Waterford - An Old Mill Town

Waterford - An Old Mill Town (HM37I)

Location: Waterford, VA 20197 Loudoun County
Buy Virginia State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 39° 11.427', W 77° 36.849'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 587 views
Inscription
Amos Janney, a Pennsylvania Quaker, settled on the south fork of Catoctin Creek around 1733. Other Quakers soon followed drawn by the fertile land. Most were grain farmers, making a mill an early priority. By the early 1740s, Janney had built a simple grist and sawmill on the creek opposite this site. A settlement grew up and was named Waterford in the 1780s. By then Scotch-Irish Presbyterians and German Lutherans had joined the Quakers, as had a few African-Americans, some enslaved but most free.

The rich soil and well-managed farms brought growth and prosperity to the Waterford area until the devastation of the Civil War. Pacifist Quakers and many like-minded neighbors remained loyal to the Union and endured repeated Confederate harassment. When rebels stripped the mill of grain and flour, owner Samuel Means raised a cavalry unit - The Loudoun Rangers - to fight for the Union. Waterford never fully recovered from the economic and social damage of the war. It steadily declined as the commercial hub for area farms.

Finally after the Great Depression of the 1930s, new life began to stur. Waterford's rural setting and historic character attracted newcommers from the expanding Washington area. People with vision began to restore dilapidated structures and preserve the old fabric of the community. In 1970 Waterford and surrounding farm land were designated a National Historic Landmark by the Secretary of the Interior.
Details
HM NumberHM37I
Series This marker is part of the National Historic Landmarks series
Tags
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Wednesday, October 1st, 2014 at 2:14am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 274228 N 4341167
Decimal Degrees39.19045000, -77.61415000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 39° 11.427', W 77° 36.849'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds39° 11' 25.62" N, 77° 36' 50.94" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)540, 703
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 40105 Main St, Waterford VA 20197, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. What historical period does the marker represent?
  2. What historical place does the marker represent?
  3. What type of marker is it?
  4. What class is the marker?
  5. What style is the marker?
  6. Does the marker have a number?
  7. What year was the marker erected?
  8. Who or what organization placed the marker?
  9. This marker needs at least one picture.
  10. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  11. Is the marker in the median?