History

Much of the land in the watershed was once owned and farmed by General George Washington. The original land grant from Lord Culpeper to George Washington's great-grandfather, John Washington, and to Nicolas Spencer, was for 5,000 acres on or near Little Hunting Creek. In fact, the original name for his estate was the "Little Hunting Creek Plantation," changed in 1742 to "Mount Vernon."

In his book, The First Hundred Years at Mount Vernon, 1653-1753, cartographer Robert Moxham laid out the case for the Washington family living along the west bank of Little Hunting Creek, near the mouth, from 1735-38, not up on the bluff, a half-mile away. Moxham believed the site of the Mansion House was vacant until (father) Augustine Washington had a house built there in 1741-43 to anchor Lawrence to the plantation. Moxham pointed out that a detailed survey of the 5,000 acre Spencer-Washington tract made by the county surveyor in 1741 showed the Washington’s “quarter” at the mouth of the creek, while the Mansion House site was left blank. The 1741 Mount Vernon survey plat is on display at the Masonic Memorial in Old Town.

George Washington drew A Plan of my farm on Little Huntg. Creek & Potmk. R. in 1766. This and other colonial-era maps of Little Hunting Creek and environs can be seen in beautiful detail on the Library of Congress website.

Richmond Highway (U.S. Route 1), which crosses Little Hunting Creek, is one of the oldest roads in the country and was once known as the Potomac Path, connecting the southestern part of Fairfax County with Fredericksburg, Maryland.