The town developed along an early stage road, which brought passengers and freight for embarkation on ships at the river.

Dorothy Roy and her husband John owned a warehouse chartered by the crown, a ferry service across the Rappahannock River to King George County, and a tavern.

[7] Shipping of property from the port began to decline after completion of competing railroads in Virginia, beginning in the 1830s.

Port Royal's most notable claim to fame is that John Wilkes Booth was killed about two miles outside town by Sgt.

Booth had assassinated United States President Abraham Lincoln on the night of April 14, 1865 at Ford's Theatre in Washington, DC.

Booth initially escaped through southern Maryland, fleeing to Virginia across the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers.

Shot through the neck and instantly paralyzed, Booth died on the porch of the Garrett house, where he was carried from the barn.

[8] Port Royal is located in northern Caroline County at 38°10′11″N 77°11′27″W / 38.16972°N 77.19083°W / 38.16972; -77.19083 (38.169799, −77.190763),[9] on the south bank of the Rappahannock River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the tiny town's total area in 2010 was 0.10 square miles (0.27 km2), all land.