About the Town

Dumfries Court House

History

Dumfries history began as early as 1690 when Richard Gibson erected a gristmill on Quantico Creek. The Town of Dumfries was formally established on 60 acres of land at the head of the harbor of Quantico Creek, provided by John Graham. He named the town after his birthplace, Dumfriesshire, Scotland.

The General Assembly established Dumfries as the first of seven townships in Prince William County. The town received its charter on May 11, 1749- making it the oldest continuously chartered town in Virginia. Dumfries was the second leading port in Colonial America receiving tobacco from the upland. It rivaled New York, Philadelphia, and Boston and was a thriving port for more than 15 years. Due to numerous factors, Dumfries peaked in size and importance in 1763.

Today, Dumfries is 1.63 square miles in size, is home to 4,961 residents (according to the 2010 Census) and is governed by a town council elected at large, which is composed of a mayor and six other members.

Location

The Town of Dumfries is located on Route 1, just off Interstate 95. We are approximately 28 miles south of our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. and we are approximately 78 miles north of our state’s capital, Richmond, Virginia. We are also minutes away from Quantico Marine Corp Base and approximately 10 miles from Fort Belvoir Army Post.

Hours of Operation

Town Hall is open from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday. We are closed on all state holidays.

The Town of Dumfries located 27 mile south of Washington D.C. is a community steep in history. As the oldest  “Continuous” Charted Town in the Commonwealth of Virginia, we pride ourselves on the rich tradition and heritage our community was founded on. In addition to the rich history our community has to offer, we are strategically located in one of the fastest growing areas of the Greater-Washington Metropolitan Region.
With our close proximity to 1-95, a primary north/south bound interstate on the east coast, the National Museum of the Marine Corps, historical buildings such as the Weem-Botts Museum and the Williams Ordinary, local/state and national parks, a variety of shopping and dining choices; and close access to Regan Washington National Airport and Amtrak passenger service, you will quickly understand why visiting us an easy one.  Come discover for yourself why we are unquestionably a unique place to visit, live and work.

Once a major East Coast port, historic Dumfries is the oldest continuously chartered town in the state.  Dumfries history began as early as 1690 when Richard Gibson erected a gristmill on Quantico Creek. A customhouse and warehouse followed in 1731, and many others cropped up along the estuary by 1732. Prince William County was formed and took its name from Prince William Augustus, the second son of King George II of England.

The Town of Dumfries was formally established on 60 acres of land at the head of the harbor of Quantico Creek, provided by John Graham. He named the town after his birthplace, Dumfriesshire, Scotland.

After much political maneuvering, the General Assembly established Dumfries as the first of seven townships in the county. Dumfries received its charter on May 11, 1749- making it the oldest continuously chartered town in Virginia

When Dumfries became the second leading port in Colonial America receiving tobacco from the upland, it rivaled New York, Philadelphia and Boston. Dumfries peaked in size and importance in 1763. For about 15 years Dumfries was a thriving port when several factors brought about its demise: the Revolutionary War, erosion and siltation, and the shift in the main shipping commodity (from tobacco to wheat and sugar).