Liberia House To Celebrate 200th Anniversary In Manassas

MANASSAS, VA — Liberia House, a historic site in the City of Manassas, will celebrate its 200th anniversary on Saturday.

Liberia House's 200th Anniversary Celebration will happen from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at 8601 Portner Avenue in Manassas. Visitors will enjoy family activities and learn about Liberia House's history and the people who lived and worked there.

Activities include guided tours from the basement to attic and grounds, a scavenger hunt of the house and grounds, Historian Marion Ransell Dobbins sharing the African American experience at Liberia House and her knowledge of foodways, 19th century games like hoop rolling, dominoes and checkers, live music by Joe Baione, spoken-word poetry by Dennis Spence, and learning the ancient art of quilling with local artist Stephanie McGee.

Visitors are asked to park at the city's Public Works Facility (8500 Public Works Drive), Didlake (8641 Breeden Avenue), or the Manassas Museum (9101 Prince William Street) and take a shuttle to Liberia House.

Liberia House is a site that has seen various uses — a plantation, a Civil War hospital, a dairy farm, a family home and now a public park. According to the City of Manassas website, the house was first built in 1825 by enslaved people for Harriett Bladen Mitchell Weir and William James Weir. By the time of the Civil War, it was one of western Prince William County's largest plantations, with more than 80 enslaved people.

During the Civil War, it served as a headquarters for Confederate troops, and later Union troops. Confederate President Jefferson Davis was reported to have visited Liberia House in 1861 after the First Battle of Manassas. When Union troops took over the location, President Abraham Lincoln visited in 1862.

Weir sold the property to Alexandria brewer Robert Portner in 1888, and it became used for dairy business. After the property passed to the Breedens in 1947, the City of Manassas began to pursue it in the 1970s to preserve the historic landmark and tourist attraction. The Breedens donated Liberia House and its 5.6 acres of land, and the city bought another 12.6 acres to protect from future development. The city put the Manassas Museum in charge of managing Liberia House.

According to Visit Manassas, Liberia House is one of the few early 1800s properties remaining in Manassas. Today, Liberia House is open to the public on Saturdays from June to August, by appointment for tours, or during special events.

This 18-acre Liberia property is open on select hours on Saturdays from June through August, available for tours by appointment, and during special City events like this 200th Anniversary Celebration.

SEE ALSO: Undetonated Civil War Projectile Found At Manassas Historic Site