Mason Neck

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 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.

Largest nearby schools

• HAYFIELD SECONDARY
  High · Alexandria · 3,145 students · 16.7:1 ratio
• SOUTH COUNTY HIGH
  High · Lorton · 2,273 students · 16.6:1 ratio
• EDISON HIGH
  High · Alexandria · 2,267 students · 16.5:1 ratio
• MOUNT VERNON HIGH
  High · Alexandria · 1,959 students · 14.2:1 ratio
• LEWIS HIGH
  High · Springfield · 1,697 students · 14.9:1 ratio
• SANDBURG MIDDLE
  Middle · Alexandria · 1,438 students · 15.5:1 ratio
• IRVING MIDDLE
  Middle · Springfield · 1,163 students · 15.1:1 ratio
• SOUTH COUNTY MIDDLE
  Middle · Lorton · 951 students · 16.1:1 ratio