IV 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 245 
Recognizing and congratulating the city of Manassas, Virginia, on the 150th 
anniversary of its founding. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 22, 2023 
Ms. WEXTON submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Oversight and Accountability 
RESOLUTION 
Recognizing and congratulating the city of Manassas, 
Virginia, on the 150th anniversary of its founding. 
Whereas the residents of the city of Manassas will celebrate 
the city’s historic 150th anniversary as an active and in-
volved community on April 1, 2023, at Dean Park; 
Whereas, originally called Manassas Junction, the town of 
Manassas was incorporated in 1873 by the Virginia Gen-
eral Assembly; 
Whereas the town grew out of being located at the junction 
of the Orange, Alexandria, and the Manassas Gap rail-
road lines; 
Whereas the fortunes of Manassas and its establishment as 
a town are linked to the railroad; 
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Whereas, when the Orange and Alexandria Railroad reached 
what was then called Tudor Hall in 1851 and connected 
to the Manassas Gap Railroad, the area became known 
as Manassas Junction, offering farmers a chance to move 
their grain and establishing a strategic location for 
growth after the Civil War; 
Whereas the first law enforcement in the then town of Ma-
nassas began in 1873 with Town Sargent Jacob W. 
Hornbaker; 
Whereas the selection of Manassas as the county seat and 
construction of the county courthouse in 1894 spurred a 
building and population boom and led to the growth of 
the town; 
Whereas seven of the city’s historic treasures are listed on 
the National Register of Historic Places, including— 
(1) Liberia, the 1825 home and grounds where near-
ly 90 enslaved people toiled on a plantation, where both 
Confederate and Union forces set up headquarters during 
the Civil War, and where President Abraham Lincoln vis-
ited; 
(2) Mayfield Earthwork Fort, built by Confederate 
forces and the enslaved in 1861 to defend against Union 
advances; 
(3) Cannon Branch Earthwork Fort, built in 1863 
to defend rail lines supplying Union troops; 
(4) Annaburg, the 1894 summer home of brewer 
Robert Portner, believed to be the first house in the 
country to have air conditioning after Portner invented 
and installed his own cooling machine; 
(5) the iconic 1914 Manassas Water Tower, built as 
the town established its own water utility; 
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(6) the nationally recognized Manassas Industrial 
School for Colored Youth, founded in 1893 by former 
slave Jennie Dean to provide both academic and voca-
tional training for African-American youth when seg-
regated schools limited their opportunities; and 
(7) the Manassas Local Historic District, which in-
cludes 300 architecturally and historically significant 
structures in the downtown and surrounding neighbor-
hoods; 
Whereas the first all-volunteer fire company, the Manassas 
Volunteer Fire Company, was founded in 1892 to make 
the community safer, and in 1914 the first fire station 
was built and then relocated to its current location at 
9322 Center Street; 
Whereas, in 1895, telephone service was established for the 
blossoming town, and the first electricity was generated 
in 1913 and run by the municipality; 
Whereas, in 1905, a horrendous fire swept through the town 
and burned about 30 buildings, and by town ordinance, 
these buildings were rebuilt in brick and fire-resistant 
materials; 
Whereas the first Greater Manassas Christmas Parade was 
held in 1945 and is the largest Christmas parade in the 
area; 
Whereas the first airport in Manassas was established in 
1930, and the current location of the Manassas Regional 
Airport opened in 1964 and is currently the busiest Gen-
eral Aviation Airport in the Commonwealth with over 400 
based aircraft and generates over $275,000,000 in eco-
nomic benefit to the surrounding region; 
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Whereas the visionary town council passed an ambitious 
$5,000,000 bond referendum to purchase land on Broad 
Run to construct a dam that would create the Lake Ma-
nassas reservoir, providing a dedicated water supply to 
the city and surrounding Prince William County; 
Whereas, in 1964, using funds from donations by the commu-
nity, the Prince William Medical Center (now the Univer-
sity of Virginia Prince William Medical Center) was es-
tablished to aid in the health care of Manassas area resi-
dents; 
Whereas, as early as 1897, town father George Carr Round 
recognized the strength of Manassas diverse population 
and its newcomers, writing of the town ‘‘It is especially 
cosmopolitan.’’; 
Whereas today the city is the fifth most diverse locality in 
Virginia, with a 60.4 percent non-White population, a 
26.5 percent foreign-born population, and where Manas-
sas City Public Schools serve students whose families 
speak more than 27 different languages in the home; 
Whereas IBM moved into the town of Manassas in 1968, cre-
ating jobs and housing, such as Georgetown South; 
Whereas the city of Manassas is a regional employment cen-
ter and has a robust history of major corporate invest-
ment and job creation beginning in the 1970s with IBM 
and most recently exemplified by Micron Technologies 
Inc., making the largest capital investment in Virginia 
history; 
Whereas the Manassas Museum opened in its first location 
in 1974, documenting the city’s history and culture and 
providing free cultural exhibits to residents and visitors 
alike; 
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Whereas the town of Manassas became an independent city 
in 1975, one of only 41 independent cities in the United 
States with a population of at least 12,800 at the time; 
Whereas the Virginia Railway Express began operations in 
Manassas on June 22, 1992, providing commuter rail 
service to the city generating access for all of northern 
Virginia and the District of Columbia, as well as a stop 
on Amtrak’s Cardinal, Crescent, and Northeast Regional 
trains; 
Whereas the Loy E. Harris Pavilion was completed as a 
‘‘town square’’-like facility for gatherings and concerts in 
2000, and has grown to become the event center for the 
area, hosting concerts, events, and even weddings in the 
warmer months and ice skating in the winter months, 
making Manassas a destination for events and festivals; 
Whereas the city of Manassas logo and tagline of ‘‘Historic 
Heart. Modern Beat.’’ was adopted in 2015 not only by 
the city, but by the community as well; 
Whereas the Manassas City Police Department is one of the 
highest nationally accredited departments in the country, 
being accredited as a Gold Standard with Excellence 
agency by the Commission on Accreditation for Law En-
forcement; and 
Whereas the city of Manassas has grown from a city of 
12,800 in 1975 to a 10-square mile city of more than 
43,000 in 2023, close to the urban amenities of the Dis-
trict of Columbia but with a small-town feel: Now, there-
fore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
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•HRES 245 IH 
(1) recognizes and congratulates the city of Ma-
nassas, Virginia, on the 150th anniversary of its 
founding; 
(2) celebrates the historical significance of Ma-
nassas and the contributions of the city to the Com-
monwealth of Virginia and the Nation; and 
(3) honors the individuals and communities that 
have shaped Manassas history, growth, and develop-
ment over the past 150 years. 
Æ 
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