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Hickory Ridge, Virginia

Field	Value
name	Hickory Ridge, Virginia
settlement_type	Extinct unincorporated town
pushpin_map	USA Virginia Northern#USA Virginia#USA
pushpin_label_position	bottom
pushpin_map_caption	Location within the state of Virginia
subdivision_type	Country
subdivision_name	United States
subdivision_type1	State
subdivision_name1	Virginia
subdivision_type2	County
subdivision_name2	Flag of Prince William County, Virginia.svg Prince William
population_as_of	2000
population_density_sq_mi	auto
timezone	Eastern (EST)
utc_offset	−5
timezone_DST	EDT
utc_offset_DST	−4
coordinates
postal_code_type	ZIP codes
blank_name	FIPS code
blank1_name	GNIS feature ID

Remnants of the Cabin Branch Pyrite Mine in Prince William Forest Park

Hickory Ridge is an extinct unincorporated town in Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The town was located on land that is now part of Prince William Forest Park, a National Park Service property located adjacent to Marine Corps Base Quantico. The town was established shortly after the opening of the now defunct Cabin Branch Pyrite Mine in 1889 and was home to many of the mine employees.

Overview

The center of town was located about one-half mile west of the mine itself, at the junction of what is now Scenic Drive and Pyrite Mine Road. It consisted largely of an Odd Fellows hall that also functioned as a church and school for black families, Porter's Inn, one of the few restaurants that would serve blacks, and the company store. At its peak, the town consisted of about 171 homes scattered over the area.

Resettlement

Between 1933 and 1937 the Federal Government began implementing a Resettlement Administration program, where rural farmers were supposed to be relocated to more fertile areas. The RA bought 79 pieces of property in both Hickory Ridge and Batestown and condemned another 48, to form the Chopawamsic Recreational Demonstration Area.

The area residents resisted the relocation efforts, sometimes retreating into the park boundaries to escape detection. This continued until the beginning of World War II, where the park was taken over by the Office of Strategic Services as a spy training ground. The park was surrounded by barbed wire and fences, and patrolled by dogs and armed guards. All remaining forty-four holdouts were evicted, some literally carried away screaming.

At the end of the war, the displaced residents hoped their land would be restored, but to date these families have received no compensation. Instead, the property was turned over to the National Park Service and renamed Prince William Forest Park.

References

[https://archive.today/20070314003438/http://doppler9000.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=37158 "Stolen Land: Life After the Civil War"] by Kari Pugh, ''WUSA9.com'', February 15, 2005, retrieved April 7, 2006
[https://archive.today/20040305235052/http://www.nps.gov/prwi/HickoryRidge_Batestown.htm "Hickory Ridge and Batestown: Local Life Before the Park"], ''Official NPS Website'', retrieved April 7, 2006
"Chopawamsic Recreational Demonstration Area". nps.gov.
[https://archive.today/20070314003446/http://doppler9000.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=37193 "Stolen Land: Federal Takeover"] by Kari Pugh, ''WUSA9.com'', February 16, 2005, retrieved April 7, 2006
[https://archive.today/20070314003457/http://doppler9000.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=37240 "Stolen Land: Preserving the Past"] by Kari Pugh, ''WUSA9.com'', February 17, 2005, retrieved April 7, 2006

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

unincorporated-communities-in-prince-william-county,-virginia unincorporated-communities-in-virginia ghost-towns-in-virginia

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