Stafford, Virginia

Stafford is a census-designated place (listed as Stafford County) in and the county seat of Stafford County in the northern part of the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia.[1] The population of Stafford as of the 2010 United States Census was 128,984.[2] It lies 10 miles (16 km) north of Fredericksburg, approximately 40 miles (64 km) south of Washington, D.C., and about 60 miles (97 km) north of Richmond, the state capital. Marine Corps Base Quantico is located north of the community. Stafford Courthouse is located at the intersections of U.S. Highway 1, and Courthouse Road.

Stafford County
Census-designated place (CDP)
Aerial view of Stafford
Location in Stafford County and the state of Virginia.
Coordinates: 38°25′19″N 77°24′30″W
Country United States
State Virginia
CountyStafford
Area
 • Total4.27 sq mi (11.07 km2)
Population
 (2017)
 • Total146,649
 • Density34,000/sq mi (13,000/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
22554, 22556
Area code(s)540, 703, 571
WebsiteOfficial County website

History

English sea captain Samuel Argall abducted the Pamunkey princess Pocahontas near this area on April 13, 1613, while she was residing with her Patawomeck husband, Kocoum, in an attempt to secure some English prisoners for release and ammunition held by her father. It occurred in the northeastern part of this county, from where the colonists took her to a secondary English settlement, known as Henricus or Henrico Town. The vicar Alexander Whitaker converted Pocahontas to Christianity during her captivity. He renamed her "Rebecca" at her baptism. Rebecca married English colonist John Rolfe on April 5, 1614, in Jamestown.[3][4]

It was a stop on the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad in the nineteenth Century which was replaced by, CSXT.

Accokeek Furnace Archeological Site, Aquia Church, Public Quarry at Government Island, Redoubt No. 2, and Stafford Training School are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[5]

Notable people

References
  1. "Stafford County, VA". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  2. "Stafford County, Virginia: Quick Facts". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  3. John Rolfe Highway Marker
  4. Kidnapping of Pocahontas Highway Marker or Pocahontas Highway Marker
  5. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
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