Colchester, Virginia

Colchester is an unincorporated town on the Occoquan River in Fairfax County, Virginia. Colchester is a former tobacco port established in 1753. The port town was located on the old post road and Thomas Mason (son of George Mason) operated a ferry across the Occoquan River here. In 1798, Mason built a bridge across the river; the bridge was washed away around 1807. Only one of its original buildings exist—the Fairfax Arms (10712 Old Colchester Road), which had been an ordinary and now is a privately owned dwelling. The decline of the tobacco trade, silting of the river, and diversion of most shipping to the towns of Alexandria and Occoquan caused Colchester's decline. The Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad, Interstate 95, and the Jefferson Davis Highway (U.S. 1) are located directly to the west of the Colchester area.

Road Transportation

Portions of roads that accessed Colchester still exist. Colchester Road in Clifton is part of SR 612, and Old Colchester Road, which runs north and becomes Telegraph Road leading to Alexandria, is part of SR 611.

Famous residents

• Archibald Henderson, the longest-serving Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, serving from 1820 to 1859
• Alexander Henderson, his father, a member of the Virginia General Assembly and a Virginia delegate to the Mount Vernon Conference in 1785