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1600 - The Dogue indians inhabit the Occoquan River basin
    The Dogues, an Algonquian tribe, occupied the Occoquan River
    Watershed in the early 1600s. In their dialect, Occoquan means “at
    the end of the water.” They lived in villages, hunted and fished, and
    raised corn, beans, squash, and tobacco. They departed as the
    English settled the area in the 1650s. Occoquan’s Town Seal
    commemorates the Dogues.

1608 - John Smith visits Occoquan
    John Smith became the first European to visit the area around
    Occoquan and to record his findings. When Smith sailed into the
    Occoquan River in a large, unenclosed craft with 14 of his
    companions from Jamestown, people were conducting “business as
    usual” in Occoquan. Here was the principal village of the Dogue (also
    known as the Tauxenent, Taux, Toags, Doeggs, and Doeg) Indians.
    Men were out hunting and women were tending the gardens where
    they cultivated a variety of vegetables and tobacco. Smith’s boat, like
    the Indians’ log canoes, stopped at the rocky head of the tide water,
    as do the kayaks and recreational boats today.

1681 - Dogue Tribe Disappears
    The Dogue Tribe were a member of the Algonquin Indian Nation, and
    left the Occoquan area in 1681. No record of where the tribe
    migrated to afterward exists, although it is assumed that they were
    absorbed into other Algonquin tribes in areas less settled.

1729 - Landing built
    In 1729, "King" TM Carter built a landing here to ship copper ore,
    which was one of the first major commercial developments in the town.

1736 -First tobacco warehouse built

1750 - Industrial complex grows around tobacco warehouse
    Before the turn of the century, Occoquan had forges, water grist
    mills, tolling mills, a bake house, saw mills, storehouses and
    dwellings. The Merchant's Mill became the first automated grist mill in
    the nation. Grain was taken from the holds of ships and off barges,
    processed, and returned to these carriers by machinery operated by
    only one man, then transported to markets from Alexandria to the
    West Indies.

1758 - Rockledge Built
    When John Ballendine built his dwelling "Rockledge," at Occoquan,
    the town began to prosper.

1795 - Toll Bridge
    Ellicott built a wooden toll bridge in 1795 which was destroyed in a
    storm in 1807, rebuilt in 1808 and stood until the 1850’s. A strong
    iron truss bridge was erected in 1878 at the same location, remaining
    for almost 100 years before collapsing to the fury that was Hurricane
    Agnes. Today a footbridge stands in this location.

1804 - Town of Occoquan Formally Established
    Nathaniel Ellicott formally established the town in 1804, bringing to
    fruition industrial and commercial developments begun, at or near
    the falls of Occoquan, by John Ballendine.

1804 - The Hammill Hotel
    The Hammill Hotel - Located at the corner of Union and Commerce
    Streets, it is the oldest brick structure in Occoquan, dating from 1804.

1805 - Mail Route Authorized
    In 1805 a mail route was first authorized through Occoquan. This
    route would gain in importance, especially during the Civil War, as it
    was through this route that much of the mail being transported
    between the North and the South were passed.

1835 - Occoquan reaches about 50 dwellings
    By 1835, the Gazetteer of Virginia reported that Occoquan had
    "about 50 dwellings, houses, several mercantile stores and various
    mechanics." This marks a major milestone in the town's development.

1861 - First Battle of Bull Run
    Nearby to Occoquan, the first Battle of Bull Run was fought on July
    21, 1861.The Bull Run begins in Loudoun County and flows for
    several miles to Manassas where it becomes a national historic
    benchmark. On July 21, 1861 the two great armies from the North
    and South clashed for the first time on the fields overlooking the Bull
    Run. This encounter left 900 dead and 3,800 missing and wounded.

1862 - General Wade Hampton winters in Occoquan
    During the Civil War, Occoquan was on the frontier between the
    North and the South, and often played an important role in the war.
    July 21, 1862, General Wade Hampton had his winter headquarters
    in the town at the Hammill Hotel, which still stands at the corner of
    Union and Commerce Streets.

1862 - Second Battle of Bull Run
    During the Second Battle of Bull Run, August 28, 1862, which lasted
    three days, 3,400 soldiers were killed and 20,000 missing and
    wounded.

1865 - Leary's Lumber and Hardware Store Built
    Leary's Lumber and Hardware Store - Built in the 1860's, the
    hardware store supplied the town and surrounding community with all
    their general merchandise needs. The old sales counter is still inside
    the front window where it is said to be used by the building's
    crotchety elderly apparition, but only after regular business hours.
    Mrs. Leary chased kids away and tried to keep the corner quiet.

1863 - Ebenezer Church Founded
    Founded by ex-slave Reverend Henry Bailey in 1883, this was the
    first Black church in the area. Reverend Bailey's descendants are still
    active in the congregation.

1919 - Fire Devastates Town
    In 1919 a fire destroyed most of the town of Occoquan. Much of the
    town had to be rebuilt.

1928 - First Major Road Out
    In 1928, Route 1 was the first major road to connect Occoquan to the
    outside world. The completion of this road allowed a freer flowing of
    goods and people in and out of the city.

1972 - Hurricane Agnes
    Hurricane Agnes devastated the town in June 1972. When it struck, it
    destroyed buildings, sidewalks, streets and the remaining Occoquan
    Iron-Truss Bridge.
History on the Occoquan
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