Washington’s Potomac, 1770 to 1781
Trail composed by TreeAlive.
6 stops across Virginia. 1651–1933
Six markers up the Potomac shore from Gunston Hall to Alexandria: George Mason’s house and his church at Pohick, the grave of the surgeon of the 2nd Virginia, Washington’s gristmill and Mount Vernon, and the ground north of Oronoco Street where the allied wagon train camped on its way to Yorktown in September 1781.
Turn the pages to see each stop on a map from its own era. Pins mark where each marker stands, sometimes a few miles from the ground it describes.
https://treealive.com/markers/va/trail/washingtons-potomac-1770
The dashed line connects the stops in visiting order. It isn't a road route or the path anyone marched. Google Maps handles the driving, starting from wherever you are.
Provenance
- Trail composed by
- TreeAlive
- Period sheets chosen by
- TreeAlive
- Program text from
- Virginia Department of Historic Resources, pulled 2026-08-26
- Stops and sheets last checked
- 2026-09-20
- Corrections
- Send a correction · privacy@treealive.com
Gunston Hall
Gunston Hall, four miles to the east, is one of the most noted colonial places in Virginia. The land was patented in 1651 by Richard Turney, who was hanged for taking part in Bacon's Rebellion in 1676. In 1696 the second George Mason acquired it. The house was built in 1755-1758 by the fourth George Mason, Revolutionary leader and author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights and the first Constitution of Virginia.
1770 map · Survey, Fairfax County, 1770 · Historical map archives, georeferenced via Allmaps · Sheet chosen by TreeAlive
1630 map · Nova Virginia Tabula. · David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
1862 map · Map Of N. Eastern Virginia And Vicinity Of Washington · David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
1671 map · Noua Terrae-Mariae tabula. · David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
1670 map · Virginia and Maryland As it is planted and Inhabited this present Year 1670 ... · John Carter Brown Library, Brown University
George Mason at Pohick Church
George Mason (1725-1792), principal author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights and Virginia’s first state constitution, lived nearby at Gunston Hall. As a member of the local parish vestry from 1749 to 1785, he was entrusted with broad ecclesiastical and civil responsibilities in the community. Mason served four terms as churchwarden and, after the death of building contractor Daniel French in 1771, he supervised the construction of the new Pohick Church, completed here in 1774. As a member of the House of Delegates, representative to public assemblies, and private citizen, Mason pursued measures that promoted individual rights, religious freedom, and the separation of church and state.
1770 map · Survey, Fairfax County, 1770 · Historical map archives, georeferenced via Allmaps · Sheet chosen by TreeAlive
1755 map · Virginie, Maryland. · David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
1708 map · Carte Particuliere de Virginie, Maryland, Pennsilvanie. · David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
1862 map · Map Of N. Eastern Virginia And Vicinity Of Washington · David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
1671 map · Noua Terrae-Mariae tabula. · David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
William Brown, M.D. (ca. 1748-1792)
Dr. William Brown, Revolutionary War physician, was born in Scotland and raised in Maryland. After studying medicine at the University of Edinburgh, he established a practice in Alexandria. In 1775 he became surgeon of the 2nd Virginia Regiment. In 1778 the Continental Congress appointed him physician general of the Middle Department, extending from the Hudson to the Potomac River. At the military hospital in Lititz, PA, Brown compiled the “Lititz Pharmacopeia” (1778), a collection of medical procedures and formulas for the compounding of medications. This was the first American formulary and a pioneering effort to provide standardized care. Brown is buried here in Pohick Cemetery.
1770 map · Survey, Fairfax County, 1770 · Historical map archives, georeferenced via Allmaps · Sheet chosen by TreeAlive
1755 map · Virginie, Maryland. · David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
1794 map · Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. · David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
1814 map · Maryland (1814) · Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
1822 map · Maryland (Lucas, 1822) · Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
George Washington's Gristmill
In 1771, George Washington replaced a deteriorated gristmill that his father, Augustine, may have erected as early as the 1730s. The new mill ground grain from Mount Vernon and neighboring farms, and was outfitted with two pairs of millstones. In 1791, Washington installed improvements that had been recently developed and patented by Oliver Evans, of Delaware. Other structures at the site included a stone whiskey distillery, a malthouse, a cooperage, a miller's cottage, and slave quarters. Washington's mill was razed around 1850, and in 1933 the Commonwealth of Virginia built a reconstruction on the original site.
1770 map · Survey, Fairfax County, 1770 · Historical map archives, georeferenced via Allmaps · Sheet chosen by TreeAlive
1755 map · Virginie, Maryland. · David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
1794 map · Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. · David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
1814 map · Maryland (1814) · Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
1822 map · Maryland (Lucas, 1822) · Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Mount Vernon Estate
George Washington acquired Mount Vernon in 1754. Over a period of 30 years, he transformed the simple farmhouse into a mansion embellished with rusticated wood siding, a cupola, and a portico overlooking the Potomac River. Every aspect of the estate--its architecture and decoration, the landscape and the farms--received Washington's careful attention. Despite long absences during the Revolution and his presidency, Washington kept Mount Vernon as his home until his death on 14 December 1799. Since 1858, the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association has maintained and meticulously restored the estate as a true reflection of Washington's character and personality.
1770 map · Survey, Fairfax County, 1770 · Historical map archives, georeferenced via Allmaps · Sheet chosen by TreeAlive
1755 map · Virginie, Maryland. · David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
1794 map · Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. · David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
1814 map · Maryland (1814) · Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
1822 map · Maryland (Lucas, 1822) · Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Washington-Rochambeau Route-- Alexandria Encampment
Most of the American and French armies set sail from three ports in Maryland--Annapolis, Baltimore, and Head of Elk--in mid-Sept. 1781 to besiege the British army in Yorktown. The allied supply-wagon train proceeded overland to Yorktown, its itinerary divided into segments called "Marches." Its "Fourth March" was from Georgetown to Alexandria; the wagons took two days, 24-25 Sept., to cross the Potomac and reunite in Virginia. The Alexandria camp was roughly a half-mile in area, located north of Oronoco Street and bisected by Washington Street. The train left Alexandria on 26 Sept.
1828 map · (District of) Columbia. · David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries · Sheet chosen by TreeAlive
1794 map · Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. · David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
1755 map · Virginie, Maryland. · David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
1818 map · View of Richmond, Metropolis of Virginia (upper right sheet) · David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
1814 map · Maryland (1814) · Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Washington’s Potomac, 1770 to 1781
6 stops across Virginia, in trail order.
Open the full route in Google Maps ↗Google Maps does the driving, starting from wherever you are. We don't estimate distance or time on the road.
- 1Gunston HallFairfax (County) County · Gunston Road approximately 100 feet north of Old Colchester Road
- 2George Mason at Pohick ChurchFairfax (County) County · Old Colchester Road, just south of intersection with Richmond Highway
- 3William Brown, M.D. (ca. 1748-1792)Fairfax (County) County · Richmond Highway, about 350 feet south of Old Colchester Road and Telegraph Road
- 4George Washington's GristmillFairfax (County) County · Opposite George Washington's Grist Mill, 5513 Mount Vernon Memorial Hwy, Alexandria, VA 22309
- 5Mount Vernon EstateFairfax (County) County · Mt. Vernon Memorial Hwy., approximately 300 feet west of Mt. Vernon entrance sign
- 6Washington-Rochambeau Route-- Alexandria EncampmentAlexandria County · Across from 614 Oronoco Street.
Washington’s Potomac, 1770 to 1781
You visited every stop: 6 in all. A TreeAlive curated trail.
- Gunston HallFairfax (County) County · Gunston Road approximately 100 feet north of Old Colchester Road
- George Mason at Pohick ChurchFairfax (County) County · Old Colchester Road, just south of intersection with Richmond Highway
- William Brown, M.D. (ca. 1748-1792)Fairfax (County) County · Richmond Highway, about 350 feet south of Old Colchester Road and Telegraph Road
- George Washington's GristmillFairfax (County) County · Opposite George Washington's Grist Mill, 5513 Mount Vernon Memorial Hwy, Alexandria, VA 22309
- Mount Vernon EstateFairfax (County) County · Mt. Vernon Memorial Hwy., approximately 300 feet west of Mt. Vernon entrance sign
- Washington-Rochambeau Route-- Alexandria EncampmentAlexandria County · Across from 614 Oronoco Street.
Your checklist lives in this browser and in the address of this page. Copy the link to keep it, or open it on another device to carry it over.
https://treealive.com/markers/va/trail/washingtons-potomac-1770