The National Park Service has designated Aquia Landing in Stafford County to the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program.

Located in eastern Stafford on the Potomac River, Aquia Landing was a pivotal gateway between southern states and northern ports from 1842 until 1862, serving as the only direct rail-to-steamboat transfer point on the Potomac River between Richmond and Washington, DC. As the terminus of the Richmond Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad, Aquia Landing became the site of the Civil War’s first naval engagement, and a major supply base for the Army of the Potomac during three separate campaigns. 

Its key location and easy access to different modes of transportation made the port an important access point through which fugitive slaves passed en route to freedom.  Prior to 1862, Aquia Landing’s noted visitors included former slaves such as William and Ellen Craft, Henry “Box” Brown, and John Washington.  After April 1862, an estimated 10,000 slaves sought refuge behind Union lines and passed through this port by way of rail and steamships.

“Stafford has played a pivotal role in the nation’s history since before the Revolutionary War,” said Anthony Romanello, County Administrator. “The story of Aquia Landing illustrates the strength of the human spirit and chronicles the determination with which people seek personal liberty.”

Aquia Landing, a public riverfront park open to visitors throughout the year, is listed on the Civil War Trails network and Virginia Historic Highway Marker program.  In preparation for the upcoming Sesquicentennial Commemoration of the Civil War, and in light of this newly documented layer of Stafford’s African American heritage, the Stafford Tourism Office plans to issue a new brochure and install an interpretive sign at the landing, as well as add a new information page to its website to educate visitors about the site’s role in the Network to Freedom.

For more information about Aquia Landing, please contact the Stafford Tourism Office and Department of Economic Development at (540) 658-8681.  For details about touring Stafford and its various historic sites, visit www.TourStaffordVa.com . 

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