Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection open for research.

Use Restrictions

No physical characteristics affect use of this material.

Preferred Citation

Lois Krumwiede Research Files 1983, 1996 (SC 0117), Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA.

Acquisition Information

Lois Krumwiede, Leesburg VA

Alternative Form Available

None

Accruals

2015.0176

Processing Information

Processed by Dawson Frasier, 16 November 2015 Revised by Laura Christiansen, April 2016

Historical Information

Oak Hill and Rokeby, private historic properties located in Loudoun County were periodically open for Christmas tours to raise funds to support preservation and history in Loudoun County. In 1996 Lois Krumwiede, then manager of Oatlands Historic House and Gardens was asked to research, write and revise existing interpretive tours for both Oak Hill and Rokeby. Oatlands is a National Historic Site associated with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Krumwiede, a former music teacher, began working at Oatlands in 1985 as a tour guide, later serving as house manager and curator.

Constructed between 1820 and 1823, Oak Hill was owned President James Monroe (1758-1831). Located near Aldie, VA, Oak Hill served as one of Monroe's residences between 1823 and 1831. After Monroe's death in 1831, ownership of the property passed to his daughters, Eliza Monroe Hay (1786- 1840) and Maria Monroe Gouverneur (1802-1850). After Maria Monroe Gouverneur's death in 1850, her widower, Samuel Gouverneur (1799- 1867) sold the property to John W. Fairfax (1828-1908). Well-known and documented, Oak Hill remains a privately owned residence, rarely open to the public.

Rokeby House, located in Leesburg, was built in 1757 by Charles Binns, Jr. (fl. 1796-1837). The house is famously known as the place where records of the federal government, including Articles of Confederation, Declaration of Independence, and Constitution, were stored during the British occupation of Washington DC in 1814. The house was owned by various families throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, and remains a private residence. In 1976 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Scope and Content

This collection consists of a folder for each the properties - Oak Hill and Rokeby. Each file includes tour guide instructions, tour scripts and research materials including newspaper articles, book excerpts, photocopied pictures, and other miscellaneous information.

Arrangement

Folder: Item

Related Material

Oak Hill, Engraving, 1858 (OM 028), Charles Smith/Robert Coe and James Monroe Bond and Court Notice, 1822 (SC 0102); Nancy Graham Rogers Collection, 1910-1975 (M 058) - see vc_0044_0216; Leesburg Garden Club Collection, 1920 - (M 044), Coughlan, Kathryn I., Rokeby: a Page in History, V REF 975.5 COU.

Adjunct Descriptive Data

Bibliography

Oatlands. "Historic Structures: The Mansion." Accessed November 6, 2015.http://www.oatlands.org/historicstructures/NPS.org.

"Oak Hill Virginia." Accessed November 6, 2015.http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/presidents/monroe_oak_hill.html.

Osburn, Penelope M., A Fine Old Loudoun Mansion, Loudoun Times-Mirror, January 22, 1959

Jett, Cathy "Dressed up for Christmas," Free Lance-Star, December 14, 1996, accessed December 2, 2015, https://news.google.com/newspapers

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Other Finding Aid

None

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Technical Requirements

None