Much like its unusual sounding name, Occoquan enjoys a rich and unusual history which can be traced back to the indigenous Native American Dogue Indians.  In their dialect, Occoquan means "at the end of the water."  It is believed that the Dogue Indians kept close to the Occoquan River because of the abundance of fish and ease of traveling by canoe. 

In 1608 John Smith became the first European to visit the area.  When Smith sailed into the Occoquan River with 14 of his companions from Jamestown he came across the Dogue Indians' principal village, including the "King's House."  Men were out hunting and women were tending gardens where they cultivated a variety of vegetables and tobacco.

Around 1650 the English began to settle Occoquan and some 30 years later the Dogue Indians left the area.  No record of where the tribe migrated afterward exists, although it is thought they were absorbed into other nearby Algonquin tribes.

It was on the site of the "King's House" where in 1729 T.M. Carter built a landing to ship copper ore.  Several years later, the first tobacco warehouse was built.  By 1765 with the addition of forges, water grist mills, tolling mills, a bake house, saw mills, storehouses and dwellings the area was fully established as a major industrial settlement, 

The Merchant's Mill became the first automated grist mill in the nation.  Grain was taken from the holds of ships and off barges, processed, and returned to the carriers by machinery operated by just one man.  It was then transported to markets from Alexandria to the West Indies.  The mill operated for 175 years until it was destroyed by fire.  The only remaining part is now a museum.

In 1795 Nathaniel Ellicott built a wooden toll bridge which was destroyed in a storm in 1807, rebuilt in 1808 and stood until the 1850's.  A few years later Ellicott, James Campbell and Luke Wheeler carved out the town's streets and lots.  In 1805 a mail route was authorized through Occoquan.  During the Civil War it was through this route that much of the mail being sent between the North and the South passed.

By 1835, the Gazetteer of Virginia reported that Occoquan had "about 50 dwellings, houses, several mercantile stores and various mechanics," and by 1838 the town boasted one of the first cotton mills in Virginia.  Farmers and traders were drawn from as far away as the Blue Ridge Mountains to conduct business.  This led to the establishment of the Alton and Hammill Hotels and other conveniences such as shops, a theater and the first commercial ice storage warehouse.

During the Civil War Occoquan was on the frontier between the North and the South and often played an important role in the war.  In 1862, General Wade Hampton had his winter headquarters in the town at the Hammill Hotel, which still stands at the corner of Union and Commerce Streets. 

Twenty miles away, the First Battle of Bull Run was fought on July 21, 1861.  This encounter left 900 dead and 3,800 missing and wounded.  During the Second Battle of Bull Run, which lasted three days, August 28-30, 1862, 3,400 soldiers were killed and 20,000 missing and wounded.

As the dawn of the 20th Century approached, Occoquan was becoming a bustling social center as well as a commercial complex.  Grocery stores sprung up along with a lumber and hardware store, drugstore, millinery, churches, school, blacksmith, barber, undertaker, doctor and pharmacy.  The Oddfellows Hall became the first opera house in the area, and the Lyric Theater drew people from all around.  Traveling shows, circuses and excursion boats came to the river's edge to provide entertainment.  All of this activity prompted the establishment of the first black church in the area in 1883, to preach to the "wicked little town Of Occoquan".  Ebenezer Church is still in active use to this day.

In 1917 Occoquan was drawn into the women's suffrage movement.  Activists in the National Woman's Party picketed the White House in Washington, DC.  They were arrested and imprisoned.  Some were transferred to an abandoned workhouse at Occoquan. 

November 15, 1917, known as the "Night of Terror", was chronicled by Feminist Sonia Pressman Fuentes:  Under orders from W. H. Whittaker, superintendent of the Occoquan Workhouse, as many as forty guards with clubs went on a rampage, brutalizing thirty-three jailed suffragists.  They beat Lucy Burns, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head, and left her there for the night.  They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed, and knocked her out cold.  Her cellmate Alice Cosu, who believed Mrs. Lewis to be dead, suffered a heart attack.  According to affidavits, other women were grabbed, dragged, beaten, choked, slammed, pinched, twisted, and kicked.

There are plans for a National Suffragist Memorial at Occoquan Regional Park in Lorton, Virginia.  The anticipated completion date is 2020 to mark the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote.

The Roaring 20s were anything but for Occoquan.  The downturn actually began in 1919 (correction: 1916) when fire devastated much of the town.  By then the river had begun to develop a layer of silt that made it impossible for larger ships to get to the wharf.  A new railroad bridge and road construction moved the Town of Occoquan off the direct path of traffic causing local industries to decline. 

The Occoquan River has always been the focal point of life for the town.  Its inhabitants have had to learn to coexist with the fickle waters that provided their livelihood.  In June 1972, Hurricane Agnes struck, destroying buildings, sidewalks, streets and the remaining Occoquan Iron-Truss Bridge. 

In recent years Occoquan has reinvented itself as an artists' community with shops, restaurants, and opportunities for boating and fishing.  Repaired, rebuilt and restored buildings draw thousands of tourists throughout the year.  And twice a year Occoquan hosts arts and crafts fairs.

A visit to Occoquan begins at the visitor's center where you can pick up a map to plan your day.  Be sure to not miss the Mill House Museum where you get a good historical sense of the town.  It is open daily from 11-4, year round and admission is free.  Finding parking space along Occoquan's streets can be difficult at times, especially so on weekends.  But just about everything you will want to see is within walking distance of the public parking lot located under the bridge. 

Additional information about the Town of Occoquan can be found at http://www.occoquan.org/ and http://www.historicoccoquan.com/.