Happy Birthday, Loudoun County!

250th-Anniversary Celebration Starting

In 1649, King Charles II granted 5 million acres to a group of seven settlers in Northern Virginia. The land was carved into four counties: Fairfax, Prince William, Westmoreland and Stafford. In 1757, Loudoun split from Fairfax, and in 1758, Leesburg became the county seat.

Tonight, 250 years later, residents will come together to celebrate Loudoun's founding. The celebration of the 250th anniversary kicks off with a candlelight gathering and musical performances outside the Old Courthouse in Leesburg.

Anniversary events will occur throughout next year. In March, lectures will focus on Loudoun women and the military. In April, the county courthouse will display historical documents, and in May, teams from the United States and Britain will face off in a polo match at historic Morven Park outside Leesburg.

The anniversary plans were unveiled Thursday by the Leesburg-Loudoun 250th Anniversary Committee, a group of two dozen volunteers tasked three years ago with commemorating the founding of Loudoun and Leesburg. Elected officials also attended the news conference outside the Old Courthouse to mark the occasion.

State Sen. Mark R. Herring (D-Loudoun) praised Loudoun's contributions to agriculture, architecture and technology.

"Loudoun has given many great legacies to Virginia and our nation," he said.

During the War of 1812, Leesburg served as the temporary capital of the United States and a haven for such documents as the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Years later, Confederate soldiers passed through Loudoun during the Civil War.

Loudoun has also been home to several U.S. leaders. Secretary of State George C. Marshall lived at Dodona Manor in Leesburg from 1941 to 1959. President James Monroe established his family estate, Oak Hill Farm, just outside Leesburg.

"This celebration . . . helps us understand social change and how the society we live in came to be," Herring said.

The 250th-anniversary celebration will include the publication of a photo book on Loudoun's history. Residents can learn about Loudoun by going on a self-guided scavenger hunt or viewing historical documents at the county clerk's office. Residents who want to be a part of Loudoun's history can sign a legacy book or watch the burial of a millennium time capsule.

To raise awareness of the celebration, canceled stamps processed through the Dulles postal facility will bear the 250th-anniversary logo.

For a list of events or for more information, visit http://www.loudoun.gov/anniversary or http://www.visitloudoun.org. For more information about Leesburg's 250th anniversary celebration, which begins in 2008, visit http://www.leesburgva.gov.