The History Of Loudoun County
In our ongoing series of neighborhood guides, presented by United Bank, we bring our Loudoun County edition. We've already covered the Southeast Riverfront, Tysons, Montgomery County, Northeast DC, Shaw/Mt. Vernon Triangle and Howard County. To learn more about Loudoun, come to our Loudoun County State of the Market cocktails event on May 11 in Leesburg.
Loudoun County was estabished in 1757 by settlers from nearby Fairfax County. By the time the American Revolution broke out in 1775, the fertile region was the most populous in Virginia, and it soon gained a reputation as "The Breadbasket of the Revolution." During the War of 1812, important federal documents were moved to Leesburg, the county seat, for safekeeping while Washington was under siege.
The county was the site of several major battles during the Civil War. Shortly after its outbreak, the town of Leesburg saw the Battle of Ball's Bluff, where future Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes was wounded and nearly killed. Confederate Major Jeb Stuart collided with Union forces at Aldie, Middleburg and Upperville.
The eastern Loudoun town of Sterling saw the a major international airport arrive in 1962, when Dulles Airport was completed. Ever since then, Loudoun has experienced reliable growth, owing to a steady stream of funds from the neighboring federal government.
