SEE IT, SAVE IT BLOG: Stories from the Heritage Area
Each post in our See it, Save it blog provides a small piece of our local history, often told from the perspective of those who lived it. Learn about some of the lesser known people and places of the northern Virginia Piedmont. Each post includes a series of reading comprehension and discussion questions for our younger readers.
Below is a list of posts, divided by time period. Check back often for updates, or go to https://seeitsaveit.home.blog/ and follow us for the latest posts.
Prehistory and Colonial Era (to 1790)
A Founding Father’s Father: John Marshall may be more famous, but his father Thomas had his own distinguished career in public service.
“With the prisoners at the top of the mountain at Ashby’s Gap”: In 1781, thousands of prisoners captured at Yorktown were marched through the Heritage Area.
John Lederer’s Zynodoa: Follow in the footsteps of the first European to explore the Virginia Piedmont.
“Fought everywhere, was beaten nowhere”: Follow Daniel Morgan’s rise from a teenage troublemaker to one of George Washington’s best generals.
History Beneath Our Feet: Learn how archaeology informs our understanding of the Native people who lived in the Heritage Area for thousands of years.
The First Virginians: One of the most significant archaeological sites in North America is located in the Heritage Area.
A Revolutionary Proclamation: In 1775, the royal governor took an extraordinary step to try and stop the Revolution.
Extra-Ordinary History: In the colonial era a network of ordinaries and inns provided resting places for weary travelers.
From French Agent to Virginia Planter: John Holker of Springsbury: Explore the fascinating life of John Holker, an industrialist, diplomat, foreign agent, and Clarke County planter.
The Heroes of Brandywine: Learn how local soldiers saved Washington’s army at one of the largest battles of the American Revolution.
Early Federal and Antebellum Era (1790-1850)
John Binns: Agricultural Pioneer: Loudoun Farmer John Binns developed sustainable farming techniques in the 19th century.
A Canal Conundrum: Explore the failed attempt to create the Goose Creek canal.
A Christmas Eve Escape: Several local families make a desperate and dramatic escape from slavery in the winter of 1855.
Fauquier County’s Golden Age: For decades, gold mining was big business in southern Fauquier County.
Crednal, “a small brick house with a yard”: Once home to several prominent Virginians, Crednal is one of the best preserved homes in the Heritage Area.
“Found under the standard of their country”, The Parker Family and the Retreat: Located along the Shenandoah, The Retreat was home to the influential Parker family.
The Civil War and Reconstruction (1850-1900)
Tracing the footsteps of a Civil War veteran: James Lewis of Waterford: A local African-American soldier returns to Loudoun County and helps to build the community.
Chasing the “Panther of the Valley”: A Civil War artist recalls his first encounter with Mosby’s Rangers
The Checkered Life of Charles Snoots: Brother turns against brother in the village of Waterford.
“I Am Now No Longer Your Commander”, The Disbandment of the 43rd VA: John S. Mosby disbands his partisan rangers at the end of the Civil War.
The Long Reach of the Battle of Ball’s Bluff: The Union disaster at Ball’s Bluff would have repercussions far beyond Loudoun County.
John Janney: Unionist, Secessionist, Quaker, Enslaver: Explore the fascinating and sometimes contradictory life of one of Leesburg’s most prominent residents.
“to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next” The Civil War and Modern Thanksgiving: One of America’s most beloved holidays has its roots in the Civil War.
First Contact at Gettysburg: Two Loudoun County men square off in the opening moments of the Gettysburg campaign.
“There was a Want of Vigilance”, Intelligence on the Bristoe Station Campaign: Learn about the importance of military intelligence in Prince William County
“My Own Darling McGee”, A Leesburg Love Story: In the midst of the Civil War, love blossomed between a young soldier from Mississippi and a girl from Leesburg.
In the Wake of Antietam: The two armies maneuver across the Loudoun Valley in the fall of 1862.
Richard Norris Brooke: A Reconstructed Artist?: Explore the evolution of a local artist following the Civil War.
The Waterford News: Three Quaker girls from Waterford start a pro-Union newspaper in Confederate Virginia.
“It is Christmas!” A letter from Leesburg, 1861: For many soldiers, 1861 was the first Christmas that they had spent away from home.
“Maryland, Whip Maryland” at Front Royal: Marylanders on both sides of the Civil War face off in the Battle of Front Royal.
Lost at Sea: A heritage area family name is immortalized on the Pacific Coast.
The Modern Era (1900-Present)
A Historic Crossroads: A rural crossroads village transforms into an international hub.
In Ruins: Every Place has a Story: VPHA President Jennifer Moore explores themes in historic preservation.
Sweet Home Atoka: For nearly two centuries the village of Atoka has been an important local crossroads.
Aldie’s Eleanor Truax Harris: “One of Virginia’s Best Citizens”: From her gardens at stoke, Eleanor Harris revolutionized horticulture in Virginia.
Camelot in the Country: How the arrival of the Kennedys changed the Heritage Area forever.
“For love, money, or marbles”, the Great Hound Match of 1905: American fox hunting comes of age in the Heritage Area.
Roosevelt’s Ride: The story of President Teddy Roosevelt’s arduous ride to Warrenton and back in January 1909.
A Revolutionary War-Era Estate Meets the Cold War: A Cold War secret lies hidden beneath one of Clarke County’s most famous homes.
Historic Pillow Talk: A local soldier left behind an unusual souvenir of his service in WWI.
Horse Power: The army remount station in Front Royal played a vital role in the First World War and beyond.
Rusticating and Vegetating: Wallis Simpson in the Heritage Area: The future Duchess of Windsor had many connections to the Heritage Area.
Front Royal's Rayon Factory: A former source of jobs for Warren County became an environmental hazard.
Marie Moton Medley-Howard: A local voice for desegregation and education in Loudoun County.
Welbourne’s Guest: The Man Who Coined the Term “Jazz Age”: One of the 20th century’s great authors visits the Heritage Area.
Before Garden Week: Early Garden Clubs in the Heritage Area: Gardens have always been an important part of the preservation movement in the Virginia Piedmont.
Veteran of Two Wars: A Fauquier County resident’s journey through the First World War.