Leesburg 250th Anniversary Lecture Series
Click for printable PDF of the calendar brochure
To celebrate this year’s 250th Anniversary of the legal establishment of Leesburg, Virginia as a Town, Thomas Balch Library for History and Genealogy is hosting a series of six lectures illustrating distinctive features of this historic community.
These lectures are sponsored by Thomas Balch Library, Town of Leesburg, Friends of the Thomas Balch Library, Inc., and Loudoun County Historical Society with support from community groups. All presentations will take place on Sundays at 2PM in the downstairs meeting room at Thomas Balch Library, 208 West Market Street, Leesburg, VA. Admission is free; advance registration is suggested by calling 703- 737-7195.
Sunday, 25 May 2008, 2PM
William Wirt: A Presence in the Heart of Leesburg
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a presentation by Elizabeth Brand Monroe, Associate Professor of History at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. Elizabeth Brand Monroe will speak on the topic of William Wirt's experiences in Leesburg in the 1790s when he studied law under Thomas Swann. Wirt was President Monroe’s Attorney General and a major figure in what American historians term “The Era of Good Feelings.” A street in historic Leesburg is named in Wirt’s honor. Professor Monroe, a legal and architectural historian, earned her Ph.D. at the University of Florida and her J.D. at Indiana University-Indianapolis. She is researching a biography of Wirt, a best-selling author and the longest-seated Attorney General of the United States. Her most recent article on Wirt appeared in the Journal of Supreme Court History.
Sunday, 1 June 2008, 2PM
Leesburg’s Development as Reflected in its Archaeology
- a panel discussion of the town’s archaeological footprint moderated by Heidi Siebentritt, Historic Preservation Planner for Loudoun County and including Michael Clem, Loudoun County archaeologist of the Loudoun County Planning Department, and Professor David Clark, founder of the Loudoun Archaeological Foundation. Heidi Siebentritt is the Historic Preservation Planner for Loudoun County.
Ms. Siebentritt holds a graduate degree in historical archaeology and has worked on numerous archaeological sites in Loudoun County and throughout Virginia. For the last nine years, Ms. Siebentritt has worked for Loudoun County government developing policy and regulations related to the preservation of the county's cultural resources, including a regulatory review process for archaeological survey for the majority of development projects in the county.
Michael Clem holds a Master’s degree in Anthropology from American University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Humanities from Georgetown University. Since March 2007, Mr. Clem has been employed as an archaeologist with Loudoun County as part of the Environmental Review Team in the Department of Building and Development.
His responsibilities include developing and interpreting County archaeology policies and ordinances, assisting with development of analytical tools and models to facilitate identification of archaeological resources. He has worked with the Sheriff’s Department at the location of the County’s first jail. Prior to working for Loudoun County, Mr. Clem worked in the private sector, most recently as vice president at Cultural Resources, Inc. Most of his professional career has been in the mid-Atlantic region where he has excavated a number of historic sites and developed a predictive model for locating field slave sites.
Dr. David T. Clark is a Professor of Archaeology at the Catholic University of America, adjunct Professor at Northern Virginia Community College, Loudoun Campus and founder of Loudoun Archaeological Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to a "whole community" approach to educating the public about archaeological resources and their protection. Using holdings at Thomas Balch Library, and with assistance of Library staff, Dr. Clark and his NOVA students have done extensive archival research related to the early settlement of the Town of Leesburg. Archival research has served as the basis for specific archaeological testing projects within the Town, yielding new information on early development and industry in historic Leesburg.
Sunday, 22 June 2008, 2PM
Mapping Leesburg
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an illustrated lecture on the town’s cartographical appearance over time by Eugene Scheel, Loudoun County geographer and historian. On the oldest detailed Loudoun County map – of Revolutionary War vintage – Leesburg is spelled “Leizburgh.” Is this the work of a German map-maker? Mr. Scheel will answer this question as he examines how the history of Loudoun’s premier town may be chronicled through a microcosm of the round earth on flat paper. Mr. Scheel, who has been researching Piedmont Virginia history for well over forty years, holds an A.B. in Geography from Clark University, a graduate degree in planning from University of Virginia School of Architecture and a graduate degree in American Literature from Georgetown University. He is the author of numerous books on Virginia history, has created over fifty hand-drawn historical maps covering Virginia, other states and foreign nations, writes a history column for The Washington Post, and has, for thirty-five years, taught Loudoun school teachers history-in-the-field courses relating the local scene to our regional and national heritage.
Sunday, 14 September 2008, 2PM
Leesburg as Transportation Hub
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a panel presentation chaired by Paul McCray of the Northern Virginia Park Authority, and including Timothy Deike of the Leesburg Executive Airport, and Noel Grove, a former writer for National Geographic and co-author of a recently-published volume on Loudoun history.
Paul McCray is the Operations Director for the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority and for the last 23 years has studied and written about the history of the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad and its predecessors. His particular area of interest is how the railroad influenced development of towns and communities in Northern Virginia.
When the railroad came to Leesburg in 1860, many new opportunities opened for town residents. Mr. McCray will discuss how this new form of transportation changed commerce, society and families. Timothy B. Deike enlisted in the United States Air Force as an Integrated Avionics Systems Specialist to work on the F-15 Eagle fighter aircraft. Mr. Deike served tours of duty in the United States and abroad. While in service, he earned four college degrees including a Master’s Degree in Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Aviation/Aerospace Operations and Aviation/Aerospace Management. He retired from the Air Force in1997.
Mr. Deike began his airport management career at the Rocky Mount – Wilson Regional Airport in 1997 and has held positions at Tuolumne County CA, and Hickory, NC before becoming Airport Director of the Leesburg Executive Airport in 2006. He will talk about the role of the airport in Leesburg.
Noel Grove, a former staff writer for National Geographic, is a freelance writer living near Paris, VA. His most recent book is The Lure of Loudoun, a history of Loudoun County in text and pictures, co-authored with Dr. Charles Poland. He will be discussing the development of a road system in the Leesburg area to haul farm products to and from the town. His comments will include descriptions of those roads, how they evolved, and the overnight facilities known as "ordinaries" that preceded today's motels.
Sunday, 28 September 2008, 2PM
Leesburg’s African American Community: An Exceptional Experience
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a discussion of unique African American experiences, social relations, and the vital role of church and schools. Three speakers will address various aspects of the town's rich Black history. Deborah Lee will describe African American life in eighteenth and nineteenth century Leesburg featuring stories of individuals. Elaine Thompson will address the impact civil rights lawyer Charles Hamilton Houston had on the politics of race in Leesburg, beginning with the George Crawford murder trial in 1932-33 and lasting until the desegregation of the public schools in 1968. Rev. Harold Stinger will discuss the African American churches in Leesburg, their history, mission, and role in the community from their origins in the post-Civil War era to today.
Dr. Deborah Lee is an independent scholar and public historian working with The Journey Through Hallowed Ground, the Virginia Center for Digital History, and the Black History Committee. She is author of the African American Heritage Trail, Leesburg, Virginia, and Loudoun County's African American Communities. Ms. Elaine Thompson is a Loudoun County native, retired teacher, life member in the NAACP, BHC member, and author of In the Watchfires: the Loudoun County Emancipation Association, 1890-1971, and articles and essays relating to African American life in Loudoun County. Rev. Harold Stinger, a native of Leesburg, is an engineering professional and entrepreneur, founder of aerospace services company Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies, Inc. (SGT), and pastor of First Mount Olive Baptist Church on Loudoun Street.
Sunday, 2 November 2008, 2PM
Advantageously Situated, Indifferently Built: Leesburg on the Eve of the American Revolution
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a joint presentation by Richard Gillespie, Director of Education at Mosby Heritage Area, and Tracy Gillespie, Director of Historical Operations for Morven Park. This talk will examine Leesburg roads, houses, shops, taverns, government buildings, churches, and frontier demographics around 1774, piecing together a picture of the budding county seat in its earliest state.
Tracy Gillespie graduated from the University of Richmond with a B.A. in History, and holds an M.A. in Museum Education from the College of William and Mary. She was previously Executive Director of Loudoun Museum. Richard Gillespie graduated from the College of William and Mary with a B.A. in History and an M.A. in Museum Education. He was a history teacher at Loudoun Valley High School in Purcellville for thirty years before his retirement in 2004.
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