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    Leesburg
    Leesburg
    Leesburg
    Ebook165 pages47 minutes

    Leesburg

    By Mary Fishback

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Once serving as the capital of the United States for three days, the town of Leesburg, Virginia stands at the crossroads of American history.


    As a rural hinterland of the Washington, D.C. area and situated on the northern fringe of the old Confederacy, Leesburg has seen troops and generals, travelers and settlers, and politicians and presidents walk its streets, and opposing political views tear its population apart. Unity and patriotism returned and characterized the town during the world wars. With the arrival of nearby Dulles International Airport in the 1960s, Leesburg and its surrounding towns experienced a different kind of movement-tremendous population growth.

    Today, Leesburg is a vital and fast-paced part of Northern Virginia's economy. Yet, despite its modern edge, the town has maintained its old rural character and has striven to preserve its colorful 245-year-old history.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateJul 23, 2003
    ISBN9781439612408
    Leesburg
    Author

    Mary Fishback

    Images of America: Leesburg is a fascinating photographic chronicle of this important town compiled by author Mary Fishback, who has written several books on the area including Images of America: Loudoun County.

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      Book preview

      Leesburg - Mary Fishback

      Library.)

      INTRODUCTION

      Leesburg has one of the richest histories of any town in Virginia, and has played a major part in numerous historical events. Any attempts to document this vast history would be only a brief sketch of a few major events that occurred in the past 245 years. Obviously, photo documentation for the first 100 years of Leesburg history is non-existent and one must rely on sketches, paintings, and written accounts of that time. It is my desire to show the historical events that transpired in Leesburg that give it a unique place in the annals of American history. The collections of pictures offered in this book are varied in content and will give you a view of Leesburg that you may never see again. Some of the photographic collections were taken by locals like David Frye and Winslow Williams; others, like postcard collections, have been kept by various people over the past 100 years or so. This book is a community effort; some of the snapshots are simply family pictures while some are from professional photographers never before published. I do hope you enjoy the book and my humble attempt to show the history of a small town that has greatly influenced America’s history.

      Since the history of Leesburg is so vast it is also controversial. Leesburg was established in 1758 and is located at the intersection of two of the most traveled roads in Virginia, U.S. Route 15 and Route 7, and is located on the land of Nicholas Minor, the county’s first land speculator. Originally called Georgetown in honor of the King of England, the town was renamed Leesburg and is believed to be named for Thomas Lee, the patriarch of the Lee family in Virginia.

      Leesburg is the county seat for Loudoun County. It has been a safe haven for Washington, D.C.’s political figures and a get away for Washingtonians who found the summer heat and stench of the city too oppressive. The early history of Leesburg is very well documented. It was a major player in the Revolutionary War. In 1812, when the British threatened to burn Washington, Leesburg, a well-known town less than 60 miles away, was chosen as a safe place to house the nation’s most precious documents. According to the diaries of the wagon master Mr. Pleasonton, the Articles of Confederation, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution were kept in Leesburg, thus making it the capital of the United States for about four days. Political figures such as George Washington and General Lafayette visited Leesburg, where Lafayette dined with President James Monroe at his home Oak Hill, about eight miles south of Leesburg.

      During the Civil War, Leesburg was a strategic point for both the North and South and changed hands over 100 times. When the invasion of Maryland was being planned, the Harrison House on North King Street (Route 15) was chosen to be the meeting place for Robert E. Lee, James Longstreet, Stonewall Jackson, and J.E.B. Stuart. After the Battle of Ball’s Bluff in 1861 near Leesburg, many wounded troops were brought to a temporary hospital in the brick Methodist church located on Market Street and many other homes became makeshift medical stations for the less severely wounded. Many of these homes remain today.

      In the years that followed the Civil War, Leesburg was getting deeper into politics and was recognized by Richmond and Washington, D.C. politicians alike. Gov. Westmoreland Davis, Sen. Harry Byrd, Eleanor Roosevelt, President Herbert Hoover, and Gen. George C. Marshall are just a few of the dignitaries who have visited Leesburg over the years. Marshall and Davis actually lived in or near Leesburg. Today, Leesburg enjoys celebrating its cultural and historical heritage with events like August Court Days and the Bluemont Concert Series. The Loudoun Museum and the Thomas Balch Library, combined with the colonial atmosphere of the downtown area and these events, give Leesburg a truly unique feel.

      The Methodist Church has owned land in Leesburg since the 1700s. This postcard depicts the old church on Cornwall Street that was demolished in the early 1900s. The Old Stone Church Foundation maintains the graveyard, and it is the oldest Methodist-owned property in the United States.

      One

      LEESBURG

      A BRIEF

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