Warrenton is a town in Fauquier County, Virginia, United States. It is the county seat. The population was 10,057 as of the 2020 census, an increase from 9,611 at the 2010 census and 6,670 at the 2000 census. The area was home to Bethel Military Academy.

History

18th century and founding

The settlement which would grow into the town of Warrenton began as a crossroads at the junction of the Falmouth-Winchester and Alexandria-Culpeper roads, where a trading post called the Red Store was located. In the 1790s, a courthouse was built in the area, and the location was known as "Fauquier Courthouse".

19th century and the American Civil War

The Town of Warrenton was incorporated on January 5, 1810, and named for General Joseph Warren, a Revolutionary War hero. Richard Henry Lee donated the land for the county seat. John S. Horner, Secretary of Wisconsin Territory and Acting Governor of Michigan Territory, was born in Warrenton. John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, was from Germantown, modern-day Midland, south of Warrenton.

Warrenton was connected to the Orange and Alexandria Railroad in 1853 via a branch line. Warrenton's connection to the line had previously been proposed, but construction hasn't begun until 1852. Given the rail line's strategic usage during the American Civil War, the Warrenton Branch was a target for attack twice. Because of this, the railroad was left largely abandoned and unusable by 1863. Southern Railway resumed passenger service to the town from 1909 to 1944 with commercial service continuing through the 1980s. Norfolk Southern ended service entirely in 1989 with the removal of tracks.left|thumb|August 1862 [[stereograph of the railroad depot in the Town of Warrenton taken by Timothy H. O'Sullivan.|220x220px]] left|thumb|July 14, 1862, Illustration of the Town of Warrenton by [[Edwin Forbes.]]

Confederate Colonel John S. Mosby made raids in the town during the American Civil War and later made his home and practiced law in Warrenton. The Warren Green Hotel building hosted many famous people, including the Marquis de Lafayette, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, President Theodore Roosevelt, and divorcée Wallis Simpson. Union General George B. McClellan bade farewell to his officers November 11, 1862, from the steps of the hotel.

thumb|August 5, 1863, Illustration of a slave cabin near the Town of Warrenton by [[Edwin Forbes.|273x273px]]

Arthur Jordan, a black American man, was lynched by a mob of approximately 60–75 men in white hoods in the early hours of January 19, 1880. Jordan had been accused of miscegenation and bigamy for eloping with Elvira (Lucille) Corder, the daughter of his white employer, Nathan Corder, a landowner and farmer in the upper part of the county along the Rappahannock River. A group of local men hunted the pair down near Williamsport, Maryland, captured Mr. Jordan and returned him to Fauquier, whereupon he was delivered to the town jail. Later that night, the masked lynch mob gained access to the jail and dragged Jordan to the nearby town cemetery, where he was hanged from a small locust tree. Ms. Corder remained in Maryland, estranged from her family, until her death a few years later. News of the lynching was reported in papers across the nation. Even some foreign newspapers, such as Australia's Sydney Morning Herald, reprinted accounts of the event.

20th century

In 1909, a fire destroyed almost half the structures in the town and was halted with the use of dynamite to create a firebreak to stop the flames from spreading. Cassini was treated for burns at the Fauquier County Hospital in the early morning, with the three individuals being arrested and placed on probation.

A bypass route around the town was built in the early 1960s, which attracted restaurants, gas stations, and shopping centers, but also drew businesses away from the center of town.

thumb|1887 Confederate Dead Monument obelisk with the 1998 addition in the Warrenton Cemetery

In 1998, Warrenton's "Black Horse" chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy erected and dedicated a monument in the Warrenton Cemetery to 520 Confederate soldiers buried there, many of whom died during the First and Second Battles of Bull Run. The then-mayor's wife spearheaded fundraising for the monument from private organizations and the United Daughters of the Confederacy itself, of which she was a member.

thumb|253x253px|The front façade of [[Fauquier High School.]]

The high school that serves Warrenton is Fauquier High School, which educates grades Nine through 12. The Fauquier County Public School system also operates an extremely small alternative learning school at Southeastern Alternative School. This school serves both middle and high school students throughout the county, including Warrenton.

There are three private schools in the town of Warrenton: Highland School, St. John The Evangelist's Catholic School, and St. James' Episcopal School.

Colleges and universities

The Fauquier campus of Laurel Ridge Community College resides just south of the town limits.

In 2022, Hazel Hall, a science, engineering and health professions building, was opened and construction begun on a Center for Skilled Trades.

Public libraries

thumb|[[Warrenton Middle School with a public bookshelf sponsored by the school's library.]]

The Fauquier Public Library's Warrenton Library is located within the Warrenton Historic District. Despite being located within the town, the library is actually run by the county government's Library Board. Each public school also has an internal library that students can access. Additionally, public bookcases and Little Free Library locations can be found throughout the Town.

Arts and culture

[[File:1941 VA Gold Cup Race.jpg|thumb|May 1941 Photograph of the Gold Cup Race by Marion Post Wolcott.

On the first Friday of each month between May and October, the Town of Warrenton hosts a themed street fair called "First Friday" within the Warrenton Historic District. Each month is typically themed to a different topic, affecting what local vendors and activities are available during the event.

The Town of Warrenton owns and operates four public parks and one recreation center. In spring 2026, Town residents organized to protect the skate park located at the WARF recreation center and the town council approved an $850,000 budgetary line item for park upgrades.

Warrenton has several pieces of public art adorning the town. In 2001, watercolor painter Stewart Burgess White painted three murals on a single building depicting scenes from the American Civil War. Additionally, these murals included several hidden details such as faces of 19th century American leaders, references to the September 11 attacks, and the name of the painter's daughter. Artists Ross Trimmer and Michael Broth collaborated on a mural that emulates classic large-letter postcards. Academy Bus operates a commuter bus from Warrenton to Washington, D.C. The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation and Megabus operate a weekday commuter bus service called the Piedmont Express from Danville, V.A. to Washington, D.C. with a stop in Warrenton.

Notable people

<!-- Note: • Only people who already have a Wikipedia article may appear here. This establishes notability. • The biographical article must mention how they are associated with Warrenton, whether born, raised, or residing. • The fact of their association should have a reliable source cited in their article, unless it is well-known. • Alphabetical by last name please. • All others will be deleted without further explanation. -->

  • James DeRuyter Blackwell, Civil War-era poet and writer
  • Steve Brodie, Major League Baseball player
  • Edward Brooke, U.S. senator
  • Anthony Cave Brown, journalist and historian
  • Jesse Brown, former U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs
  • Matt Carson, entrepreneur and author
  • Samuel Chilton, 19th-century politician and lawyer
  • Walter Chrysler, founder of the Chrysler Corporation
  • Walter P. Chrysler Jr., art collector, museum benefactor, and Thoroughbred horse breeder
  • Julia Ringwood Coston, 19th-century Afro-American publisher and magazine editor who founded the first magazine ever published for black women
  • Brenton Doyle, Major League Baseball player
  • Mike Duvall, Major League Baseball player
  • George B. Fitch, former mayor of Warrenton and co-founder of the Jamaican bobsled team
  • Ella Fitzgerald, drag queen
  • Benita Fitzgerald-Brown, Olympic athlete
  • Grenville Gaines, mayor of Warrenton
  • Craig Gilmore, winner, 2013 ESPN Tournament Challenge
  • John S. Horner, acting governor of Michigan Territory
  • Eppa Hunton, U.S. congressman and senator, brigadier general in the Confederate Army
  • John C. Mackie, U.S. congressman
  • Malcolm MacPherson, Newsweek correspondent and author
  • Frances Harrison Marr (1835–1918), poet
  • Charles Marshall, Confederate States Army colonel
  • James K. Marshall, Confederate States Army colonel
  • John Augustine Marshall, U.S. federal judge
  • Thomas Love Moore, U.S. congressman and lawyer
  • William Moore, blues musician
  • John S. Mosby, Confederate cavalry battalion commander
  • Inman E. Page, minister and educator
  • William H. F. Payne, Confederate States Army general
  • Dorothy B. Porter, bibliographer and curator, built the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center at Howard University
  • Scott Shipp, superintendent of the Virginia Military Institute
  • William "Extra Billy" Smith, congressman, twice governor of Virginia, and Confederate general
  • Gwyn R. Tompkins, Thoroughbred horse racing trainer
  • Septimus Tustin, clergyman
  • Erica Wallach, American-German political activist and teacher
  • Sarah White, singer-songwriter
  • Charles S. Whitehouse, career Foreign Service officer, U.S. Ambassador to Laos and Thailand

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Warrenton has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Warrenton had a population of 10,057. The median age was 41.2 years. 8.0% of residents were under five years of age, 22.1% were under the age of 18, and 18.7% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 87.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 83.4 males age 18 and over. Population density was 2,296.1 people per square mile (885.01/km<sup>2</sup>). The population pyramid shows the percentage of individuals of each sex within each age group, with a rectangular shape.

References

  • Town of Warrenton official website
  • Fauquier County Public Library
  • Warrenton Volunteer Fire Company
  • Historic Warrenton Presbyterian Church ()
  • Warrenton Historic District - National Register of Historic Places, Final Nomination Form
  • Warrenton Historic District Design Guidelines ()
  • Greater Warrenton Chamber of Commerce ))