Centreville Virginia Historical Information

In the days of the original colonies, a new road, north to south was being built, and it brought with it the hope of growth and prosperity.

Residents of the immediate area drew together and named themselves Centreville, hoping to attract that roadway and become a town at the cross roads.

The roadway took another route, and Manassas became the hug of that activity, however Centreville didn't fall by the wayside, but grew in response to the prosperity that the roadway did bring to the entire area.

The Civil war rolled around and Centreville Virginia saw its share of the action that took place all over the region. Union soldiers occupied the area in May of 1862 and guarded the churches and streets of the town, even though it was strictly southern territory.

Several major civil war battles were fought in the region, most notably, the Battles of Manassas, and the Battle of Chantilly.

The Confederate states fortified the town in the winter of 1861 and it served both they and the Union army as a supply town during different times during the same war.

Centreville is renowned for being the site where the first railroad ever built for strictly military purposes was begun.

Centreville Military Railroad was constructed, because Centreville was quite strategically placed as it was close to several major roads as well as being positioned on a hilltop giving it a wonderful view of the area.

Centreville also holds an association with the Confederate John Mosby, whose group, Mosby's Rangers used the hills and farms of the Centreville area as their base.

As you can see, with all of the wonderful history and the accompanying aspects of the area to see, Centreville overall would take weeks, if not months, to completely explore.