Mt. Zion Church: Evolution of a Loudoun Landmark
In February 1865, Eliza Davis, living on a farm two miles east of Aldie, wrote to her mother-in-law in Connecticut a first-hand account of life on the home front during the Civil War:
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In Our Backyard
The Path to Freedom, Justice and Racial Equality – A History Told Through the County Courthouse
The quote above by Virginia historian James Hershman, and the words that follow, is the prologue to the Loudoun County Heritage Commission’s new report on the history of the Loudoun County Courthouse and Courthouse grounds. The report’s 82 illustrated pages illuminate moments in our history from its earliest days under British rule through to the modern era with a special focus on the history of slavery and civil rights through stories and vignettes of specific residents and local events which mirror the history of race relations in Virginia and across our nation.
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In Our Backyard: Preserving Historic Waterford: 1970-2019
By John M. Souders The fourth of four articles celebrating the Waterford Foundation’s 75th anniversary. By 1970, the grassroots preservation organization, the Waterford
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The Two Faces of Ball’s Bluff: History and Nature
Are you looking for a great walk, “in your backyard”? Ball’s Bluff, a combination of history and a special natural landscape is there for you. To a history enthusiast, Ball’s Bluff is known as the site of a Civil War battle. To a wildflower enthusiast, it is known as one of the best places in Loudoun County to see a remarkable diversity of spring wildflowers. These two facets of the park contribute to make the whole greater than the parts.
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In Our Backyard: Preserve the Vanishing Vestal’s Gap Road
By Neil V. Stern Within Sterling Park are remnants of a narrow, grass-covered roadway important to Loudoun and American history,
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In Our Backyard: Three Young Quaker Women Defiantly Published Pro-Union Newspaper in Waterford During the Civil War
By April 1864, after three hard years of war, the women of Waterford were at wit’s end. Most of the men were in self-imposed exile across the Potomac, or fighting, or in prison.
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Loudoun in the First World War: ‘Over There’ Comes to Main Street
In 1917-18, the Wilson administration strove to make American participation in the First World War—the “war to end all wars”—a people’s war, with everyoneplaying a part. Hundreds of Loudouners were drafted or otherwise served in the military. But the soldiers were not alone in their efforts to defeat Germany and Austria-Hungary.
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Loudoun in the First World War: Loudouners Called Up to ‘Make the World Safe for Democracy’
In February 1917, in the 30thmonth of the First World War, Germany declared total submarine warfare around the British Isles impacting all vessels including those operated by neutrals like the United States. In March, news broke of the intercepted Zimmermann Telegram in which Germany implored Mexico to join the war against us if we declared war on Germany.
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Loudoun in the First World War: The Great War Viewed from a Distance
This year, Virginians remember the centennial of America’s participation in the First World War. The year 1918 was a year of massive change, heroic effort, and huge loss of life for the commonwealth. It would mark America forever. Over the past 80 years, Loudoun County’s attention to historic preservation largely through the foresight of early county zoning, the work of caring individuals, and the efforts of historical and preservation non-profits to save, restore, preserve, educate, and inspire has left us an historical landscape that lets us tell the story of that war and its home front. We should remember that story.
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In Our Backyard: The Waterford Foundation Celebrates 75 Years of Preservation and Innovation
Each year, thousands visit Waterford and marvel at a wonderfully intact remnant of early America. This year, the village celebrates
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