The settlement which would grow into the town of Warrenton began as a crossroads at the junction of the Falmouth-Winchester and Alexandria-Culpeper roads,[13] where a trading post called the Red Store was located.

[14] The Town of Warrenton was incorporated on January 5, 1810,[15] and named for General Joseph Warren, a Revolutionary War hero.

John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, was from Germantown, modern-day Midland, 10 miles (16 km) south of Warrenton.

[17] Given the rail line's strategic usage during the American Civil War, the Warrenton Branch was a target for attack twice.

The Warren Green Hotel building hosted many famous people, including the Marquis de Lafayette, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, President Theodore Roosevelt, and divorcée Wallis Simpson.

Arthur Jordan, a black American man, was lynched by a mob of approximately 60–75 men in white hoods in the early hours of January 19, 1880.

A group of local men hunted the pair down near Williamsport, Maryland, captured Mr. Jordan and returned him to Fauquier, whereupon he was delivered to the town jail.

Later that night, the masked lynch mob gained access to the jail and dragged Jordan to the nearby town cemetery, where he was hanged from a small locust tree.

[25][26][27][28][29] In 1909, a fire destroyed almost half the structures in the town and was halted with the use of dynamite to create a firebreak to stop the flames from spreading.

[14] In 1939, Washington Times-Herald journalist Count Igor Cassini wrote a column piece that upset several members of Virginia high society.

While covering a horse show in Warrenton, Cassini was kidnapped and tarred and feathered by three disgruntled individuals related to one mentioned in his column piece.

[30] Cassini was treated for burns at the Fauquier County Hospital in the early morning,[31] with the three individuals being arrested and placed on probation.

Other listings in or near Warrenton include Brentmoor, Dakota, Hopefield, Loretta, Monterosa, North Wales, The Oaks, the Old Fauquier County Jail, and Yorkshire House.

[37] The then-mayor's wife spearheaded fundraising for the monument from private organizations and the United Daughters of the Confederacy itself, of which she was a member.

The Fauquier campus of Laurel Ridge Community College resides just south of the town limits.

In 2022, Hazel Hall, a science, engineering and health professions building, was opened and construction begun on a Center for Skilled Trades.

In 2001, watercolor painter Stewart Burgess White painted three murals on a single building depicting scenes from the American Civil War.

Additionally, these murals included several hidden details such as faces of 19th century American leaders, references to the September 11 attacks, and the name of the painter's daughter.

[44] Artists Ross Trimmer and Michael Broth collaborated on a mural that emulates classic large-letter postcards.

[16] In 2021, a group of local National Honor Society students from Kettle Run High School painted a small mural on a neglected wall lining a parking lot.

Finally, US 211 begins north of the downtown area and extends westward, passing through Luray and the Shenandoah Valley.

The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation and Megabus operate a weekday commuter bus service called the Piedmont Express from Danville, V.A.