Loudoun Valley

The Loudoun Valley is a small, but historically significant valley located in Loudoun County in northwestern Virginia in the United States.

Geography

The lush and fertile valley lies between Catoctin Mountain and the Bull Run Mountains to the east and the Blue Ridge Mountains to the west. To the north it is bound by the Potomac River and to the south by the Broken Hills of Fauquier. The small portion of the valley residing in Fauquier County is known as Upper Fauquier. It varies between 8 and 12 miles in width and is approximately 34mi. long. The northern section of the valley is bisected by the Short Hill Mountain. The area west of the Short Hill is known as Between the Hills, while the area to the east is known as the Catoctin Valley.

Major watercourses include Goose Creek, Catoctin Creek, Panther Skin Run, and the Little River.

The three major highways across the valley are; U.S. Route 50, which runs from Aldie on the east to Ashby's Gap on the west; Route 7, which runs from Clarks Gap west of Leesburg to Snickers Gap west of Bluemont; and Route 9, which diverges from Route 7 at Clarks Gap and runs west to Keyes Gap on the West Virginia border.

The terrain is rolling, with numerous ridges and hills. Elevation of the valley ranges between 350 to 730 feet above sea level. The region is temperate, with an annual rainfall of 40 to 50 inches and a mean average temperate of 50 to 55 °F.

The soil is formed from gneiss, clay / slate, hornblend, greenstone, and quartz particles, a fertile and durable soil, containing alumina, silex, potash, lime, and other natural fertilizing minerals.

History

Following the 1722 Treaty of Albany, which kept the American Indian nations west of the Blue Ridge Mountain, settlers began slowly to move into the Loudoun Valley. The area became a leading center of agriculture, particularly wheat, oats, rye, and corn. Many of the early residents were immigrants from southern Pennsylvania — Quakers, Scots-Irish, and Germans interested in starting small farms. The Quakers had significant influence in the central Loudoun Valley, settling in and around such communities as Waterford, Hillsboro, Goose Creek (now Lincoln), and Unison. Their stone buildings are a major feature of the Loudoun landscape. Germans settled in the northern end of the Loudoun Valley, especially in the area around Lovettsville, leaving a number of log structures as their architectural legacy. Unlike the settlers to the east of the valley, neither of these groups believed in slavery, thus inaugurating a division that would be important in the years leading up to the American Civil War.

During the Civil War, the Loudoun Valley saw considerable fighting, particularly in 1862 and 1863. During the Gettysburg Campaign, a series of cavalry clashes between J.E.B. Stuart and Alfred Pleasonton occurred in the valley at Aldie, Middleburg, Goose Creek, and Upperville. Stuart successfully kept the Federal forces from entering the adjacent Shenandoah Valley and discovering Robert E. Lee's main army. In 1864, as General Jubal Early withdrew from Washington D.C., Union forces attacked his supply wagons at Heaton's Crossroads at present day Purcellville. In the early winter of 1864, General Phillip Sheridan had the Loudoun Valley put to the torch during The Burning Raid in response to actions of Confederate partisans John Mosby who used the Loudoun Valley as his base of operations.

Following the war, the Loudoun Valley was slow to recover from the devastation of the Burning Raid, but soon the region became a major source of agricultural products again. Farming remained a main occupation for several generations. Today, parts of the scenic valley are threatened by urban growth.

ources

* [http://loudounmuseum.org/history.html Loudoun Museum website]
* Head, James W., "History and Comprehensive Description of Loudoun County Virginia", Parkview Press, 1908.