Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection open for research .

Use Restrictions

No physical characteristics affect use of this material.

Preferred Citation

Loudoun County Court Complex Collection (SC 0093), Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA.

Acquisition Information

Shaffer, Wilson, Sarver & Gray, Reston, Virginia

Alternative Form Available

None

Accruals

2011.0143

Processing Information

Charlotte Blacklock, 13 July 2011

Historical Information

Loudoun County separated from Fairfax County in 1757, and on 12 July of that year justices met to begin building a new local government. The first courthouse in Leesburg was contracted by Loudoun County's first sheriff Aeneas Campbell (n.d.) in 1758 to be built on Leesburg town lots #27 and #28 on the corner of Market Street and King Street. Although construction was scheduled to finish in 1760, it was not completed until the 1770s and Campbell was sued for non-performance on his construction bond in 1768. In addition to the courthouse, a one-room Clerk's office was constructed. The new county court met quarterly.

Between 1809 and 1811, the first courthouse was demolished and a second constructed. The Leesburg Academy building was built east of the new courthouse in 1848 for the Leesburg Academy for Boys, an institution that existed from 1799-1879. In 1873, the school Board of Trustees sold the building to the County Board of Supervisors. The building became the new county office building, housing offices for the Clerks, judges, and the sheriff.

In 1895, the courthouse was again rebuilt, and it is still used today for ceremonial functions. In 1959, a building matching the old Leesburg Academy building was constructed and joined to the Academy building. As part of an expansion project, in 1972 the county board of supervisors purchased the old Valley Bank Building, east of the Academy building and its twin, and turned it into the office of the Commonwealth's Attorney.

Another expansion project was scheduled for the late 1990s, led by Circuit Court Judge Thomas D. Horne, and the Court Complex was excavated in 1998 in order to determine whether significant archeological evidence existed from previous structures. Archival research, disturbance assessment, archeological field investigations, and laboratory analysis were all performed at the site in order to identify and evaluate archeological resources in the expansion project area. Four structures were identified as well as thousands of artifacts dating from the late nineteenth to early twentieth centuries. However, analysis of the archeological results did not find the area to have enough research potential to be included on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Loudoun County Court Complex now houses ten courtrooms and associated chambers for the Circuit Court, District Court, and Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. The complex also includes offices for Clerks, probation groups, and jury assembly, as well as a law library. The Courthouse is part of the Leesburg Historic District recognized by the Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission.

Scope and Content

This collection consists of meeting minutes, articles, and other documents relating to the Loudoun County Court Complex. The meeting minutes include those for the Leesburg Academy and those for the various departments of the Court Complex. The articles include descriptions of the architecture of the buildings of the Court Complex as well as articles on the historic nature of the Complex.

Arrangement

Folder

Related Material

Bienenfeld, Paula. An Archeological Survey of the Loudoun County Courthouse Square, Leesburg, Virginia: Final Report . Falls Church, VA: Tetra Tech, Inc. (1997), VREF 975.528 BIE.

Sanders, Suzanne, Nora Sheehan, & Martha Williams. Archeological Investigations Related to the Loudoun County Courthouse Expansion, Including 44LD567, Leesburg, Virginia: Final Report . Frederick, MD: R. Christopher Goodwin & Associates, Inc. (1991), VREF 975.528 SAN.

Link, Jaclyn & Sam Gulland. A History of the Loudoun County Courts . Leesburg, VA: Loudoun County, Virginia Court (2004), VREF 975.528 LIN.

Adjunct Descriptive Data

Bibliography

Other Finding Aid

None

Technical Requirements

None