The Story
Woodbridge is where people live to have a family and shop at Ikea. Let's go into it's history!
The area was settled by Native Americans, for thousands of years. When Captain John Smith sailed through, the Dogue tribe was there.
The first land patent was granted to Thomas Burbage in 1653. Eventually, the George Mason family acquired the land for present-day Woodbridge. Thomas Mason built a plantation there and maintained a ferry across the Occoquan River.
A wooden bridge was built over the same river in 1797. Thomas Mason named his plantation in the area, Woodbridge.
This bridge lasted about 10 years before severe rains washed it away.
In 1731, Woodbridge's county, Prince William County was formed from Stafford County. 11 years later Fairfax County was created from Northern Prince William.
Woodbridge's landscape was dominated first by plantations, then dairy farms. When dairy processing techniques changed and smaller farms couldn’t survive. The famers sold their land, which led to Woodbridge's first developments.