The story
History
Prior to European settlement, the area around Leesburg was occupied by various Native American tribes.
17th century
In 1670, John Lederer (1670) testified that the entire Piedmont region had once been occupied by the "Tacci, alias Dogi", but that the Siouan tribes, driven from the northwest, had occupied it for 400 years.
In 1699, the Algonquian Piscataway (Conoy) moved to an island in the Potomac in the environs of Leesburg, and were there when the first known Europeans visited what is now Loudoun County.
18th century
What later became Old Carolina Road and is present-day U.S. Route 15 was a major route of travel between north and south for Native tribes. According to local historians, a pitched battle was fought near present-day Leesburg between the warring Catawba and Lenape tribes, neither of whom lived in the area.
A war party of Lenape had traveled from their home in New Jersey and neighboring regions, all the way to South Carolina to inflict a blow on their distant enemies, the Catawba. As they were returning northward, a party of Catawbas overtook them before they reached the Potomac River, but were defeated in a pitched battle 2 miles (3 km) south of Leesburg. The surviving Lenape buried their dead in a huge burial mound, and early settlers reported that they would return to this mound to honor their dead on the anniversary of this battle for many years thereafter. The date of this conflict is unknown, but it seems the Lenape and Catawba were at war in the 1720s and 1730s.
European settlement near Leesburg began in the late 1730s as Tidewater planters moved into the area from the south and east, establishing large farms and plantations. Many of the First Families of Virginia were among those to settle in the area, including the Carters, Lees and Masons. The genesis of Leesburg occurred sometime before 1755, when Nicholas Minor acquired land around the intersection of the Old Carolina Road and the Potomac Ridge Road on present-day Route 7 and established a tavern there.
Despite lack of growth around the tavern, upon Loudoun County's formation in 1757, Minor dubbed the sparse collection of buildings about his tavern "George Town" in honor of the reigning monarch of Great Britain. The village's prosperity changed the following year when the British Colonial Council ordered the establishment of the county courthouse at the crossroads.
Minor had a town laid out on the traditional Virginia plan of six criss-cross streets. On October 12, 1758, the Virginia General Assembly founded the town of Leesburg upon the 60 acres (0.24 km2) that Minor laid out. Leesburg was renamed to honor the influential Thomas Lee and not, as is popular belief, his son Francis Lightfoot Lee, who lived in Loudoun and brought up the bill to establish Leesburg. When the post office was established in Leesburg in 1803, the branch was named "Leesburgh"; the "h" persisted until 1894.
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19th century
During the War of 1812, Leesburg served as a temporary haven for the United States government and its archives, including the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution and portraits of early American leaders, including Benjamin Franklin, when it was forced to flee Washington in the face of the British Army. When reconstruction began on the United States Capitol, Potomac marble from quarries just south of Leesburg was used.
Early in the American Civil War, Leesburg was the site of the Battle of Ball's Bluff, a small but significant Confederate victory. The battlefield, along the Potomac River 2 miles (3 km) northeast of the town center, is marked by one of America's smallest national cemeteries. The town frequently changed hands over the course of the war as both armies traversed the area during the Maryland and Gettysburg campaigns.
The Battle of Mile Hill was fought just north of the town prior to its occupation by Robert E. Lee in September 1862. Leesburg also served as a base of operations for Col. John S. Mosby and his partisan Raiders. The Loudoun County Courthouse is among the few courthouses in Virginia that was not burned during the Civil War; the present one was built in 1894.
In 1889, a 14-year-old black American, Orion Anderson, was killed by a white mob at the town's freight depot; his murder would be the second of three recorded lynchings in Loudoun County, Virginia, between 1880 and 1902.
20th century
In the 20th century, Leesburg was the home of World War II General George C. Marshall, architect of the famous Marshall Plan that helped re-build Europe after the war, and radio personality Arthur Godfrey, who donated land for the town's first airport.
Leesburg continued to serve as the center of government and commerce for Loudoun County. The town's historic district was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and cited as one of the best preserved and most picturesque downtowns in Virginia.
21st century
In the 21st century, Downtown merchants have recently labeled themselves "Loudoun's Original Town Center", largely in response to the growing number of mixed-use shopping areas in proximity. Leesburg has served Loudoun's county seat continuously since the county's formation in 1757.
Historic sites
The Leesburg area contains twenty-one entries on the National Register of Historic Places, including:
Dodona Manor, the restored early-19th-century home of George C. Marshall, a general and diplomat who received the Nobel Peace Prize and owned the home from 1941 until his death in 1959.
Exeter Plantation, delisted after it burned down.
Glenfiddich House, a former Civil War–era hospital where Robert E. Lee planned the invasion of Maryland.
Morven Park, the estate of Virginia Governor Westmoreland Davis.
Oatlands Historic House & Gardens, a National Historic Landmark and former home of George Carter and William Corcoran Eustis.
White's Ferry, before closing in December 2020 was the only remaining ferry across the Potomac River, with its Virginia terminus 4 miles (6 km) northeast of town. It was a cable-guided car and passenger ferry. A ferry had plied the river from this site since 1828. According to WTOP, a Loudoun County businessman purchased White's Ferry in February 2021 with the express purpose of reviving the historic Potomac River crossing.
At least sixty-three historic markers are located in and near Leesburg.
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Leesburg had a population of 48,250. The median age was 35.6 years. 26.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 9.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.6 males age 18 and over.
99.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.4% lived in rural areas.
There were 16,184 households in Leesburg, of which 42.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 57.7% were married-couple households, 14.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 16,699 housing units, of which 3.1% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.8%.
2010 census
According to the 2010 census, there were 42,616 people including 14,441 households, and 10,522 families residing in the town. The population density was 3,673 inhabitants per square mile (1,418/km2). There were 15,119 housing units at an average density of 1,220.2 per square mile (471.1/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 71.1% White, 9.5% African American, 0.4% Native American, 7.1% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 7.5% from other races, and 4.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.4% of the population.
Of all households, 44.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.8% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.1% were non-families. 21.1% were made up of individuals, and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.93 and the average family size was 3.42.
By age, the population was 30.7% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 32.9% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 6.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 93.6 males.
Recreational facilities and events
Parks
Ida Lee Park - Located near the north side of Leesburg, Ida Lee Park was made possible in 1986 by the donation of Greenwood Farm to the Town of Leesburg by William F. Rust Jr. and his wife, Margaret Dole Rust. The farm contained 141 acres (57 ha) and was donated to the town for perpetual use as the Ida Lee Park. The Rusts requested that the park be named in memory of Ida Lee, Mr. Rust's grandmother, to preserve the historic link between the Lee family of Virginia and the Town of Leesburg. Ida Lee Rust was the daughter of Edmund Jennings Lee, first cousin of Robert E. Lee. Ida Lee spent her married life at "Rockland," the Rust family home located near Leesburg, and in her later years lived in a house built by her sons at 113 East Cornwall Street in Leesburg. The Rusts also donated 3 acres (12,000 m2) of land from the original 141 acres (57 ha) for the Rust Library located adjacent to Ida Lee Park. In 1991, the Rusts gave the town $50,000 for the construction of the William J. Cox Pavilion at Ida Lee Park, a public picnic area containing a pavilion and playground.
Morven Park - A 1,000-acre (400 ha) historic estate and horse park. Located on the grounds are the Morven Park Mansion, the Winmill Carriage Museum, formal boxwood gardens, miles of hiking and riding trails, and athletic fields. The park is also home to the Museum of Hounds and Hunting of North America with displays of art, artifacts and memorabilia about the sport of foxhunting.
Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Trail - Hikers, bikers and joggers can travel in and through Leesburg on the trail, a 45-mile-long (72 km) rail trail that the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority constructed on the historic W&OD RR's right-of-way.
Red Rocks Wilderness Overlook Regional Park - Located east of Leesburg along the banks of the Potomac River, the park, operated by the NVRPA, contains 67 acres (27 ha) of woodlands and over 2 miles (3.2 km) of trails leading to bluffs along the river. Frances Speek donated the land to NVRPA in 1978. The ruins in the park date to 1869. They were part of the estate of industrialist Charles R. Paxton, who is best known in Leesburg for building the Victorian mansion Carlheim.
The Rust Manor House and Nature Sanctuary - Located near the west side of Leesburg at the foot of Catoctin Mountain, the sanctuary contains a mansion and a nature reserve that the Audubon Naturalist Society of the Central Atlantic States, Inc., owns and operates.
Events
Leesburg's Flower and Garden Festival - Held annually in April in the Historic District, the event includes garden displays, vendors and entertainment.
Fourth of July Celebration - Events include a morning parade, a festival at Ida Lee Park and evening fireworks.
Classic Car Show - is held annually on the first Saturday in June. This event features dozens of classic cars and hot rods on display in the streets of downtown Leesburg as well as music and food. Proceeds benefit the Graphic Arts and Auto Body programs at C.S. Monroe Technology Center.
Leesburg AirShow - is held annually on the last Saturday in September. This event features parachute jumpers, aerobatic routines, warbirds, model aircraft, military vehicles & classic cars on display on the ramp of the airport, as well as music and food.
Halloween Parade - Said to be one of the longest-running Halloween parades in the country, the parade includes marching bands from the local high schools, floats made by local businesses, Scout troops and families, etc. Many participants distribute candy to parade watchers.
Santa rides - Since 1988, members of the Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company have decorated a piece of fire apparatus with Christmas lights with Santa, Rudolf, and Frosty riding on top of said fire apparatus waving to the people of the Town of Leesburg; it is estimated this event reaches around 30,000 people every year.
From Wikipedia’s article on Leesburg, Virginia, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4