Explore 18th Century Leesburg!

Can you find your way around Leesburg as it appeared before the American Revolution?  Below is part of a map of Leesburg drawn around 1759 by John Hough (1720-1797).  In 1757 the Assembly of Virginia selected a settlement at the intersection of the major north-south Carolina Road (now U.S. Highway 15) and the east-west oriented Alexandria / Shenandoah Road (now Virginia Highway 7) for the location of the Loudoun County courthouse. The land was then owned by Nicholas Minor, who hired John Hough to survey and plat his 60 acres into 70 lots to form a town, which he called George Town. The name was changed to Leesburg the following year, in honor of the Lee family.

John Hough’s initial draft of the map, drawn in 1757, has been lost.  This revised 1759 map shows Leesburg's subdivision into 70 lots divided by three north-south streets and four east-west streets. This original plan is still visible in Leesburg today. Many of the numbered lots have the name of their owner written in them.  Some changed hands many times before 1776 and the Revolution.  To learn more about early structures in Leesburg, follow the numbered path shown below. The tour ends at the Loudoun County Court House, where the original of John Hough’s map is in the Historic Court Records Division of Loudoun County Circuit Court. Ready?  Let’s get started!

For more information, visit Thomas Balch Library Address: 208 W. Market St, Leesburg, VA 20176 Website:  www.leesburgva.gov/library   Phone: (703) 737-7195 Email: balchlib@leesburgva.gov

For additional Leesburg walking tours visit:  https://townleesburg.stqry.app/