Rapidan is a small unincorporated community in the Virginia counties of Culpeper and Orange, approximately 5 miles northeast of the Town of Orange. The community, located on both sides of the Rapidan River, was established in the late eighteenth century around the Waugh's Ford mill. The Orange and Alexandria Railroad built a line through the town in 1854, a post office was built at the river crossing, and its name was changed to Rapid Ann Station. Milling remained a major industry in the area up through the mid-twentieth century.Its strategic location along both a railroad and a river brought about several destructive raids during the Civil War. Willis’s mill, which stood in the location of the current mill, was burned along with several homes and other structures, although the miller's house remained. The village of Rapid Ann Station resumed its prominence as a regional shipping point after the railroad was rebuilt following the civil war, particularly for lumber and wood products.