Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection open for research.

Use Restrictions

No physical characteristics affect use of this material.

Preferred Citation

Waterford Town Council Minute Book, 1891-1911 (OMB 014), Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA.

Acquisition Information

Loudoun County Attorney's Office, Leesburg, VA.

Alternative Form Available

Electronic media

Processing Information

Elizabeth E. Preston, 30 May 2012

Historical Information

Amos Janney (1700-1746) founded Waterford in 1733 after accepting a large parcel of land in exchange for surveying services to Thomas, 6th Lord Fairfax (1693-1791). He added several thousand acres to his original parcel and established a mill, thus giving the area its original name, Janney's Mill. Janney was a member of the Society of Friends and came to the area from Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Many other Quakers from Bucks County and the surrounding areas followed him to Virginia, and Janney's Mill quickly became a commercial center. The village officially became known as Waterford in the 1780s and was incorporated by the Virginia General Assembly in 1836. Prior to the Civil War, Waterford was Loudoun County's second largest town after Leesburg.

Waterford's growth stagnated in the mid-19th century, and the Civil War took a heavy toll on the town. Initially Waterford occupied a prime location for trade with easy access to Leesburg and ferry points across the Potomac River. In the 1830s, a railroad to Point of Rocks, Maryland opened north of Waterford and Snickersville Turnpike opened south of the village. Waterford, thus bypassed, was no longer a center for trade. In the years leading up to the Civil War, disheartened by Virginia's reluctance to abandon slavery, Quakers began leaving Waterford and migrating to Ohio. Because the Quakers of Waterford were abolitionists and pacifists the village was harassed by Confederate forces. Many fled north and the population of Waterford dwindled further.

The town unincorporated in 1936. Today the village is largely residential. The Waterford Historic District was listed as a Virginia Historic Landmark in 1969.

Scope and Content

This collection consists of a digital and a paper copy of one volume of minutes and accounts relating to the administrative functions of the incorporated town board of Waterford, VA, 1891-1911. Topics discussed in the minutes include the appointment and election of town officials and judges, town boundaries, street maintenance, and the collections of taxes. Town accounts are entered at the end of the volume.

The original minute book was included in a court record in the files of the Loudoun County Attorney. The court record was transferred to the Library of Virginia (LVA) in accordance with Records Retention and Disposition Schedules for state and local public records. LVA then microfilmed and scanned the minute book and placed the original in its collections.

Arrangement

Folder

Related Material

Map of Waterford, 1875, Map Collection, Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA.

Separated Material

None

Adjunct Descriptive Data

Bibliography

History of Waterford, Virginia: A National Historic Landmark . www.waterfordhistory.org (accessed 29 May 2012).

Janney, Werner and Asa Moore. Ye Meetg Hous Smal: A Short Account of Friends in Loudoun County, Virginia 1732-1980 . Lincoln, VA: by the authors, 1980.

Waterford Foundation. Walk With Us Through Waterford, Virginia: A National Historic Landmark District . Waterford, VA: Waterford Foundation, 2005.

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Location of Originals

Library of Virginia

Technical Requirements

Electronic Media