Purse State Park

The Douglas Point Nuclear Power Plant was proposed in 1973 for a site on the Potomac River to the south of Washington, D.C. by the Potomac Electric Power Company (PEPCO). The proposed generating facility was to be located in Charles County, Maryland, about 30 miles (48 km) south of Washington, D.C. Two boiling water reactors of about 1150 megawatts were proposed, with projected in-service dates of 1981 and 1982. Two 450-foot (140 m) cooling towers were proposed, and water consumption was projected at 108,000 US gallons per minute (410,000 L/min). The project was set aside in the late 1970s. Opposition centered on the plant's effects on striped bass spawning grounds in the Potomac and consequent damage to the striped bass fishery in the Chesapeake Bay.The 1,270-acre (510 ha) site was purchased by the state of Maryland and the Bureau of Land Management and is operated as the Douglas Point State National Resources Management Area, part of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources' Nanjemoy Wildlife Management Area.

Nanjemoy is a settlement along Maryland Route 6 in southwestern Charles County, Maryland, United States, and the surrounding large rural area more or less bounded by Nanjemoy Creek to the east and north, and the Potomac River to the south and west.

Mallows Bay is a small bay on the Maryland side of the Potomac River in Charles County, Maryland, United States. The bay is the location of what is regarded as the "largest shipwreck fleet in the Western Hemisphere" and is described as a "ship graveyard."Mallows Bay was declared a National Marine Sanctuary on September 9, 2019.

The Mallows Bay–Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary is a National Marine Sanctuary in the United States located in the Potomac River in Charles County, Maryland. It is best known for the "Ghost Fleet," 118 historic shipwrecks in Mallows Bay in the sanctuary's northeast corner which is the largest shipwreck fleet in the Western Hemisphere. They are among more than 200 shipwrecks in the sanctuary, some of which date as far back as the American Revolutionary War and others to the American Civil War. In addition to shipwrecks, the sanctuary preserves historical sites related to Native Americans, some of them as much as 12,000 years old, as well as a lengthy span of United States history, including the American Revolutionary War, the American Civil War, steamboat and steamship actvity during the Industrial Era, and what was once an important Potomac River fishing industry. It also protects sites dating as far back as the 17th century related to African-American history, as well as an ecologically and biologically important area of the Potomac River and its Maryland shoreline that supports many species of plants and animals. Designated on September 3, 2019, the Mallows Bay–Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary was the 14th national marine sanctuary, the first in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and the first one designated since the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in 2000.

The Battle of Aquia Creek was an exchange of cannon fire between Union Navy gunboats and Confederate shore batteries on the Potomac River at its confluence with Aquia Creek in Stafford County, Virginia. The battle took place from May 29, 1861 to June 1, 1861 during the early days of the American Civil War. The Confederates set up several shore batteries to block Union military and commercial vessels from moving in the Chesapeake Bay and along the lower Potomac River as well as for defensive purposes. The battery at Aquia also was intended to protect the railroad terminal at that location. The Union forces sought to destroy or remove these batteries as part of the effort to blockade Confederate States coastal and Chesapeake Bay ports. The battle was tactically inconclusive. Each side inflicted little damage and no serious casualties on the other. The Union vessels were unable to dislodge the Confederates from their positions or to inflict serious casualties on their garrisons or serious damage to their batteries. The Confederates manning the batteries were unable to inflict serious casualties on the Union sailors or cause serious damage to the Union vessels. Soon after the battle, on Sunday, July 7, 1861, the Confederates first used naval mines, unsuccessfully, off the Aquia Landing batteries. The Confederates ultimately abandoned the batteries on March 9, 1862 as they moved forces to meet the threat created by the Union Army's Peninsula Campaign. The U. S. National Park Service includes this engagement in its list of 384 principal battles of the American Civil War.

Doncaster is an unincorporated community in Charles County, Maryland, United States. Doncaster is located at the junction of Maryland routes 6 and 344, 12.9 miles (20.8 km) west of La Plata.

Widewater is an unincorporated community in Stafford County, in the U.S. state of Virginia. Located on the banks of the Potomac River, it was the site of the flight experiments by Samuel Langley during the late 19th and early 20th century. It was a stop on the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad which was replaced by CSX Transportation.

Widewater Beach is an unincorporated community in Stafford County, in the U.S. state of Virginia. The community is adjacent to Widewater State Park.

Widewater State Park is a state park in Virginia, located in Stafford County. Land for the park was purchased in 2006 from Dominion Resources, but the Great Recession prevented development of the property. Ground was finally broken for the new park in 2018 after money was appropriated by the Virginia General Assembly with a bond issue in that year. Current facilities include a visitor center and staff building along Aquia Creek and a soft boat launch and picnic shelter along the Potomac River. A formal opening date in fall 2018 was set. The park officially opened in 2019.The park is divided up into five parcels, separated by private property. It is located on a 1,100-acre peninsula situated between Aquia Creek and the Potomac River, and was the site of early flight experiments by Samuel P. Langley.

Marine Corps Brig, Quantico was a Level I facility military prison operated at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Quantico, Virginia from 1972 until December 31, 2011. The building was located in eastern Stafford County, south of the base headquarters. By definition, Level I means that it "provide[d] pretrial and short-term posttrial confinement support. Level I confinement facilities are generally limited to 90 or fewer days. When necessary, Level I facilities may confine prisoners more than 90 days, but not to exceed 1 year." Unlike Regional corrections facilities, counseling support for military prisoners is limited.In practice, the facility could house approximately 120–150 inmates in living arrangements ranging from squadbays (for the general population) to Special Quarters 2, which is effectively solitary confinement. The facility was used primarily as a place to temporarily harbor inmates awaiting transfer to longer term facilities, such as the United States Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Security included a single chain-link fence about 20 feet high with razor wire, cameras, and guards. Guards were divided into three sections, composed of United States Navy and United States Marine Corps personnel in ranks from E-1 to E-6/7. In addition to security personnel, the Brig had a small administration staff including medical personnel and civilian cooks who worked with inmates to prepare meals. The Brig also offered a small library and chapel for weekly services. The Pretrial Confinement Facility at MCB Quantico was permanently closed on December 31, 2011, as part of cost-cutting measures recommended by the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission. Prisoners awaiting trial will be held instead at a regional military correctional facility in Chesapeake, Virginia. The building was demolished by May 2013 at a cost of $590,264.

Marine Corps Base Quantico (commonly abbreviated MCB Quantico) is a United States Marine Corps installation located near Triangle, Virginia, covering nearly 55,148 acres (22,318 ha; 86.169 sq mi; 223.18 km2) of southern Prince William County, Virginia, northern Stafford County, and southeastern Fauquier County. Used primarily for training purposes, MCB Quantico is known as the "Crossroads of the Marine Corps".Quantico Station is a census-designated place (CDP) in Prince William and Stafford counties in the U.S. state of Virginia, used by the Census Bureau to describe base housing. The population was 4,452 at the 2010 census. The U.S. Marine Corps' Combat Development Command, which develops strategies for U.S. Marine combat and makes up most of the community of over 12,000 military and civilian personnel (including families), is based here. It has a budget of around $300 million and is the home of the Marine Corps Officer Candidates School. The Marine Corps Research Center at Quantico pursues equipment research and development, especially telecommunications, for the Marine Corps. The Marine Corps Brig, a military prison, was also located at Quantico, until its closure on 31 December 2011 and its subsequent demolition. The FBI Academy, the principal research and training facility of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the principal training facility for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) are also located on the base. In 2001, the base was designated as part of the Quantico Marine Corps Base Historic District by the National Register of Historic Places. This district includes 122 buildings, two landscapes, a sculpture, and a water tower located within the Mainside area of the base. The contributing properties with separate entries include Tennessee Camp, Camp French, Commanding General's Quarters, and Rising Hill Camp.

Chopawamsic Island is one of the few islands in the Potomac River within the territorial boundaries of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is on the west side of the river next to Marine Corps Base Quantico about 30 miles south of Washington.