Dominion Energy to Donate Historic Cottage to Manassas

Dominion Energy is donating a historic cottage to the City of Manassas. [Photo courtesy of the City of Manassas]

Dominion Energy will donate a historic cottage to the City of Manassas in a ceremony on Monday at 3 p.m. at the current building site.

“The cultural value of the cottage within the community cannot be underestimated,” Mayor Michelle Davis-Younger said.

The cottage used to be the Manassas Industrial School for Colored Youth (MIS) and was chartered in 1893 by Jennie Dean, a former slave and resident of Prince William County. The structure was originally built on Wellington Road by the existing Jennie Dean Elementary School building but was moved to Jefferson Street in the 1960s.

MIS grew throughout the early 20th century, becoming an African American regional public school for Fairfax, Prince William and Fauquier County students in 1937. Most of the historic buildings that were originally part of the MIS campus were demolished in the 1960s when the structure was moved.

The MIS cottage in 1915 before it was moved to Jefferson Street. [Photo courtesy of the City of Manassas]

The city did a structural analysis to see if the cottage could be relocated to its original resting place on Wellington Road. It was determined that the cottage can be safely moved, likely in the fall of 2026 once the new Jennie Dean Elementary School building is occupied. It’s estimated the relocation will cost between $40,000 and $50,000; Dominion has pledged a donation of an unnamed amount to assist in funding the relocation.

And, Manassas Museum Associates have pledged a $25,000 donation to begin a fundraising campaign to restore and stabilize the cottage; the campaign is expected to launch in early 2025.

If you’re going to the ceremony:

Where: 9506 Jefferson St., Manassas
When: Monday, Oct. 28 at 3 p.m.

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