Mason Neck, Virginia

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Mason Neck, Virginia
Wetlands in Mason Neck SP, Virginia - 1.jpg
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Mason Neck
Location within Fairfax county
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Mason Neck
Mason Neck (Virginia)
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Mason Neck
Mason Neck (the United States)
Coordinates: 38°39′23″N77°10′45″W / 38.65639°N 77.17917°W / 38.65639; -77.17917
CountryUnited States
State Virginia
County Fairfax
Area
  Total20.0 sq mi (51.9 km2)
  Land13.9 sq mi (35.9 km2)
  Water6.2 sq mi (16.0 km2)
Elevation
20 ft (6 m)
Population
 (2010)
  Total2,005
  Density145/sq mi (55.9/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
  Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
FIPS code 51-49998
GNIS feature ID2584877

Mason Neck is a peninsula jutting into the Potomac River to the south of Washington, D.C., in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is surrounded by Belmont Bay to the west, the Potomac River to the south and east, Gunston Cove to the northeast, and Pohick Bay to the north-northeast. The census-designated place (CDP) of Mason Neck forms the southernmost section of Fairfax County, in northern Virginia, and comprises an area of 20.0 square miles (51.8 km2), [1] two-thirds of which is preserved as parkland by regional, state, and national authorities. The population of the Mason Neck CDP was 2,005 as of the 2010 census. [1]

Contents

History

The Mason Neck peninsula was inhabited by the Doeg prior to the arrival of European settlers. The recorded history of Mason Neck began around 1755 with the construction of Gunston Hall, the plantation house of George Mason, author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights. Mason Neck is also the location of Pohick Church, frequented by both Mason and George Washington, and Cranford Methodist Church, which was built in 1857 and served as a hospital during the Civil War.

During the 19th and early 20th centuries, much of the land was used for the logging of mature pine and hardwood timber. Over time, pollution and habitat destruction caused a decline in the bald eagle population. By the 1960s, much of the forest had grown back, but residential development as a suburb of Washington posed another threat. In 1969, local residents and conservation groups achieved the establishment of the Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge, with the specific objective of protecting the bald eagle. [2] This, along with Mason Neck State Park and Pohick Bay Regional Park, provides a variety of recreational activities while preserving the land's natural resources.

During the 1980s, the Lynch family traded Fairfax County officials their Mason Neck land holdings in exchange for 900 acres (360 ha) of land near the Lorton Prison. This plot of land became the housing development known as Crosspointe. Many of the suburban subdivisions located around the Lorton Prison are built on land that the Lynch family once owned. The Mason Neck land that was traded to the county later became a state-controlled nature reserve called Meadowood. [3]

Wildlife

In addition to Bald Eagles, Mason Neck is home to over 211 bird species, over 200 plant species, over 31 mammal species, and 40 reptiles and amphibians species. [4] [5] Birds include great blue herons, Canada geese, ospreys, wood ducks, teal, owls, and woodpeckers. [6] [7] Whitetail deer are common, [4] along with beavers, muskrats, groundhogs, and foxes. A diverse population of frogs and toads can be heard on summer nights. Eastern box turtles, eastern snapping turtles, wood turtles, and spotted turtles can all be found around ponds, streams, and marshes, as well as snakes, such as the northern copperhead and the northern black racer. [8]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Accotink Bay Wildlife Refuge</span> Nature preserve in Virginia, US

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Mason Neck State Park is located in Fairfax County, Virginia. The park is on a peninsula formed by Pohick Bay on the north, Belmont Bay on the south and the Potomac River to the east. The park has an area of 1,814 acres (7.34 km2) and is home to bald eagles, great blue herons, ospreys, and many other types of wildlife. The park also contains white-tailed deer and many species of lichen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belmont Bay</span>

Belmont Bay is a body of water at the mouth of the Occoquan River between Fairfax and Prince William counties, Virginia. The bay covers about 1,500 acres (6.1 km2). The bay adjoins the Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge and Mason Neck State Park on the Fairfax County side and the Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Prince William County. The bay was named for the home, "Belmont," which was built circa 1730 overlooking the bay by Catesby Cocke, who was the clerk of the Prince William County court. Belmont Bay is notable for sightings of bald eagles that nest and feed in the refuges and for the numerous Great Blue Herons. Belmont Bay is also a popular destination for pleasure boats. Summer weekends usually attract 40 to as many as 100 boats to this location.

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Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge of the United States located in Virginia. It is part of the Potomac River National Wildlife Refuge Complex. It is on Mason Neck, a peninsula in the Potomac River that forms part of the shoreline of Belmont Bay. The refuge is adjacent to Mason Neck State Park.

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Gunston Cove is an inlet of the Potomac River, at the confluence of Accotink Creek and Pohick Creek in Northern Virginia. The Cove forms the northern boundary of Mason Neck, once home to the revolutionary hero George Mason and now site of several regional parks and the Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge.

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Elizabeth van Laer Speer Hartwell was an American conservationist based in Virginia. The Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge is named in her memory.

Linton Neck also known as Burbage's Neck is a peninsula in eastern Prince William County, Virginia bounded by the Occoquan River, Occoquan Bay, and Neabsco Creek. It is named after the prominent Linton family of the colonial era. Historically farmlands, today the plantation is home to a number of communities including: Featherstone, Woodbridge, Marumsco, and Neabsco. Near the fall line of the Occoquan River at the very North of Linton Neck is the incorporated town of Occoquan, Virginia. At the very south of Linton Neck is the historic site of Rippon Lodge.

References

  1. 1 2 "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Mason Neck CDP, Virginia". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved October 13, 2016.[ dead link ]
  2. "About the Refuge". Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  3. "Meadowood History". blm.gov. U.S. Department of the Interior. August 28, 2015. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  4. 1 2 "Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge". US Fish and Wildlife Service . Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  5. "Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge". Virginia.org. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  6. "Mason Neck State Park". eBird. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  7. "Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge". Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  8. "Mason Neck Peninsula Check List". iNaturalist. Retrieved December 30, 2023.