Downtown Leesburg, Virginia, has a great amount of restaurants, boutiques, and little coffee shops to visit. On the outside, it just looks like a small, cute town, but there is so much more history right in front of your eyes than you may realize. From the historic downtown district, to Ida Lee Park, to the mansion on the property of Morven Park, Leesburg is a story full of history.
Established in 1758 by an act of the Virginia Assembly, Leesburg, originally called George Town, was used as “the seat of government for Loudoun County.” It was renamed to Leesburg in honor of Francis Lightfoot Lee, a Leesburg native and signer of the Declaration of Independence. During the Second American Revolution in 1812, Leesburg was used as the short-term capital of the U.S. It also was the home of George C. Marshall, a World War 2 general, and was also the site of the Battle of Ball’s Bluff. Leesburg is still used as the place of government for Loudoun County. In fact, the historic courthouse of Loudoun County, which is in the center of Downtown Leesburg, was where the Declaration of Independence was read for the first time in Virginia.
One building in downtown Leesburg that is full of history is the Lightfoot restaurant. Originally used as the people’s bank, this building reopened as a popular restaurant placed right across the street from the courthouse. Like the town, this restaurant was also renamed after Francis Lightfoot Lee. Ida Lee Park, named after Ida Lee Rust, is now a beautiful park with a recreation center, an indoor and outdoor pool, a library, tennis courts, and a very old cemetery. Established in 1855, this cemetery is often referred to as the Ida Lee cemetery, but its name is the Union cemetery. In this cemetery, there is a Confederate War Memorial, and also a granite column which is 30 feet tall. This column was supposedly made for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., but it was turned down and put in the cemetery in 1938. This cemetery was established to be a public cemetery that everyone is welcome in.
Currently, many Leesburg resident’s favorite is First Friday, an event that lots of the residents know and love. On the first Friday of every month, the town closes down a portion of King Street and people are welcome to walk around, eat some good food, shop, and listen to live music. Leesburg LOVES to celebrate any and all holidays. In the summer, a 4th of July parade floods the streets. For Christmas, a tree lighting, the Holiday Fine Arts & Crafts Show, and the Christmas and Holiday Parade are all super popular events during the holiday season. For Easter, families can participate in an Easter egg hunt at Ida Lee Park.
It doesn’t stop there! Festivals and fairs are all year round. The Flower Festival and the Spring Bling are great events for families to go and support small businesses that sell anything and everything. Taste is also a very popular event; it seems like the whole town attends! Taste is a festival where people go to get some food and drinks, listen to music, hangout with friends, and shop at some of the stands that are set up. Kids to Parks Day is a time for all of the littles of Leesburg to go play outside. The town sets up playground equipment and activities for kids to go outside, get some fresh air, and have fun! The Memorial Day service is a day for people to go and pay their respects to those who have fallen during battle while serving the U.S. The Mayor attends, and wreaths are placed at all of the memorials.
Leesburg is a town that is full of history and has an amazing story. It also is full of great people who make the community as welcoming and as friendly as it is. There is so much to do, see, and enjoy during all times of year from live music to Christmas tree lightings to even a whole festival dedicated to flowers! So many people are a part of the process of making Leesburg as great as it is. Whether it’s decorating for holidays, doing grand openings for new businesses, to even just keeping the streets clean, Leesburg is nothing short of a great place to live.
All photos credited to the Loudoun Times.
