Site Type: Museum or Cultural Center

Historical Significance:

The Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum is the first in Loudoun County to display the history of farming from 1720-present. The museum will not open until late Fall 2000. The history of slavery and free blacks will be covered in the new exhibits. The museum is currently researching and preparing for an exhibit on the 250 year history of rural life and farming in Loudoun County. African Americans will represent two generations. Ned Biays, a run-away slave belonging to George Gulick, will narrate the fourth generation (1810-1840). A freedman who worked as a laborer and farm tenant will narrate the sixth generation (1870-1900). In 1820, the population in Loudoun County was 1/4 enslaved Africans. With the decline of wheat prices in 1830, many slave owners sold their slaves, while Loudoun's Quakers opposed slavery and lobbied for the return of slaves to Africa, specifically Liberia. The mission of the Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum states its dedication to "collecting, housing, researching, and exhibiting objects, documents and photographs related to the history of agriculture and rural life in Loudoun County." The museum uses public programs and exhibitions to inform the public about its research and collections.

Physical Description:

The Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum is located at Claude Moore Park. The museum is part of a 11 acre Lanesville Heritage Area. Site includes a section of the old Vestal's Gap Road and Late 18th century house / tavern.