Special Online Exhibit -- History of the Occoquan Iron Truss Bridge (click here)

John Underwood Exhibit
 

John Underwood was one of some sixty (60) Abraham Lincoln supporters in Occoquan, who on July 4, 1860, elected a pole with pennants bearing the names of Lincoln and his running mate, Hannibal Hamlin.  On July 27, 1860, the Prince William militia entered town and chopped down the pole, to the jeers of the Lincoln supporters and the cheers of Southern sympathizers.  Once the Civil War began, Underwood was viewed suspiciously by the Confederacy, and during a raid in December of 1860, was captured and imprisoned by Confederate forces.  After his release, President Abraham Lincoln rewarded Underwood's loyalty by appointing him U.S. Marshal.  Visit the Mill House Museum and view a display compiled by Dolores Elder on the life of this prominent Occoquan resident.