Virginia

A Visit to Occoquan Workhouse (2010) /  by Todd Henson

A Visit to Occoquan Workhouse (2010)

Built in 1910, the Occoquan Workhouse was originally a lower security prison facility run by the District of Columbia and located in Lorton, Virginia. Later it began housing people convicted of more serious crimes and was renamed Lorton Reformatory and eventually Lorton Correctional Complex. Before it finally closed in 2001 it had become overcrowded and known for frequent violence and occasional escapes. I remember times when local alerts would go out of an escaped convict and the police efforts to bring them back.

The photo above was created 100 years after the site was built, in 2010. It was a very overcast day, and later in the day it rained, but it hadn’t yet begun when I walked through this portion of the location. I hope to share more photos in the future as I sort through them, some of areas that have since been demolished.

Thankfully, this part of the location, once full of problems was destined for a more hopeful future. In 2005 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places and in 2008 it became home to the Workhouse Arts Center where local artists could set up studios and invite the public to come see them work, purchase their artwork, and attend classes, exhibitions and special events. It’s now a wonderful location to visit, in many ways similar to the older and perhaps better known Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria. Stop by if you’re ever in the area. It’s worth a visit.

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Grace Episcopal Church, The Plains, Virginia /  by Todd Henson

Grace Episcopal Church in The Plains, Virginia

The first time I viewed Grace Episcopal Church in The Plains, Virginia, was many, many years back when randomly driving through the night with a friend. I recall how beautiful it looked illuminated at night. I’ve yet to return at night to see and photograph this magnificent structure, but I did return with my father in late September of 2024, when we stopped and walked up and down Main Street and I created a number of photographs of the church.

A touch of Grace in The Plains

Red doors of Grace Episcopal Church

The Plains, originally called White Plains, was around before the Civil War, and in 1831 had a Post Office named The Plains. It grew from there and was incorporated as a town in 1910, though it still remains a very small town with a population of 245 as per the 2020 census. Today it is part of Fauquier County.

Grace in The Plains

The history of Grace Episcopal Church stretches back to 1855, though the current stone structure was consecrated on June 28, 1918 and was built from stones donated from local farms. It’s an example of 13th century rural English Gothic architecture, and perhaps that’s why I find it so compelling, that older gothic style and the beautiful stonework, the arches and steeples, the deep red doors. And unlike some churches in larger towns, this one still has a sizable property that sets the structure away from the road and from distracting power lines. It’s a very beautiful location.

Visit their website to learn more about the history of Grace in the Plains.

The grounds of Grace Episcopal Church in The Plains, Virginia

Part of the old stone wall around Grace Episcopal Church in The Plains, Virginia

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Colonial Beach in Winter /  by Todd Henson

A little snow remained at the Colonial Beach Municipal Pier

In mid-January my father and I went for a drive and found ourselves at Colonial Beach in the Northern Neck of Virginia. This is a popular summer destination for some folks but isn’t very popular at all during the colder months of winter, which means I found it far more appealing in winter. Snow had fallen about a week before and though most of that had melted there were still some small amounts on the pier and beach.

Under the gazebo looking out at the pier

Snow and gulls on Colonial Beach pier

Over to the left was what I called cormorant pier for all the cormorants perched along the length

It was a cold day but not frigid. And there were hardly any people about, though we encountered many gulls and cormorants as you can see in the photos. The weather forecast had called for a small chance of rain in some areas of Virginia, and though we didn’t run into any it did result in some nice overcast conditions and clouds with a bit of character. Overall I found it a very calm, quiet and beautiful day and I’m glad we decided to pay the beach a visit.

Colonial Beach Municipal Pier and the Potomac River

A final look at winter at Colonial Beach

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