We here at Visit Loudoun recently launched what I think may be the coolest Civil War tourism site around. Of course, I am biased. I work for Visit Loudoun, and was the project leader on it. But log on to CivilWar.VisitLoudoun.org and you’ll quickly understand what I’m talking about. It snows! We’ve animated the four paintings that rotate through on the home page to bring...
Today, my family and I took a short drive up historic Route 15 to the northern part of Loudoun to the tiny village of Lucketts. Our destination: the Old Lucketts Store. This place is huge! Housed in a sage green painted home-turned-retail nirvana, the Old Lucketts Store is a place you’ll want to spend some time. There is room-after-room of antiques, home furnishings, clocks,...
Memorial Day is a time to remember and reflect on those who gave all they could give: themselves. On this day, Memorial Day, thousands of communities, including Leesburg and Loudoun, hold solemn ceremonies to honor those who passed in the service of their country. It began just after the Civil War, and was originally called Decoration Day. This year marks the 40th anniversary of...
Cumberland George Orrison, First Loudoun Soldier Killed in the War This Tuesday, April 12, 2011, marks the 150th anniversary of the firing on Fort Sumter, South Carolina, which ignited the American Civil War. Although the war began a century and a half ago, new evidence in the form of letters, diaries, maps, photographs continue to be discovered that further our understanding of this pivotal period...
On a winter evening in 1977, the men and women attending “Casino Night” at the Middleburg Community Center received a special treat. The wife of Virginia Senator John Warner decided she wanted to deal blackjack. Her name: Elizabeth Taylor. She and her husband lived near Middleburg and were frequently seen around town. She became famous for movies like National Velvet, Cleopatra, and Who’s Afraid...
In Loudoun County, Route 50 is called the John S. Mosby Highway. It’s named for the Confederate ranger who operated in the area during the Civil War. The village of Aldie, just west of the Route 50 and 15 intersection of Gilbert’s Corner (its the site of one of a series of four new round-abouts in the county), is a great place to stop...