On October 12, 1758 the Virginia General Assembly founded the town of Leesburg. It consisted of 60 acres laid out by Nicholas Minor in the traditional Virginia plan of six criss-cross streets. Minor had established a tavern around the intersection of the Old Carolina Road (Route 15) and the Potomac Ridge Road ( Route 7) and named the area "George Town" in honor of the monarch of Great Britain. The village began to prospered when the British Colonial Council established a Court House at the crossroads. It was renamed Leesburg after Thomas Lee, and the historic town has been the county seat for Loudoun County for close to 250 years. 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). Early in the American Civil War Leesburg was the site of the Battle of Balls Bluff, a Confederate victory. The Battle of Mile Hill was fought just north of the town prior to its occupation by Robert E. Lee in September of 1862.

Dodona Manor
Dodona Manor is the restored, early 19th century home of George C. Marshall, a general and diplomat who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Dodona Manor gives visitors the opportunity to see an early 19th structure and grounds from the perspective of Marshall's life in Leesburg, Virginia.

Leesburg-History

Arthur-Godfrey

Morven Park
Morven Park is an historic mansion, a museum, a carriage collection, and a public park. It was named for former owner and late Virginia Governor Westmoreland Davis. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a Virginia Historic Landmark. Click Here

White's Ferry
White's ferry is the only ferry across the Potomac River, has its Virginia terminus just outside the town. It is a cable-guided car and passenger ferry in operation since 1828. it is located six miles west of Poolesville, Maryland. The General Jubal A. Early carries cars, bicycles, and pedestrians between Maryland and Virginia.

Oatlands Plantation
Oatlands Plantation is an estate in Leesburg operated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Oatlands property is comprised of the main mansion and 260 acres of farmland and gardens. It was established by George Carter in 1798 on 3,408 acres of farmland. It started as a wheat farm, but expanded to include other grains, sheep, a gristmill and a saw mill, and a vineyard. In 1803 Carter began construction of a Federal mansion, a terraced garden and numerous outbuildings. Click Here

General George C.Marshall

Thomas Lee

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