Evening star., 1920-07-04
THE RAMBLER CONTINUES HIS STORY OF
OCCOQUAN CREEK AND NEIGHBORHOOD
Stream Is a Continuation
of Bull Run-About the
Early Settlements The
Jesuit Mission, Probably
Founded 81 Years Before
the Settlement of James
town.
F. you should start at the White
House and travel in line twen-

IF you should start at the White
! House and travel in line twen-
ty-one miles southwest you would
/ come to where Occoquan creek, or
| OccoQuan river, joins the Potomac.
| If you should fly from the White
| House nineteen miles due south and
make landing. it would be on hill
sloping down to Mattawoman creek
, and about a mile northwest OF little
I; settlement called Benvule. which is in
| Charles county, Md Then if you
should fly nine miles due west you
would pass just a trife north of the
settlements of Pamunkey and ely
mont, in Maryland. cross the Potomac
river, and arrive at the mouth of Oc-
coquan. which is in Virginia. The
miles wide
At this point in his narrative the
Rambler must make a sidestep to give
slight explanation. The body of
water which has here been called "the
known by that name. It's map name
and it's neighborhood name is Bel
mont bay. 1t might be literal to say
that Occoquan creek empties into Bel
mont bay and that Belmont bay joins
the Potomac river. If you want it
'AiSsSH titt way you Wllls after pass
ing out of the narrow part of Deco
guam creek, where it is about quar-
Ter OF a mile wide, enter Belmont bay,
and, after following the channel of the
bay for four miles. you will then come
to the Potomac two and a half miles
west of Indian Head, which is in
maryland. The middle point of the
mouth of Occoquan, or Belmont bay,
Is very nearly due west from Indian
Head and the Potomac there is two
and half miles wide
nineteen and half miles southwest
from the White House. as the crow is
supposed to fly when he is travelling
on business. will bring you to a set
tiement that was once called Wood
bridge. but which is now called Occo-
guam and sometimes "Occoquan sta
t1on." 1t is a station on the Rich
mond, Fredericksburg and Potomac
railroad and the stopping place is
about a third of a mile southwest of
the creek. Up the creek. one and
three-Quarter miles from where the
railroad crosses it. is the ancient and
historic village of Occoquan. There
the tidal part of Occoquan creek. six
miles from the Potomac. ends. Above
the old village of Occoquan are falls
in the creek and utilizing the differ
ence in the level of the water fiume
or race" which might be called
small canal was built ever so many
years ago to carry water to turn the
wheel of cotton factory, now gray
and stately ruin, and also to turn the
wheel of a venerable grist mill.
OccoQuan creek is continuation
of Bull run, wild and beautiful
stream whose name is written in
some of the reddest and blackest-or
at least in some of the bloodiest-
pages of our history. AS you know
Rn11 has IT'S in 10 mil
Run mountains, and twenty-six miles
west by a little south from the White
House that creek passes under a no.
BILE old red sandstone bridge. On Sun
day morning. July Fl, 1851. battle
opened at that bridge which developed
over a considerable tract of country a
mile or two west of the stone bridge.
In the latter part of August-August
2S. 20 and 30-1S62, fighting started a
few miles west of that bridge and
second battle of Bull run, one of the
mighty battles of the civil war. Ten
miles below the red stone bridge of
tragic history. but twenty miles If
you should follow the crooks and
bends of the creek Bull run unites
this junction the united streams are
called ,OccoQuan creek. From the
creeks junction to old OccoQuan viii
lage is six miles measured in line
and from the village to the head of
Belmont bay. Occoquan creek, being
a tidal stream and navigable for
schooners and small steamboats,. is
usually called Occoquan river. Down
the middle of the creek and the bay
runs the surveyors line which divides
Prince William and Fairfax counties.
Prince William having been created
out of the northern part of King
George in 1871 and Fairfax having
been created out of the northern part
of Prince William in 1742.
In previou narratives relating to
Occoquan the Rambler has told of
the Jesuit mission. which, it is rea-
sonable to believe. was founded some-
where on Occoquan creek in 1870.
thirty-seven years before the settle
ment of jamestown and siyty-four
years before the Maryland Pilgrims
founded the city of st. Mary.
The Jesuit mission that the Ram
bier has in mind was described in
Spanish reports as being at Axacan,
and maps indicated quite clearly that
Axacan corresponded with Occoquan