Editing Centreville, Virginia (section)

===18th century===
The town of Centerville, shortly later spelled Centreville, was established in 1792 on the turnpike road at the village of Newgate by the [[Virginia General Assembly]] in response to petitions by local landowners.<ref>John Stuart Alexander, and Others, Legislative Petitions, Loudoun County, October 3, 1792, Reel 111, Box 142, Folder 39, Library of Virginia. (Second petition)</ref> The petitioners reasoned that a town on the turnpike road leading from the [[Northwest Territory]] and centrally located to [[Alexandria, Virginia|Alexandria]], [[Colchester, Virginia|Colchester]], [[Dumfries, Virginia|Dumfries]], [[Middleburg, Virginia|Middleburg]], George Town (later [[Georgetown, Washington, D.C.|Georgetown]]), Fauquier Court House (later [[Warrenton, Virginia|Warrenton]]), and [[Leesburg, Virginia|Leesburg]] would be convenient. The town acquired its name due to its central location. James Hardage Lane, one of the landowners, conceived the idea of the town as a way to provide financial support to his widow and their children.<ref>John Stuart Alexander, and Others, Legislative Petitions, Fairfax County, November 20, 1790, Reel 49, Box 69, Folder 36, Library of Virginia</ref> At the town's inception, it was within the boundary of [[Loudoun County, Virginia]], and became part of [[Fairfax County, Virginia]], in 1798 when the boundary between the two counties shifted.<ref>Sweig, Donald (1992). ''Fairfax County Virginia: A History.'' Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Fairfax, Virginia, p.45. {{ISBN|0-9601630-1-8}}</ref>

Town development established a pattern of mixed residential and commercial use. Frame houses, several taverns, stores, blacksmith shops, tan yards, and a school house were constructed on the 1/2-acre town lots.

====American Civil War====
[[Image:centreville 1862.jpg|right|thumb|Main street and church guarded by [[Union Army]] in Centreville, in May 1862 at the beginning of the [[American Civil War]]]]
[[File:"Departure from the old Homestead".jpg|thumb|''Departure from the old Homestead'', a 1862 photograph depicting pro-[[Union (United States)|Union]] refugees]]
In the [[American Civil War]], several battles were fought nearby including the [[First Battle of Manassas]], the [[Second Battle of Manassas]], and the [[Battle of Chantilly]].

During the winter of 1861 and early 1862 the town was significantly fortified by the Confederacy and served as a supply depot for both sides at various points in the war, and is famous for being the site of the construction of the first railroad ever built exclusively for military use, the [[Centreville Military Railroad]]. Centreville was of significant strategic value due to its proximity to several important roads, while its position atop a high ridge provided a commanding view of the surrounding area. The town was frequently associated with [[Confederate States Army|Confederate]] [[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]] [[John S. Mosby]], whose partisan rangers used its hillsides and farms as a base of operations, leading to the sobriquet "Mosby's Confederacy".{{citation needed|date=January 2018}}