New Bohemia[1] is anunincorporated community inPrince George County,Virginia, United States, alongU.S. Route 460. It was also once known asWells or Wells Station.
New Bohemia was established early in the 20th century by a group ofBohemian andSlovak immigrants who had previously settled in the industrial and mining sections of westernPennsylvania and easternOhio. In the late 19th century, over 700 Czech and Slovak families settled Prince George and neighboring counties. They had been farmers in Europe and relocated to the area due to the availability of cheap farmland. Their success in rehabilitating worn-out farms, where production had almost vanished under monoculturetobacco production, and producing new crops such aspeanuts, led to the immigration of other Bohemians and Slovaks, with a sprinkling ofGermans,Austrians,Poles,Russians, andLithuanians, many of whom came directly from their homelands. Some Bohemian and Slovak families who hadhomesteaded in theMidwest also moved back east and bought farms in Prince George. Historically, there was a strong connection between the Czech and Slovak communities inBaltimore and the Czech and Slovak communities inPrince George County. The members of the two communities would often travel back and forth between Baltimore and Prince George County in order to cooperate on events.[2]
In the late 1980s,Interstate 295 was built through the area, which brought commercial development to the previously rural community. Several farms were taken to construct the highway and acloverleaf interchange at Interstate 295 and U.S. Route 460. Due to its location along theNorfolk Southern Railway at the junction of Interstate 295 and U.S. Route 460, and, given its proximity to the junction ofInterstates 85 and95, much of the remaining farmland and timberland around New Bohemia has since been sold for commercial development, including a largetruck stop, andintermodal freight transport facilities. Several large tracts of land including a parcel previously used as adrop zone by theU.S. Army at nearbyFort Lee were acquired in the early 21st century by Prince George County for the development of anIndustrial Park.
Municipalities and communities ofPrince George County, Virginia,United States | ||
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37°11′02″N77°19′13″W / 37.18389°N 77.32028°W /37.18389; -77.32028
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