Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 12/18/1979
NRHP Listing Date 03/20/1980
DHR's Virginia Board of Historic Resources easement
NRHP Reference Number 80004215
The Federal-style farmhouse, now within the Manassas city limits, known as Liberia was used as a headquarters by both Confederate and Union forces during the Civil War. Gen. P. G. T. Beauregard occupied it in 1861 during the first battle of Manassas. A year later, when Maj. Gen. Irvin McDowell set up Union headquarters at Liberia, President Abraham Lincoln along with Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton held council with McDowell here on June 19, 1862. The house was built in 1825 for William Weir, whose wife, Harriet Bladen Mitchell, inherited the property from her Carter ancestors. During the late-19th-century, Liberia was owned by Robert Portner, an inventor and businessman. The house preserves most of its handsome original woodwork. Surrounded by modern development, Liberia is a reminder of Manassas’s role in the Civil War. The property is owned by the city of Manassas and is part of the Manassas museum system.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: April 28, 2022
