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The Loudoun Museum in Leesburg, Virginia

August 15, 2022

The Loudoun Museum construes the cultural history of the county with changing and permanent exhibits, special events, and tours. The renovated log cabin of c. 1767 is utilized for special programs, interpretation, and groups. Loudoun Museum is situated in two 19th-century structures at the corner of Wirt and Loudoun Streets in Leesburg's historic downtown. The historical museum serves as the official repository for the history of Loudoun and strives to navigate the evolving future, conserve the complete and diverse history, expound authentically, and disperse the knowledge of natural treasures, history, and culture of Loudoun County.

The museum offers online viewing of its extensive collection of objects, photos, archives, and more. More than 5,800 records are presently accessible online, including over 4,000 image files associated with those records. This historical evidence tells the story of the events, people, and locations of Loudoun County. Virtual exhibits are also available which show videos of the county's then and now.

Loudoun Museum, in 2021, created this series of videos traversing Loudoun County's history via a photographic lens. It shows several towns' changes over time throughout Loudoun County by focusing on a few of the town's most unique locations. The towns that are included in the virtual exhibit are Leesburg, Waterford, Purcellville, Middleburg, and Ashburn. Moreover, the museum collects COVID memories by preserving and documenting quarantine stories. The physical objects, photographs, or digital documents are the experiences that prove the creativity and resilience of the community during these tough times. This virtual exhibit provides a chance for the public to collect their own narrative.

Numerous fascinating artifacts are sorted through during the inventorying process of the collection of Loudoun Museum. Some of the exhibits that are currently on display include A Fragile Republic: 1800-1825, Vintage Pursuits: Cultivating a Virginia Wine Industry, and Caught in the Maelstrom of Civil War: Loudoun County Divided. Loudoun Museum also displays various letters of Lucas-Heaton in the main gallery.

A story map was also unfolded as a collaboration among the volunteers, staff of Loudoun Museum, and office staff of Geographical and Mapping Information of Loudoun County. The story map was created for the letters and incorporates passages from the letters, information about the events, and mentioned locations within the letters.

The staff and volunteers of Loudoun Museum have aided thousands to perceive Leesburg's authentic nightlife since 1991. Loudoun Museum's largest annual fundraiser, Hauntings, brings attendees on a walking tour downtown, telling tales about the historic abodes and their settlers from the past. Tour stops that are covered in Hauntings include The Eliza House, Glenfiddich House, Loudoun Museum, Presbyterian Church, and Loudoun County Courthouse.

Aside from the regular hours of Loudoun Museum on Saturdays, Sundays, Fridays, and certain holidays, the historic museum provides certain supplementary opportunities to explore such as private openings, behind-the-scenes tours, small private events at the Museum building or Log Cabin, research appointments for students and historians, and educational groups' informal programming.

The community-curated exhibition space of the Loudoun Museum offers local groups the opportunity to showcase their current activities and history throughout the county. Loudoun Museum is a non-profit, private organization aiming to connect the past to today and make Loudoun County's vibrant history meaningful, tangible, and relevant for the diverse community of the present and the next generations.

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