Occoquan () is a town in eastern Prince William County, Virginia, United States, founded in 1804. As of the 2020 census, Occoquan had a population of 1,035. The current mayor is Earnest W. Porta Jr. Today, the town is a restored artists' community, with shops, outdoor dining, ghost walks, and a town boat dock, as well as historic buildings dating back to the 19th century.
History
Occoquan is derived from an Algonquian Doeg Indian word, meaning "at the end of the water". Located on the Occoquan River, Occoquan was long a site of indigenous peoples' habitation. Like the British colonists after them, they relied on the river for transportation and trade, as well as fish. Early in the 1600s Capt. John Smith sailed and explored the Occoquan River. In 1608, when the first European reached Northern Virginia, the Tauxenent tribe (also known by the English as the "Dogues") had its main village at the mouth of the Occoquan River. This tribe was more closely associated with neighbors such as the Piscataways (located across the Potomac River in what is now Maryland) than the other Algonquian-speaking tribes to the south. The local chief was called a Tayac, who was subservient to an "emperor" located in Prince George's County.
thumb|left|250px|The Occoquan River as it passes the town
By 1765, Anglo-American colonists had established an industrial settlement at Occoquan, with grist mills and tobacco warehouses. The Merchants Mill established by Quaker Nathaniel Ellicot may have been the first automated grist mill in the nation. It operated for 175 years until destroyed by fire.
During the Civil War, the post office passed letters and packages between North and South. River silting reduced ship traffic to Occoquan and ended its days as a port, as did the shift in traffic to railroads.
Local attractions
left|thumb|Odd Fellows Hall, 2007
A number of structures in town, including many in the downtown commercial area, are part of the Occoquan Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Rockledge, the former house of the town's founder, is also listed as a significant structure on the NRHP.
Historic houses in Occoquan include a 17th-century house at 206 Mill Street and Rockledge Manor, a Georgian mansion built in 1758 by John Ballandine and British architect William Buckland.
Geography
Occoquan is located at (38.682916, −77.260830) on the north side of the peninsula known as Linton Neck.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.2 square mile (0.5 km<sup>2</sup>) of which 0.2 square mile (0.4 km<sup>2</sup>) is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1 km<sup>2</sup>) (15.79%) is water.
Occoquan lies on the south bank of the Occoquan River at the Fall Line.