The Village of Cameron Fades from the Map

By the end of the 18th century, the once-bustling inland trading post of Cameron had faded into obscurity. Trade had shifted to Alexandria following its founding in 1749, and the silting of Great Hunting Creek further diminished Cameron’s role as a commercial hub. By 1799, the village no longer appeared on maps and had been absorbed into the surrounding Cameron plantation, owned by the West family.

Though the village disappeared, its legacy resurfaced centuries later. An archaeological survey during development of the Hoffman Town Center uncovered the West Family Cemetery, offering rare insight into one of Alexandria’s early settler families. A memorial now stands at Pohick Church in Lorton in their honor.

Today, Cameron is remembered as a foundational chapter in the city’s early colonial rise.

Read the full archaeological report: Site Report – Hoffman Town Center, 2410 Mill Road (PDF)

Memorial stone at Pohick Church in Lorton, Virginia, honoring the West Family, originally buried at their private cemetery in Cameron—now the site of the Hoffman Town Center on Mill Road in Alexandria. The burial ground was rediscovered during an archaeological dig before construction, highlighting the family’s early role in the region’s history.