Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Borneo orangutan
Malaysia • 12 days, 11 nights
Wild Borneo: Secrets of an Ancient Rainforest
from
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Ana de Mendoza y de la Cerda, Princess of Éboli, was imprisoned for six months in the tower.
Torreón de Pinto (Tower of Pinto)
Rococo staircase to the musicians’s gallery.
Biscari Palace
Statues of Qin Hui and Lady Wang.
Qin Hui Statue at Yue Fei Temple
The Salt Canyon.
Salt Canyon
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Virginia Lorton Beehive Brick Kiln
AO Edited

Beehive Brick Kiln

The last of nine massive kilns that produced many of the red bricks for buildings in Washington, D.C. and northern Virginia in the early 20th century.

Lorton, Virginia

Added By
Ian Hall
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Beehive Brick Kiln   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Beehive Brick Kiln   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Beehive Brick Kiln   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Beehive Brick Kiln   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
  samanthanichols70 / Atlas Obscura User
Beehive Brick Kiln   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
  samanthanichols70 / Atlas Obscura User
  breaingram / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Many famous buildings in Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. owe their longevity and fortitude to red bricks that were made in this kiln or eight others like it situated within the nearby Occoquan Workhouse.

The last of these giant kilns stands along the banks of the Occoquan River, taking point of pride in Occoquan Regional Park, next to the nicely designed visitor center. The nearly 100-year-old kiln produced millions upon millions of bricks between 1910 and 1967, including those used to construct the Lorton Correctional Complex, which still stands today as a nearby arts center and residential area.

The kiln was operated largely by imprisoned laborers at the Lorton Workhouse Prison. The first prisoners arrived in 1910, and lived in tents by the river while constructing many of the prison buildings. It was the product of a Progressive Era reform policy, designed to rehabilitate the people incarcerated there through fresh air, hard work, and short sentences. A women's facility opened nearby in 1912, which held a number of those arrested during the women's suffrage movement in D.C.

Incarcerated laborers used the massive kilns to produce bricks, then moved them to the river where they would be transported by boat.

The kiln stands 15 feet tall with a diameter of 30 feet, and an adjacent 40 foot tall chimney. Visitors are encouraged to look all around the kiln and into its doors, but access inside the kiln is off limits.

Related Tags

Construction Prisons Buildings

Know Before You Go

There is parking within easy walking distance to the kiln.

Community Contributors

Added By

blimpcaptain

Edited By

breaingram, samanthanichols70, josephnbaldwin

  • breaingram
  • samanthanichols70
  • josephnbaldwin

Published

April 26, 2021

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.novaparks.com/parks/occoquan-regional-park/history
  • https://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaxtf/view?docId=fcpl/vif00121.xml
  • https://historicalmarkerproject.com/markers/HMVS_the-beehive-brick-kiln_Lorton-VA.html
  • https://www.workhousearts.org/lucyburnsmuseum/overview/
Beehive Brick Kiln
9751 Ox Rd
Lorton, Virginia, 22079
United States
38.681112, -77.253065
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Turning Point Suffragist Memorial

Lorton, Virginia

miles away

Lucy Burns Museum

Lorton, Virginia

miles away

Barrel Arch Bridge

Lorton, Virginia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Lorton

Lorton

Virginia

Places 11

Nearby Places

Turning Point Suffragist Memorial

Lorton, Virginia

miles away

Lucy Burns Museum

Lorton, Virginia

miles away

Barrel Arch Bridge

Lorton, Virginia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Lorton

Lorton

Virginia

Places 11

Related Places

  • The entrance to the premises.

    Cork, Ireland

    Cork City Gaol

    This 19th-century prison once held Irish revolutionary Constance Markievicz, writer Frank O’Connor, and a nine-year-old pickpocket.

  • A colorful apartment building behind green trees shown at an angle.

    Berlin, Germany

    Unité d'Habitation of Berlin

    After local authorities changed the design, the building's architect, Le Corbusier, wanted nothing to do with it.

  • Inside one of the massive chambers

    Bristol, England

    Clifton Suspension Bridge Vaults

    Cathedral-like Victorian vaults are hidden within this iconic bridge.

  • Boston, Massachusetts

    Dewey Square Pylon & Bent 38

    These structures serve as a memorial to one of Boston’s most ambitious and controversial urban redevelopment projects.

  • Wolvenplain prison from the canal

    Utrecht, Netherlands

    Wolvenplein Prison

    The imposing structure was originally established in 1580 as a military stronghold.

  • Panorama of Taipei City

    Taipei, Taiwan

    Elephant Mountain

    This hike brings visitors closer to Taipei 101, once the world’s tallest building, than any other trail.

  • Burke Building.

    Manila, Philippines

    Burke Building

    The first building in the Philippines with an elevator.

  • The Electric Works sign.

    Fort Wayne, Indiana

    Fort Wayne Electric Works

    An abandoned generator and motor factory has become a multi-use industrial campus.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.