The town of Bowling Green was earlier known as New Hope. One of the earliest stage roads in the colony ran through the area from Richmond to the
Potomac River, where a ferry crossing was operated to
Charles County, Maryland. One of the first stage lines in the United States to maintain a regular schedule operated along this road. New Hope Tavern was built along the road in the 18th century and the area around it became known as New Hope. The town was renamed for "
The Bowling Green" which was the plantation of town founder, Dache Carmine, who donated the land and funds for a new courthouse when the community became the
county seat in 1803. The origin of the plantation's name is not definitive but may be based on the green sward in front of the plantation house itself. The Bowling Green Estate was the site of one of the first tracks built to race horses in America. The plantation house, pre-Georgian tidewater colonial in style, was built circa 1741. A prominent colonial landmark, it is one of the oldest houses in original condition in Virginia Today, Bowling Green is located along
Virginia State Route 2, one of the two earlier highways between
Richmond and
Fredericksburg. In later years,
U.S. Route 301 was built through the area, connecting Richmond with
Baltimore, Maryland with what was effectively an eastern bypass of the Washington, DC area for north–south traffic along the U.S. east coast. A new road,
Virginia State Route 207 was established from Bowling Green west to
Carmel Church, where it intersects Interstate 95 and
U.S. Route 1, major north–south highways. In 1941, the United States government acquired of Caroline County to the north and east of Bowling Green and established the A.P. Hill Military Reservation. Now known as
Fort Walker, it was originally named for a Virginia military hero,
U.S. Army and later
Confederate General
Ambrose Powell Hill, who was killed just prior to the end of the War in 1865. The installation's name was changed in 2023 to honor
Mary Edwards Walker, an American abolitionist, prohibitionist, prisoner of war, and surgeon. She is the only woman to receive the
Medal of Honor. At the massive complex, thousands of regular military and reserve troops undergo training each year. It has also been the site of national Jamboree gatherings of the
Boy Scouts of America. In addition to "The Bowling Green,"
Auburn, the
Bowling Green Historic District,
Caroline County Courthouse, and
Green Falls are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places. ==Geography==