The Story
Manassas, Virginia played a crucial role in our nation's past. Let's go into its history!
Native Americans first occupied the area, then Europeans took over and farmed it. It was first called Tudor Hall after an early farm. Later, a railroad junction was built that led to Richmond, DC, and the Shenandoah Valley. Its station was called Manassas Junction.
Its name's origin is uncertain. It could be from the Native American word “Manas” meaning island or named after a local, Manasseh, which is also a Biblical name meaning "carry away".
During the Civil War, a plantation house called Liberia, was used as a headquarters by Confederate and Union forces.
On July 1861, the war's first major land battle was fought as the First Battle of Manassas / Bull Run. Another battle followed the next year too.
Despite these two Confederate victories, Manassas Junction was in Union hands for most of the war.
Following the war, the area grew into the town of Manassas and eventually became an independent city in 1975.