Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area Association

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Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area Association
PredecessorMosby Heritage Area Association
Formation1995
Founded at Middleburg, Virginia, U.S.

The Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area Association (VPHA) is a nonprofit preservation and historic organization in Middleburg, Virginia. Founded in 1995 as the Mosby Heritage Area Association (MHAA), its mission is to educate about, and advocate for, the preservation of the historic, cultural and scenic resources in the Northern Virginia Piedmont. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Name and location

MHAA took its original name from Confederate Cavalry officer John S. Mosby, whose rangers fought throughout the region during the American Civil War. During the Civil War the area was known as Mosby's Confederacy. [4] In August 2020, the MHAA changed its name to the Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area Association. According to VPHA Chairman C. Dulany Morison, "... we have decided to respectfully retire our name and adopt one that more accurately captures the broad scope of our mission to highlight all the diverse history, from the time of the Native Americans through the 20th century, that has taken place in the Heritage Area." [5] [6]

The Mosby Heritage Area, located about one hour's drive west of Washington, D.C., is bounded by the Bull Run Mountains to the east, the Blue Ridge Mountains to the west, the Potomac River to the north and the Rappahannock River to the south. It encompasses the Virginia counties of Loudoun, Fauquier, Clarke, Warren and part of Prince William, some 1,800 square miles (4,700 km2). [7]

Portions of Evergreen Mill Road in Leesburg, in the heart of the Heritage Area, were once part of the historic Old Carolina Road, one of the most heavily trafficked Colonial roadways in Virginia. That road originally functioned as a north–south migration route for Native Americans, who also followed the buffalo along the route of what is now U.S. Route 50 (John S. Mosby Highway). Route 50 and Braddock Road in Colonial times were the main east–west corridors linking the port city of Alexandria to Winchester.[ citation needed ]

Historical activity

In 2015, Richard Gillespie, executive director of the Mosby Heritage Area Association, confirmed to Nicholas Fandos, a reporter for the New York Times that the assertions made on the River of Blood at the Trump National Golf Club in Lowes Island, Virginia owned by US President Donald Trump are false. [7] In response to the monument's assertion that:

Many great American soldiers, both of the North and South, died at this spot, "The Rapids", on the Potomac River. The casualties were so great that the water would turn red and thus became known as "The River of Blood". [7]

Gillespie replied, "No. Uh-uh. No way. Nothing like that ever happened there." [7]

Historic preservation

The association campaigns for the preservation of historic buildings and landscapes. [8] MHAA was instrumental in adding the historically black rural hamlet of Willisville, Virginia to the National Historic Register. [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]

Landscape preservation

The MHAA has been an active voice in discussions about development policy in the region. [14] [1] [15] [16] C. Dulany Morison was elected Chairman of MHAA in 2019, pledging that his top priority would be to solidify MHAA's leadership role in efforts to preserve the Northern Piedmont area, threatened by a wave of requests by developers for special exemptions. [17] The Heritage Association helps fund conservation easements. [18]

MHAA programs

The association offers a wide range of lectures and tours on diverse historical topics. [3] [19] [20] [21] MHAA also provides in-classroom history presentations for students across the heritage area on topics including the Revolutionary War, Civil War, and the Civil Rights Movement. [22]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loudoun County, Virginia</span> County in Virginia, United States

Loudoun County is in the northern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. In 2020, the census returned a population of 420,959, making it Virginia's third-most populous county. The county seat is Leesburg. Loudoun County is part of the Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2020, Loudoun County had a median household income of $147,111. Since 2008, the county has been ranked first in the U.S. in median household income among jurisdictions with a population of 65,000 or more.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fauquier County, Virginia</span> County in Virginia, United States

Fauquier County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 72,972. The county seat is Warrenton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Plains, Virginia</span> Town in Virginia, United States

The Plains is a small incorporated town in Fauquier County, Virginia, United States. The population was 245 as of the 2020 census, up from 217 at the 2010 census. It is centered on the intersection of VA 55 and VA 245. The town of The Plains is situated off I-66. As of 2022, the mayor of The Plains is Lori Sisson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middleburg, Virginia</span> Town in Virginia, United States

Middleburg is a town in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States, with a population of 673 as of the 2010 census. It is the southernmost town along Loudoun County's shared border with Fauquier County.

Unison is an unincorporated community village in Loudoun County, Virginia. It is located approximately five miles from Middleburg in the Loudoun Valley close to the Fauquier County border.

Philomont is an unincorporated community in western Loudoun County, Virginia. The name is derived from the Greek word philo meaning "beloved" and the French word mont or "mountain"; Philomont means "beloved mountain."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aldie, Virginia</span> Unincorporated community in Virginia, United States

Aldie is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located between Chantilly and Middleburg in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. The historic village of Aldie is located on the John Mosby Highway in a gap between the Catoctin Mountains and Bull Run Mountains, through which the Little River flows. Aldie traditionally serves as the gateway to the Loudoun Valley and beyond.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loudoun Valley</span> Valley in northern Virginia

The Loudoun Valley is a small, but historically significant valley in the Blue Ridge Mountains located in Loudoun County in Northern Virginia in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 50 in Virginia</span> Segment of American highway

U.S. Route 50 is a transcontinental highway which stretches from Ocean City, Maryland to West Sacramento, California. In the U.S. state of Virginia, US 50 extends 86 miles (138 km) from the border with Washington, D.C. at a Potomac River crossing at Rosslyn in Arlington County to the West Virginia state line near Gore in Frederick County.

Gilberts Corner is an unincorporated area at the intersection of U.S. Route 50 and U.S. Route 15 in Loudoun County, Virginia, located east of the historic village of Aldie.

Saint Louis is an unincorporated community in southwestern Loudoun County, Virginia. Saint Louis is located near the intersection of Saint Louis Road and Snake Hill Road, six miles west of Middleburg. It is a historic African American community dating from 1891 or earlier, with many African Americans still living there today. Banneker Elementary School is located in Saint Louis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upperville, Virginia</span> Unincorporated community in Virginia, United States

Upperville is an unincorporated village in Fauquier County, Virginia, United States, along U.S. Route 50 fifty miles from downtown Washington, D.C., near the Loudoun County line. Founded in the 1790s along Pantherskin Creek, it was originally named Carrstown by first settler Josephus Carr. Through an 1819 Act passed by the Virginia General Assembly, the name was changed to Upperville.

Willisville is an unincorporated community in southwestern Loudoun County, Virginia, about sixteen miles from the county seat, Leesburg. Willisville is located at the crossroads of Willisville, Millville, and Welbourne Roads. It is named after freed slave Heuson Willis, who bought a cabin and three acres of land shortly after the American Civil War. The tight-knit predominantly African American community of about a dozen houses and church became one of the last communities in wealthy Loudoun County without running water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delaplane, Virginia</span> Unincorporated community in Virginia, United States

Delaplane is a small unincorporated village in northern Fauquier County, Virginia, approximately 50 miles (80 km) due west of Washington, D.C. Delaplane is situated along U.S. Route 17, U.S. Route 50, and Interstate 66; bordering Upperville, Virginia to the north, Hume, Virginia to the south, Paris, Virginia to the west, and Rectortown, Virginia to the east. Delaplane, Virginia has a ZIP Code of 20144.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gen. William Mitchell House</span> Historic house in Virginia, United States

The Gen. William Mitchell House, also known as Boxwood or the Gen. Billy Mitchell House was the country estate and home of General Billy Mitchell (1879–1936) during the last ten years of his life, from 1926 through 1936. Mitchell was an American general who is regarded as the father of the U.S. Air Force. He is regarded as one of the most famous and most controversial figures in American airpower history. The house was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976. It is located about .5 mile south of Middleburg on Virginia Route 626, straddling the county lines of Fauquier and Loudoun Counties. Part of the estate is now home to Boxwood Estate Winery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burning Raid</span> 1864 Union raid during American Civil War

The Burning Raid was a Union raid conducted in the Loudoun Valley of Loudoun and Fauquier counties in Virginia in 1864 during the American Civil War. It was aimed at destroying the forage on which Confederate partisans operating in the area, specifically Mosby's Rangers, subsisted as well as at breaking the will of the citizens of the area for supporting the partisans.

The Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area is a federally designated National Heritage Area in portions of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland and Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delaplane Historic District</span> Historic district in Virginia, United States

Delaplane Historic District is a national historic district located at Delaplane, Fauquier County, Virginia.

Asa Rogers was an Virginia farmer, lawyer, merchant and politician who represented Loudoun County, Virginia in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly before the American Civil War, during which he became a Confederate officer and helped create Mosby's Raiders, and after which he lived in Middleburg.

John A. Carter was a Virginia lawyer, farmer and politician, who represented Loudoun County, Virginia in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly for two terms each both before and after the American Civil War, as well as in the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1850 and the Virginia Secession Convention of 1861.

References

  1. 1 2 Ivancic, James (20 January 2013). "Mosby association preserves past, embraces change". Loudoun Times-Mirror . Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  2. ↑ Morton, Margaret (2 February 2016). "A New Face for History? Mosby Heritage Area Association reconsiders symbol". Loudoun Now. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  3. 1 2 Gomena, Julie (7 February 2002). "Mosby Heritage Area Association Offers History Lesson on Fox Hunting". The Washington Post .
  4. ↑ "Mosby Heritage Area, Rector House". American Battlefield Trust . Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  5. ↑ Battiston, John. "Mosby Heritage Area Association drops name after 'extensive discussions'". Loudoun Times-Mirror . Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  6. ↑ "Beyond Mosby: Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area Association Continues Educational Mission". Loudoun Now. 3 August 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Fandos, Nicholas (24 November 2015). "In Renovation of Golf Club, Donald Trump Also Dressed Up History". The New York Times . Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  8. ↑ Glod, Maria (31 January 2002). "Striving to Revive a Spirited Past; Preservationists Aim to Save Old Black Churches". The Washington Post .
  9. ↑ Moon, Vicky (26 July 2018). "National Register of Historic Places eyes Willisville". Fauquier Times . Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  10. ↑ Greene, Reese (8 January 2020). "Willisville Named to National Historic Register". Loudoun Now. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  11. ↑ Vandersteldt, Kate (17 June 2018). "Mosby Heritage Area Association partnering with historic Loudoun County village to seek National Register of Historic Places nomination". Loudoun Times-Mirror . Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  12. ↑ Baumstark, Heidi. "Seeking National Register Designation for Willisville". Middleburg Life.
  13. ↑ Klein, Nathaniel (19 January 2020). "Loudoun County community of Willisville added to National Register of Historic Places". Loudoun Times-Mirror . Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  14. ↑ Svrluga, Susan (17 February 2014). "A fight to preserve unpaved roads as vital links to past". The Washington Post .
  15. ↑ Ivancic, James (23 October 2019). "Planners vote not to recommend approval of Sanctuary at Barrel Oak". Fauquier Times . Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  16. ↑ Del Rosso, Don (18 October 2019). "Divided planning panel rejects Delaplane resort". Fauquier Now. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  17. ↑ "Morison elected Mosby Heritage Area Association chairman". Fauquier Times . 20 August 2019.
  18. ↑ Graham, Karen (26 September 2019). "Land Trust of Virginia records conservation easements on 205 acres in Loudoun County". Loudoun Times-Mirror . Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  19. ↑ Wheeler, Linda (15 April 2013). "Mosby Heritage Area Association is offering a tour of three of Col. John Singleton Mosby's Civil War sites". The Washington Post .
  20. ↑ Wheeler, Linda (28 July 2002). "A Road Trip Through Loudoun's Past, Present; In an Effort to Encourage Appreciation and Promote Preservation of the Area's History, New Driving Tour of Route 15 by Moseby Heritage Area Association". The Washington Post .
  21. ↑ Herder, Dan (10 April 2008). "A Hunt for History and Identity; Bus Tours Offer a Chance to See Colonial-Era Landmarks". The Washington Post .
  22. ↑ MHAA (8 May 2019). "Mosby Heritage Area Association Passes 50,000 Students Reached in Sixteen Years of Programming". Middleburg Life. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
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