales that explore George Washington's home base of Northern Virginia.

Had General George Washington lived anywhere other than Mount Vernon, Virginia, Washington, D.C., might not exist. In this exciting collection of hidden tales from Northern Virginia, author Charles Mills highlights the important role that this region played in our nation's history from colonial to modern times. Read about the Rebel blockade of the Potomac River, the imprisonment of German POWs at super-secret Fort Hunt during World War II and the building of the Pentagon on the same site and in the same configuration as Civil War, era Fort Runyon. Meet Annandale's "bunny man," who inspired one of the country's wildest and scariest urban legends; learn about the slaves in Alexandria's notorious slave pens; and witness suffragists being dragged from the White House lawn and imprisoned in the Occoquan workhouse. Mills masterfully relates these and other colorful tales of the people and events that left their imprints on Northern Virginia and the nation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781596298316
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	02/19/2010
Series:	Hidden History
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	1,047,889
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Chuck Mills has a passion for history. He has roamed the world researching historical topics and is delighted to have lived most of his life in Northern Virginia, one of the most historic regions in the country. He now lives on the banks of the Potomac River, on land once owned by George Washington. Chuck is a graduate of Penn State University and has advanced degrees from Penn State and George Washington University. He recently completed a master's degree in American history at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Chuck is a member of the Alexandria Historical Society, a former member of the Board of Directors of the Manassas Museum and has acted as a docent at the Carlyle House Historic Park in Alexandria. He is the author of numerous books, including Alexandria 1861, 1865, Echoes of Manassas and Treasure Legends of the Civil War. Chuck has also written numerous newspaper and magazine articles on historical subjects. He is the producer and co-host of Virginia Time Travel, a history television show that airs to some two million viewers in Northern Virginia. When not writing or doing historical research, Chuck can be found kayaking on the Potomac River.

Table of Contents

Preface 7

In the Beginning 9

Spanish Explorers on the Potomac 9

Colonial Days 11

General Braddock's Gold 15

The Revolution and the Early Republic 18

Northern Virginia and the Revolution 18

Washington's Runaway Slaves 21

George Washington and Freemasonry 23

The War of 1812 25

Quakers 28

Dueling 31

A House Divided 34

Slavery Days 34

Guns Along the Potomac 39

Mosby's Confederacy 41

Incidents of War 44

The Hard Hand of War 48

The Army of Northern Virginia 51

The Gilded Age 54

Robert Portner 54

Good Roads 56

Education 59

World War I through the Great Depression 61

World War I and the Military 62

Suffragists 65

Prohibition 68

Art and the Great Depression 70

World War II through the Cold War 73

The Pentagon and Its Predecessor 73

"PO Box 1142": The Top-Secret POW Camp 75

World War II in NOVA 78

The First Sit-In 81

The Cold War 84

People and Places 87

Arlington House 87

Town Names 90

Cemeteries 93

Aviation Comes to Northern Virginia 96

Bridges Across the Potomac 99

Disasters: Natural and Unnatural 103

Potomac River Ecology 106

Preserving the Past 110

Food 112

Strange But True? 114

Did George Washington Have a Son? 114

The Strange Fate of Wilmer McLean 117

Unidentified Flying Objects 119

Urban Legends 122

Selected Bibliography 125

About the Author 128