Pohick Church, Lorton, Virginia

George Washington's parish church. A place of worship was first established near Lewis Heights, Fort Belvoir, in the seventeenth century. Some time prior to 1730 it was relocated near the Occoquan River. This second church was about two miles southeast of the present church. In 1732 this second church became the parish church of Truro Parish which was established that year by the Virginia Assembly. It was known as Pohick Church, the name derived from a Dogue Indian word meaning “hickory,” and was also referred to as the “church above Occoquan Ferry.” Among Pohick vestry members were George Washington, George Mason, and George William Fairfax. The present structure was ordered by the vestry in 1767, and the site and building plans were selected mainly by George Washington. The building was completed in 1774, but the parish went into decline during the revolution and was abandoned. The Civil War brought further devastation, but the building was again fitted for services in 1874. It continues as a parish today.