History of Loudoun -- discover our story

 Early Settlement

In 1649, five million acres of Virginia land, encompassing present-day Loudoun County, known as the Northumberland Proprietary, was given to seven noblemen by King Charles II despite the land already being inhabited by multiple Native American tribes. Settlers from neighboring British colonies established Loudoun County from neighboring Fairfax County in 1757 and named the region after Scottish nobleman John Campbell, the fourth earl of Loudoun. His coat of arms inspired the county’s motto, “I Byde My Time.”

Throughout the 1720s and 1730’s, European settlers from eastern Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, as well as new immigrants from England, Germany, and Ireland, formed the new region. These settlers instituted tobacco plantations in the southern portion of the county. Multiple settlements formed at this time and still stand as towns today, including Waterford, Hamilton, and Lovettsville. Loudoun County’s population continued to grow, profiting from its farms, quickly becoming Virginia’s most populated county by the American Revolution. Enslaved people made up over half of the population in this period.

American Revolution

In 1774, a group of Loudoun County citizens gathered in the county courthouse in Leesburg in protest against the Intolerable Acts, which detailed more British control over the US colonies. At the meeting, the group adopted a formal protest of the Stamp Act and the Loudoun Resolves, which sent a group of representatives to a state-wide meeting that discussed the colonies’ rights.

The county was nicknamed the "Breadbasket of the Revolution" after contributing grain to George Washington's Continental Army. Some of Loudoun County's men fought in the Revolutionary War, and it had the largest militia in the colony of Virginia in 1774.

War of 1812

One of Loudoun's most notable historical feats happened during the War of 1812 when Williams Binns stored U.S. government documents at his home near Leesburg. Binns was ordered to move documents, such as the U.S. Constitution, to the Rokeby House, under the orders of then Secretary of State James Madison. Meanwhile, the British burned Washington, D.C.

Civil War

Loudoun County was the site of multiple minor American Civil War battles, most notably the Battle of Ball's Bluff in 1861, which resulted in a win for the Confederates.

During the war, citizens in Loudoun were split into opposing sides. Quakers and Germans in northern Loudoun opposed secession from the Union. In contrast, residents across the rest of Loudoun favored secession.

World Wars

Similar to its role during the American Civil War as an agricultural stronghold, Loudoun continued supplying wheat to soldiers fighting in Europe during World War I. Loudoun's role as a primary supplier of wheat caused an agriculture boom in the county. It produced more wheat than any other Virginia county in 1917. After World War I, Loudoun's agricultural output continued to thrive, and it produced the most corn statewide in 1922.

After World War II, life in Loudoun experienced change, as many drafted into war were able to pursue higher education through the GI Bill. Suburban development began in eastern Loudoun County in the mid-1950s. As development in Loudoun County crept westward, a non-profit group, Colonial Leesburg, formed to raise awareness about historic buildings in what is now Leesburg's historic district.

Modern History

The establishment of the Dulles National Airport in 1962 sparked a technology and population boom in the county, which still affects the area today. The population in 2020 was four times the population just 25 years prior. Dulles National Airport and road improvements made driving into Washington, D.C. much easier, contributing to the county's growth and appeal.

Today, Loudoun County has more data centers than anywhere else in the world, housing 26 million square feet. Ashburn "sits atop the world's densest intersection of fiber networks, making it an ideal location to store and distribute data for Internet companies." It is estimated that around 70% of the world's internet traffic goes through the data centers in Ashburn every day.

Washington and Old Dominion Railroad

Although the Washington and Old Dominion (W&OD) Railroad was originally built in 1859, it was never fully utilized to serve its purpose of transporting coal and other goods until after the Civil War. The railroad ran until 1968, and in 1982, the right-of-way was bought by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. Today, the trail runs from western Purcellville to eastern Shirlington and is widely used for recreational purposes.

Written by Charlotte Edmonds