Editing Gainesville, Virginia (section)

===19th century===
In the early 1800s, Samuel Love of Buckland Hall started work on the Warrenton-Alexandria Turnpike. In the hamlet where the turnpike passed through the Middle Grounds, a new stable was erected for stagecoach drivers to switch horses. Other businesses followed, and the settlement became known as New Stable. 

In 1846, a post office by that name was opened there in Richard Graham's hotel and store. Mr. Graham also operated a large stable that catered to the drovers and stage drivers and other less pretentious travelers. The person responsible for bringing the railroad through the village was Thomas Brawner Gaines (1814-1856), who had begun buying up property in the area as early as 1835, and later became a major landowner.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://piedmontlifestyle.com/uncategorized/history-gainesville-forever-on-the-beaten-path/|title=History: Gainesville–forever on the beaten path|last=Toler|first=John|date=October 31, 2017}}</ref>

In 1850, Thomas Brawner Gaines (1814-1856) sold to the [[Manassas Gap Railroad]] a right-of-way through his land along the Warrenton Turnpike ([[US Route 29]]). After the railroad was completed to [[Strasburg, Virginia]] in 1854, Gaines conveyed additional land for a train depot with the condition that the rail stop take his name. By 1856, a small community with a post office flourished around the Gainesville depot.<ref>Prince William County Historical Commission, 2017 (Historical Marker)</ref>

After the Civil War, emancipated former slaves bought land along [[U.S. Route 29]] and developed a small community that came to be known as "The Settlement". Residents founded the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, which would serve as a central community meeting place for over a century. Many current residents of the area can trace their lineage back to this period.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sides |first=Emily |date=2019-05-30 |title=Preserving 'The Settlement' |url=https://www.insidenova.com/news/prince_william/preserving-the-settlement/article_f26d2084-8305-11e9-9c34-a3ae4e3ba1df.html |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=INSIDENOVA.COM |language=en}}</ref>