001563.jpgIn 1908 the Virginia General Assembly granted money for an agricultural high school for each of the 10 state districts. Manassas was chosen to be home to the agricultural school for the eighth district and the first agricultural school to be built from this grant. Dr. Maitland C. Bennett donated two acres on which the Bennett school was built. The location of the school would sit on a small hill near the Manassas Court House. 

In digging the foundations for the Bennett School two graves were found. They were the graves of soldiers from the Civil War. It was decided to leave the graves in place and erect the Bennett School as a memorial to those who died in the Civil War. 

The Bennett School project cost $16000. In 1909 the Bennett School opened for elementary students in Manassas who lived within a nine mile radius of the school. Due to a large elementary school student population Bennett was never used as an agricultural high school. To this day all the Bennett Schools have served as elementary schools.

The existing Ruffner School in Manassas was expanded to accommodate agricultural and secondary students. In 1913 Ruffner was expanded a second time. 

In the 1920s the Osbourn School was built for secondary education and to house the agricultural school because the Ruffner School was overcrowded. Later a new Osbourn School was built and the old Osbourn School became the Bennett Annex. 

Both buildings served as Bennett School until 1969. A new Bennett school was built in 1969 and the Old Bennett School next to the judicial center was used by the Prince William County Police. The Old Osbourn was torn down in 1986.

For more information on historic resources in the Prince William County area click here.