PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VA – Prince William County Government is closed Friday, June 18, 2021, in observance of Juneteenth.

Please note the closures include:

• James J. McCoart Administration, Dr. A. J. Ferlazzo and Development Services Buildings
• All courts (Circuit Court, General District Court, Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court)
• Prince William Public Libraries (Also closed Saturday, June 19.)
• Buildings at Pat White Center at Ben Lomond, Veterans Memorial Park Community Center and Birchdale Community Center (The parks are open.)
• Parks Administration Office at George Hellwig Memorial Park (The park is open.)

The following facilities are open:

• County Landfill and Balls Ford Road Compost Facility
• Sharron Baucom Dale City Recreation Center and Chinn Aquatics & Fitness Center
• Lake Ridge Park Marina
• Parks, pools and waterparks
• Homeless shelters

History of Juneteenth

On June 19, 1865, more than two months after the Civil War ended on April 9, Gen. Gordon Granger informed the people of Galveston, TX, that all enslaved people were free. His orders freed 250,000 slaves in Texas that day.

“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves…..” —–General Orders, Number 3; Headquarters District of Texas, Galveston, June 19, 1865

Granger’s words spread through Texas and all at once, slaves found out the war was over, and they were free. Juneteenth, a combination of the words June and Nineteenth, commemorates when the last enslaved people in the south were finally set free.

In 1866, freedmen in Texas celebrated the first of what became known as “Jubilee Day” on June 19, and the celebrations included barbecues, music, prayer services, speeches and other activities. The holiday later became known as Juneteenth, a shortening of June 19, and it is widely known as the longest-running African American holiday.

Last year Governor Northam made Juneteenth a permanent paid state holiday in Virginia.