Nathaniel Ellicott formally established the town in 1804, bringing to fruition industrial and commercial developments begun at or near the Falls of Occoquan by John Ballendine about 1750. The estuary of the Occoquan has attracted the attention of travelers since the time of John Smith. Adjacent lands were patented by the 1850s; copper was being shipped from King Carter's landing, and tobacco from a public warehouse by the 1780s.