Haymarket, Virginia

History

Haymarket owes its location to the Iroquois as the center of the town was their hunting path. It was used until 1722, when a treaty forced the Iroquois into the Blue Ridge Mountain region. Due to the use of the area as hunting paths, the location, and later the town, was given the nickname The Crossroads.

The town of Haymarket was formally founded in 1799 on the land of William Skinker. The Virginia General Assembly gave Skinker the rights to lay out the town, which he drew to consist of 13 streets and 140 lots. Shortly after, a clerk's office and jail were constructed sometime in 1801, as the town had been selected to be the home for a now district court. Today St. Paul's Church stands in its location. The town owes its early thrive in business to the court.

Six years later in 1807, the Virginia General Assembly abolished the district court in favor of the circuit court system that was to be located at each county seat. Until 1830 the court house remained the focal point of the town while serving multiple purposes. In 1830, the court house was converted into and deeded an Episcopal church, three years later in 1833 being consecrated St Paul's.

During the Civil War, on November 4, 1862, Union troops invaded Haymarket, setting the entire town ablaze. Only four buildings survived: three small houses and St. Paul’s Church. For the remainder of the war, Haymarket remained mostly unpopulated. There were only two more incidents, a skirmish on October 19, 1863, involving the Second Brigade, Second Division, Fifth Army Corp, and June 1863. They both involved the Confederate cavalry.

Following General Robert E. Lee's surrender, Haymarket began to recover and slowly regained its former prosperity and size.

Haymarket was incorporated in 1882, the second town in Prince William County to do so. The first mayor elected was Mr. Garrett Hulfish and the first councilmen elected were Mr. T.A. Smith, Mr. Charles Jordan, and Mr. William W. Meade. In May 1882 during the council's second meeting, the rudimentary ordinances were drafted and adopted.

From 1882 to today, much of central Haymarket has remained the same. The town borders U.S Route 15. While no schools are located with the town, the area is now home to 5 schools – all part of the Prince William County School System. In the 1970s during the construction of the Interstate System, Haymarket became Exit 40 of Interstate 66, giving way to the town's movement away from a rural town, as well as its population boom. In the early 1990s The Walt Disney Company drafted plans to build a theme park near Haymarket, named Disney's America. Due to opposition from various groups and other factors, the project was cancelled.

In addition to St. Paul's Church, Evergreen, Locust Bottom, Mt. Atlas, and Old Town Hall and School are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

Haymarket is located at 38°48′46″N 77°38′6″W (38.812670, −77.635084).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²), all of it land.

The greater town of Haymarket (ZIP code 20169) has a total area of 32.2 square miles (83.4 km²), with 0.2 square miles (0.5 km²) of water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 879 people, 321 households, and 234 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,725.2 people per square mile (665.5/km²). There were 337 housing units at an average density of 661.4 per square mile (255.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.04% White, 5.35% African American, 0.80% Asian, 0.68% from other races, and 1.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.73% of the population.

There were 321 households out of which 43.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.9% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.8% were non-families. 19.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.21.

In the town, the population was spread out with 30.1% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 42.3% from 25 to 44, 18.0% from 45 to 64, and 3.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 110.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $70,833, and the median income for a family was $76,197. Males had a median income of $51,576 versus $32,917 for females. The per capita income for the town was $26,503. About 1.7% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.1% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Police Department

The town of Haymarket is patrolled by the Haymarket Police Department along with the Prince William County Police department and Virginia State Police.

Police Chief James E. Roop resigned in 2015 amid a scandal and state investigation into the Haymarket Police Department.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/local/wp/2014/01/23/haymarket-police-chief-suspended-again-state-police-now-investigating/

Holland in Haymarket

The largest Pick Your Own Spring flower Festival in the United States is located just two miles from downtown Haymarket. Late March/Early April marks the start of the 3-week festival at Burnside Farms. Close to 500,000 bulbs are planted for one of the most spectacular picking fields in the Country.