Happy 150th!

Be part of history and celebrate the City of Manassas's 150th Birthday April 1 from 2-8 p.m. at Jennie Dean Park.

Highlights include:

• Local bands, food trucks, 150th commemorative cookies
• Rock climbing wall, "touch-a-truck" (fire trucks, police cars, dump trucks, race car), moon bounce, storytelling, crafts
• 150th video series where residents tell their Manassas story
• Manassas Timeline exhibit presented by Manassas Museum
• Tours of Manassas Industrial School at 2:15 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. (meet at Jennie Dean statue)
• 3 p.m. ceremony with officials and burying of time capsule (to be opened in 2073)
• 7:30 p.m. Fireworks — a Manassas favorite!

Other Events

• Greater Manassas St. Patrick's Day Parade March 11, 11 a.m.-noon in Historic Downtown Manassas

• Winter Market Saturdays through March 25, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Prince William Street Commuter Lot

• Farmer's Market (Thursdays) April 6-Oct. 26, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. at Harris Pavilion

• Farmer's Market (Saturday's) April 8-November 25, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. at Prince William Street Commuter Lot

Harris Pavilion

Hylton Center

ARTfactory

Partner Spotlight

Virginia Railway Express (VRE) and Amtrak

Hear that familiar whistle? When you're in Manassas, you will.

Trains — the "Iron Horse" — are part of the landscape of Manassas cutting right through Historic Downtown. Since 1851, they have been transporting passengers (and earlier, freight) across the country. Since Manassas was built as a railroad town, we're featuring Virginia Railway Express (VRE) and Amtrak.

VRE's Manassas Line handles regular commuter trains from Washington's Union Station, to Manassas, other stops in northern Virginia, ending at Broad Run station near Manassas Regional Airport. The Manassas station is also a stop for Amtrak trains, which travel farther distances than VRE trains.

The current red brick depot was constructed by the Southern Railway in October 1914 and is the third station at this location on 9431 West Street; the first one on the present site was constructed after the Civil War in the 1880s. It was replaced in 1904 by a brick passenger depot, but in June 1914, a fire broke out in the baggage room. Today's structure partially incorporates the walls of the burned depot and was built in the Victorian style completed in October 1914. (NOTE: The original depot was at a different location east of the present station on the north side of the tracks, likely near the former candy factory, today's ARTfactory.)

In the 1990s, the City of Manassas acquired the depot from Norfolk Southern Railway and restored the structure with renovations completed in 1997.

The train station that services commuters and tourists also contains Echoes (the Manassas Museum gift shop), a Visitor Center with tourist information, and houses Historic Manassas Inc. (HMI) offices.

Click here to learn more about the Manassas Railroad Depot built in 1914

History Spotlight

Hints of History

A little history lesson...

At the junction of two rail lines (Manassas Gap Railroad and the Orange & Alexandria Railroad) the small village of "Tudor Hall" emerged, which was the name of the train stop and post office established in 1851 for the O&A. The name Tudor Hall was in use until circa 1860 when the Tudor Hall post office name was changed to Manassas Junction, which ultimately evolved into just Manassas.

After the 1861-1865 Civil War, the Town of Manassas within Prince William County was officially incorporated on April 2, 1873 by the Virginia General Assembly. (Check out the image below from the "Acts of Assembly" showing the April 2, 1873 date.)

Fast forward 100 years, and by court order on May 1, 1975, it changed from town status to the City of Manassas, which is independent with its own political and administrative jurisdiction, separate from surrounding Prince William County.

Since October 1851 when the O&A rail line construction had reached Manassas, trains have been coming and going, sounding their whistles for over 170 years. Next time you hear them, perhaps this history lesson will come to mind.