Liberia Plantation
Built in 1825
In 1825 by Harriett Bladen Mitchell Weir and her husband William James Weir built the house that would become known as Liberia. The house was originally situated on a 1,660 acre parcel known as the lower Bull Run Tract, first patented in 1732. Today the house is known as Liberia but the family often referred to it as the "Brick House." According to tax records the house was valued at the time of construction at $2,876, a handsome sum for the time period.
Successful Plantation
On the eve of the Civil War the plantation had grown into one of the largest and most successful in western Prince William County. With the labor of 90 slaves the Plantation produced grains and vegetables sold commercially in Washington City. The Weir’s also raised a large herd of Moreno sheep as well as horses, cattle, and hogs.
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The Civil War
When Virginia seceded from the Union in 1861, William’s sons enlisted in the Confederate Army and he, now an old man, remained to operate the plantation. In the months following the secession the nearby railroad junction of the Orange and Alexandria and Manassas Gap Railroad became a massive military encampment. By July Liberia was pressed into service as the headquarters for General P. G. T. Beauregard, CSA and some reports also record its use as a hospital and "death house" after the Battle of First Manassas.
Despite the hardships the family suffered during the months of military occupation, they continued to live at Liberia until March of 1862 when the advance of Union troops forced them to flee south. The house, left in the care of trusted slaves became the military headquarters of General Irvin Mc Dowell, USA. It was during this period that President Abraham Lincoln came to Liberia to confer with his generals. By the end of the Civil War, Liberia was the only significant structure to remain standing on the plains of Manassas. It was to this devastated landscape that the Weir family returned to farm their holdings. Despite the family's labor, they were unable to return the plantation to its former grandeur.
New Ownership
In 1888, Robert Weir sold the property to Robert Portner, a wealthy brewer, banker, and shipper from Alexandria, Virginia. The Portner family never lived at Liberia but did develop the property into a successful dairy operation. The Portner family kept Liberia until 1947 when they sold it to the Breeden family.
The City Takes Over
In the 1970s the City of Manassas became interested in acquiring the structure to both assure its preservation and to develop it as a tourist attraction. After ten years of negotiation it was acquired on December 31, 1986. The owners I. J. and Hilda Breeden donated the Liberia Mansion and 5.6 acres of land surrounding the structure and the City purchased an additional 12.6 acres to buffer the site from future development. The City placed the property under the management of the Manassas Museum System.
The Restoration
The Museum System has initiated the first phase of restoration of the structure and the development of the site as a living history museum. The house is open for special events ---The Haunting at Liberia and A Civil War Christmas at Liberia and for school tours, group tours by appointment, and special behind the scenes restoration programs. For more information about Liberia Plantation House and its programs or to make a contribution towards its restoration please call 703-368-1873.
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