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Leesburg, VA was established
in 1758, Leesburg is the seat of government for Loudoun County. Leesburg's
rich history spans three centuries. Originally a settlement called George
Town in honor of the reigning monarch of Great Britain, Leesburg was
renamed to honor the influential Lee family of Virginia.
During the War of 1812, Leesburg served as the temporary capital of
the United States when the valuable papers of the Federal Archives
(including the Declaration of Independence and Constitution) were brought
to town for safekeeping. President James Monroe resided just south of town
at Oak Hill, where he wrote the Monroe Doctrine in 1823. Leesburg was the
site of the Civil War Battle of Ball's Bluff, a bloody Confederate victory
fought on the banks of the Potomac River. The 1861 battle claimed the life
of Col. Edward Baker, a close friend of President Lincoln, and spawned a
congressional committee to investigate the conduct of the war. The
battlefield is marked by one of America's smallest national cemeteries.
In the 20th century, Leesburg was the home of World War II General
George C. Marshall, architect of the famous Marshall Plan that re-built
Europe after the war, and radio personality Arthur Godfrey, who donated
land for the town's first airport.
Today Leesburg continues to serve as the center of government and
commerce for Loudoun County. The 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. |
