Tucked away in the woods of this small, but popular, family-friendly park is a hidden passage that few people know of and few manage to find. This Civil War-era culvert served as a hiding place for Confederates prior to raids on the Orange & Alexandria Railroad, which once passed directly over the culvert.
The railroad, which ran between Gordonsville in central Virginia provided a strategic mechanism for the movement of troops and supplies for the Union army. Numerous accounts exist of Confederate forces attempting to disrupt the railroad line during the war. General J.E.B. Stuart directed an attack on December 28, 1862, in which the Confederates damaged rails and cut telegraph lines at nearby Burke Station.
On another occasion, a group of 12 men under General Fitzhugh Lee were ordered by Stuart to burn the wooden trestle over Accotink Creek. It was later repaired.
The following year, a series of raids were conducted by Major John S. Mosby’s Rangers and Confederate civilians in which tracks were torn up with the hopes of derailing trains. After a derailment attempt failed on July 26, 1863, Union General George G. Meade enacted severe punishment on the civilians involved. To protect the railroad, several Union regiments camped out near the tracks.
Relic hunters have chiseled out one of two keystone bricks in the culvert marked with the letters “CSA” (Confederate States of America). Another brick inscribed with the year “1862” was removed from the culvert by park rangers and is on display at Lake Accotink Park Visitor’s Center.
An impressive railroad trestle stands in the main part of the park, but it’s not part of the original trestle. The park also features a large dam, a carousel, and a large picnic area, but this obscure tunnel is a hidden gem worth seeking out.
