Mason Neck, Virginia

History

The Mason Neck peninsula was inhabited by the Doeg prior to the arrival of European settlers. The recorded history of Mason Neck began around 1755 with the construction of Gunston Hall, the plantation house of George Mason, author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights. Mason Neck is also the location of Pohick Church, frequented by both Mason and George Washington, and Cranford Methodist Church, which was built in 1857 and served as a hospital during the Civil War.

During the 19th and early 20th centuries, much of the land was used for the logging of mature pine and hardwood timber. Over time, pollution and habitat destruction caused a decline in the bald eagle population. By the 1960s, much of the forest had grown back, but residential development as a suburb of Washington posed another threat. In 1969, local residents and conservation groups achieved the establishment of the Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge, with the specific objective of protecting the bald eagle. This, along with Mason Neck State Park and Pohick Bay Regional Park, provides a variety of recreational activities while preserving the land's natural resources.

During the 1980s, the Lynch family traded Fairfax County officials their Mason Neck land holdings in exchange for 900 acre of land near the Lorton Prison. This plot of land became the housing development known as Crosspointe. Many of the suburban subdivisions located around the Lorton Prison are built on land that the Lynch family once owned. The Mason Neck land that was traded to the county later became a state-controlled nature reserve called Meadowood.

Demographics

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2010 2020

Mason Neck was first listed as a census designated place in the 2010 U.S. census.

Wildlife

In addition to Bald Eagles, Mason Neck is home to over 211 bird species, over 200 plant species, over 31 mammal species, and 40 reptiles and amphibians species. Birds include great blue herons, Canada geese, ospreys, wood ducks, teal, owls, and woodpeckers. Whitetail deer are common, along with beavers, muskrats, groundhogs, and foxes. A diverse population of frogs and toads can be heard on summer nights. Eastern box turtles, eastern snapping turtles, wood turtles, and spotted turtles can all be found around ponds, streams, and marshes, as well as snakes, such as the northern copperhead and the northern black racer.

References

References

1. (April 2020}}{{cbignore). "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Mason Neck CDP, Virginia". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder.
2. "About the Refuge". U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
3. (28 August 2015). "Meadowood History". U.S. Department of the Interior.
4. "Decennial Census by Decade".
5. "2010 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Virginia".
6. "Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge".
7. "Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge".
8. "Mason Neck State Park".
9. "Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge".
10. "Mason Neck Peninsula Check List".