• THE ESSENCE OF A PEOPLE I
  Portraits of African Americans Who Made a Difference in Loudoun County, Virginia
• THE ESSENCE OF A PEOPLE II
  African Americans Who Made Their World Anew in Loudoun County, Virginia, and Beyond
• LOUDOUN COUNTIES AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITIES
  A Tour Map and Guide
• IN THE WATCHFIRES
  The Loudoun County Emancipation Association, 1890-1971

THE ESSENCE OF A PEOPLE I
Portraits of African Americans Who Made a Difference in Loudoun County, Virginia

The first publication of the Black History Committee evolved from the committee's outreach to the Loudoun County community to solicit nominations for the naming of a room in honor of an African American at Thomas Balch Library in Leesburg, Virginia. More than twenty strong nominations were received. After considerable deliberation, Howard W. Clark, Sr., of Hamilton, was selected. The committee concluded that the other nominees also deserved to be honored. To that purpose, The Essence of a People was published in May of 2001. In order to convey a bit of the character and personality of the nominees, additional material, including family stories and photographs, was gathered and included in this book. To provide perspective, a brief essay on the history of African Americans in Loudoun County is included, as well as a list of the many individuals who helped collect materials and conduct research. Indexed.
$15.00

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THE ESSENCE OF A PEOPLE II
African Americans Who Made Their World Anew in Loudoun County, Virginia, and Beyond

The second volume in the series is introduced by Brenda Stevenson, author of Life in Black and White: Family and Community in the Slave South. The editors wanted this volume to include people who were largely unacknowledged or forgotten, but who had made singular or significant contributions to Loudoun County's African American history, and in some cases, to United States history. It contains inspiring portraits of sixteen Loudoun County African Americans, including Maurice Edmead, Sr., a dedicated country doctor and champion of civil rights; Charles Fenton Simms, the largest private benefactor of the Loudoun Hospital; Samuel Thompson, the wealthiest pre-Civil War free man of color; William 'Billy' Pierce, a Purcellville native, who achieved world-wide fame as a choreographer and dance teacher and owned a studio on Broadway; and Daniel Dangerfield, Loudoun County's most famous fugitive slave. The intent in producing this volume is to educate the public about Loudoun County's rich African American history and to encourage further research. It is illustrated with photographs, documents and a map. Indexed. Published October 2002.
$15.00

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LOUDOUN COUNTIES AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITIES
A Tour Map and Guide

This full-color, illustrated, twenty-four-page booklet with map takes you on a trip through Loudoun County's rich black history. Beginning largely in the post-emancipation period, African Americans built homes, schools, churches, fraternal lodges, and businesses throughout the county. Some communities have died out while others have remained vital; many buildings survive despite changes in the landscape. A narrative introduction and brief descriptions of forty-four settlements and neighborhoods are enhanced by thirty-two illustrations - many of them archival photographs - and a fold-out map marked with communities, churches and schools. Published May 2004.
$ 5.00

IN THE WATCHFIRES
The Loudoun County Emancipation Association, 1890-1971

The latest publication of the Black History Committee is both a history and a memoir. Author Elaine E. Thompson presents a well-documented and informed interpretation of the Loudoun County Emancipation Association that contributes not only to Loudoun County, Virginia history, but to African American and United States history. Emancipation Day celebrations come to life in its pages and illuminate the community that created them. The celebrations chapter and the epilogue are written in the first person and are rich and evocative. The biographical directory pays tribute to many men and women whose civic contributions might otherwise go unrecognized. Original illustrations by Katherine Summers, maps and photographs enhance the book. It will inform a wide audience, from general readers to genealogists and scholars.
Indexed. Published June 2005.
$20.00

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