Ogle Harris Way unveiled in Occoquan

On Saturday, June 29, 2024, the Town of Occoquan assigned the honorary designation of “Ogle Harris Way” to the 100 block of Poplar Alley in Occoquan. The Town expressed its appreciation for the contributions to the Occoquan community of Ogle Harris, his family, and his descendants through a dedication program and ceremony, attended by dozens of community members, plus local and state representatives.

Led by Occoquan Mayor Earnie Porta, the ceremony included remarks by Representative Abigail Spanberger, read by a staff member, in addition to a tribute by Tamika Joy Harris-Russell, a descendant of Ogle Harris. Members of the Harris family were also invited to share stories and memories.

“Ogle Harris and his extended family were a cornerstone of Occoquan’s commercial and social community, and at the heart of the town’s African-American community, for the first 75 years or more of the 20th century,” said Mayor Porta. “It was an honor and pleasure to be able to recognize them for their contributions to our history,” he continued.

In the early years of the 20th century, Harris began a business out of his home at 204 Washington Street, which by the end of the century’s second decade had become one of Occoquan’s main grocery stores, selling meat, fresh produce, fishing tackle, sodas, candy, and sundry other goods. His store became an Occoquan institution and a cornerstone of the town’s commercial and African-American communities. It remained so after his passing in 1949 under the auspices of his son Arthur and his daughter-in-law Doris, until it formally closed in 1974.

“Mr. Harris was known throughout the community for his honesty, generosity, and his upstanding character,” wrote Representative Abigail Spanberger (D), in her Congressional remarks read at the event. “The store served as a center for Occoquan’s commercial and African American communities.”