[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 21775]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 COMMEMORATING THE 275TH ANNIVERSARY OF PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VIRGINIA

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TOM DAVIS

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 29, 2006

  Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate 
the 275th anniversary of Prince William County, Virginia.
  Prince William County, Virginia, was created on March 25, 1731, from 
territory that had been part of Stafford County and King George County. 
It is named for Prince William Augustus, 1720-1765, Duke of Cumberland, 
and a son of King George II, who became Captain-General of the British 
Army.
  In 1608, Captain John Smith and his party rode a barge along the 
Potomac River and stopped in Prince William County on their way from 
Jamestown. They were the first Europeans recorded in this area. Doeg 
Indians, Algonquin speakers, lived in villages along the Potomac. The 
Souian-speaking Manahoac people lived in the Piedmont region. By 
trading with the native tribes, Captain Smith and his men were able to 
obtain enough food to sustain themselves and the settlers they had left 
behind in Jamestown. Native American settlements disappeared from the 
county by the beginning of the 18th century.
  The first English settlement in the Northern Neck of Virginia, the 
land between the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers, took place about 1643 
in what is now Northumberland County. The first land patent in what is 
now Prince William County was taken out in 1653 by Thomas Burbage. 
After successive divisions, Prince William County reached its current 
outer boundaries in 1759. Manassas and Manassas Park were established 
as independent cities in 1975.
  Prince William County, located 20 miles southwest of the Nation's 
Capital, is a perfect place to live, work, play, and raise a family. 
With a desirable location, highly educated work force, nationally 
recognized schools, and pro-business environment, Prince William County 
has it all.
  Prince William is the second largest county in the Commonwealth of 
Virginia. The Prince William school system is one of the finest in the 
Nation. It is the State's second largest school system, with Internet 
access in every classroom. Prince William County offers a highly 
educated workforce--with more than 50 percent of adults holding a 
college degree. The county is swiftly becoming a major source of 
northern Virginia's highly educated labor pool. Prince William County 
is the new center of business opportunity in Metropolitan Washington.
  In 2006, Prince William County will host a year-long celebration with 
special events to honor this momentous anniversary.
  Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like to commend and congratulate the 
citizens of Prince William County on the occasion of their 275th 
anniversary. I call upon my colleagues to join me in celebrating the 
history of this great county, and in wishing for its continued 
prosperity.

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