Orange and Alexandria Railroad
Historical highway marker BW-4 · Fairfax County
Accotink Park Road lies on the right-of-way of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, which linked the markets of northern and central Virginia. Construction began in March 1850, and the line was extended to Manassas in 1851 and to Gordonsville in March 1853. The railroad encouraged the growth of Fairfax County and new communities along the way. During the Civil War the line became a strategic prize coveted by both sides, and battles were fought at or near such stops as Manassas Junction, Bristoe Station, and Brandy Station. The Union army seized a large part of the Fairfax section of the railroad and placed it under the control of the U.S. Military Railroad system in 1862.
Department of Historic Resources, 1995