Bluemont, Virginia
Encyclopedia
Bluemont is an unincorporated
village
in Loudoun County
, Virginia
located at the base of Snickers Gap
in the Blue Ridge Mountain
. At 680 feet (210 m), it is the highest community in Loudoun County. Originally named Snickersville, Bluemont changed its name to attract Washingtonians out to it when a predecessor of the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad
was extended to the town from Round Hill. It is located on Virginia Route 7 just west of the incorporated town of Round Hill
. Every fall it is home to the Bluemont Fair.
A nearby landmark is Mount Weather
, an operations and training facility above ground for the Federal Emergency Management Agency
and is rumored to contain an underground facility designed to house or replace the American government in the case of nuclear warfare
.
via Keyes' (Vestals) Gap
, and the Colchester Road which ran from the port of Colchester
to Winchester via Snickers Gap
(named after Edward Snickers, who operated a ferry
across the nearby Shenandoah River
).
The new connector road greatly reduced the distance one had to travel to get to Winchester from points east along the Winchester Pike and quickly became widely used. At the intersection of the these two roads (present day Clayton Hall Road and Snickersville Turnpike) a small village began to develop, centered around the home of William Clayton
, Clayton Hall, and the dependencies he built for his farm at the gap. The village was christened Snickers' Gap in 1807 when a post office was established there.
17 years later, in 1826, the town was incorporated by the General Assembly as Snickersville, though it would take another six years for the post office there to change its name. The completion of the Leesburg and Snickers Gap Turnpike in 1832 (present day Virginia State Highway 7) brought new prosperity and prestige to the village, and the last major growth it would see for the next half-century. Despite the strategic importance of Snickers' Gap during the Civil War
the village saw surprisingly little action save the coming and going of the armies through the gap. The only major action in the town was one of 8 small partisan skirmishes in the area which took place May 23, 1864, when 14 Confederates
surprised and routed 22 Federals resting on the village.
In 1875, the Washington and Ohio Railroad, which began in Alexandria
, was extended to Round Hill
. The lure of the Blue Ridge some four miles west prompted a livery service to run from Snickersville to Round Hill to pick up travelers and take to them to one of the several hotels that began to spring up in and about the town. By 1900, the success of the resorts in the vicinity of Snickersville, including Jules DeMonet's Blue Ridge Inn at Bear's Den, prompted the Southern Railway (which had acquired the Washington & Ohio's route) to extend its tracks to the town, which became the final western terminus of line. The extension permitted the steam railroad's passengers to travel to the base of the Blue Ridge from a terminal in Washington, D.C.
To promote the resort nature of the town, the railroad petitioned the United States Postal Service
to change the name of the town to Bluemont. The Postal Service acquiesced to this request on September 7, 1900. The zenith of the town came in 1908, when its population peaked at 200.
In 1912, interurban electric trolleys
of the new Washington and Old Dominion Railway
began to serve Bluemont on the Southern Railway's former steam route. However, with the advent of the automobile
, the rail based tourism that was so good to the town began to decline. In 1939, deteriorating conditions on a trestle immediately east of Round Hill, combined with a lack of rail traffic, led to the abandonment of the line between Purcellville and Bluemont.
By the 1940s Bluemont had become a sleepy village of about 140 inhabitants. Still its scenic location continued to be a lure, especially artists and musicians, including artist Clyde Beck
, who with Evelyn Johnson, founded the Bluemont Citizens Association and the annual Bluemont Fair in 1968. Around the same time the commune of Skyfields was established by local musicians Howard Bass and Peter Dunning. From the commune and the musicians it attracted was founded the Bluemont Concert Series in the 1970s.
In 1984, the Bluemont Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. A historic marker at the intersection of Clayton Hall Road and Snickersville Turnpike identifies the location of the Historic District, which is a Virginia Historic Landmark.
As of 2007, the village has about 200 residents. The Bluemont zip code (20135) encompasses parts of three counties and two states (Loudoun, VA; Clarke, VA; and Jefferson WV).
Sponsored by the Bluemont Citizens Association, the proceeds from the fair are used to fund street lighting, local student scholarships, community beautification, historic building improvements within the village and to support local service organizations.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in Loudoun County
Loudoun County, Virginia
Loudoun County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and is part of the Washington Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county is estimated to be home to 312,311 people, an 84 percent increase over the 2000 figure of 169,599. That increase makes the county the fourth...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
located at the base of Snickers Gap
Snickers Gap
Snickers Gap, originally William's Gap, is a wind gap in the Blue Ridge Mountain on the border of Loudoun County and Clarke County in Virginia. The gap is traversed by Virginia State Route 7. The Appalachian Trail also passes across the gap...
in the Blue Ridge Mountain
Blue Ridge Mountain
Blue Ridge Mountain, also known as Blue Mountain, is the colloquial name of the western most ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northern Virginia and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia...
. At 680 feet (210 m), it is the highest community in Loudoun County. Originally named Snickersville, Bluemont changed its name to attract Washingtonians out to it when a predecessor of the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad
Washington and Old Dominion Railroad
The Washington and Old Dominion Railroad was an intrastate short-line railroad located in Northern Virginia. Its oldest line extended from Alexandria on the Potomac River northwest to Bluemont at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains near Snickers Gap, not far from the boundary line between...
was extended to the town from Round Hill. It is located on Virginia Route 7 just west of the incorporated town of Round Hill
Round Hill, Loudoun County, Virginia
Round Hill is a town in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. Its population was estimated at 639 in 2005 by the U.S. Census Bureau. The town is located at the crossroads of Virginia routes 7 and 719 , approximately 50 miles northwest of Washington, D.C...
. Every fall it is home to the Bluemont Fair.
A nearby landmark is Mount Weather
Mount Weather
The Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center is a civilian command facility in Virginia, U.S. used as the center of operations for the Federal Emergency Management Agency...
, an operations and training facility above ground for the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
and is rumored to contain an underground facility designed to house or replace the American government in the case of nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...
.
History
The settlement of the area that is now Bluemont began in the 1770s when a connection was made between the old Winchester Pike, which led from Loudoun to WinchesterWinchester, Virginia
Winchester is an independent city located in the northwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the USA. The city's population was 26,203 according to the 2010 Census...
via Keyes' (Vestals) Gap
Keyes Gap
Keyes Gap or Keyes' Gap is a wind gap in the Blue Ridge Mountain on the border of Loudoun County, Virginia and Jefferson County, West Virginia. The gap is traversed by Virginia State Route 9/West Virginia State Route 9. The Appalachian Trail also crosses the gap.-History:Originally known as...
, and the Colchester Road which ran from the port of Colchester
Colchester, Virginia
Colchester is an unincorporated town on the Occoquan River in Fairfax County, Virginia. Colchester is a former tobacco port established in 1753. The port town was located on the old post road and Thomas Mason operated a ferry across the Occoquan River here. In 1798, Mason built a bridge across the...
to Winchester via Snickers Gap
Snickers Gap
Snickers Gap, originally William's Gap, is a wind gap in the Blue Ridge Mountain on the border of Loudoun County and Clarke County in Virginia. The gap is traversed by Virginia State Route 7. The Appalachian Trail also passes across the gap...
(named after Edward Snickers, who operated a ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
across the nearby Shenandoah River
Shenandoah River
The Shenandoah River is a tributary of the Potomac River, long with two forks approximately long each, in the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia...
).
The new connector road greatly reduced the distance one had to travel to get to Winchester from points east along the Winchester Pike and quickly became widely used. At the intersection of the these two roads (present day Clayton Hall Road and Snickersville Turnpike) a small village began to develop, centered around the home of William Clayton
William Clayton
William Clayton may refer to:* William Clayton , Member of Parliament for Liverpool from 1698 to 1708* Sir William Clayton, 1st Baronet , Member of Parliament for Bletchingley from 1715 to 1744...
, Clayton Hall, and the dependencies he built for his farm at the gap. The village was christened Snickers' Gap in 1807 when a post office was established there.
17 years later, in 1826, the town was incorporated by the General Assembly as Snickersville, though it would take another six years for the post office there to change its name. The completion of the Leesburg and Snickers Gap Turnpike in 1832 (present day Virginia State Highway 7) brought new prosperity and prestige to the village, and the last major growth it would see for the next half-century. Despite the strategic importance of Snickers' Gap during the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
the village saw surprisingly little action save the coming and going of the armies through the gap. The only major action in the town was one of 8 small partisan skirmishes in the area which took place May 23, 1864, when 14 Confederates
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
surprised and routed 22 Federals resting on the village.
In 1875, the Washington and Ohio Railroad, which began in Alexandria
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
, was extended to Round Hill
Round Hill, Loudoun County, Virginia
Round Hill is a town in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. Its population was estimated at 639 in 2005 by the U.S. Census Bureau. The town is located at the crossroads of Virginia routes 7 and 719 , approximately 50 miles northwest of Washington, D.C...
. The lure of the Blue Ridge some four miles west prompted a livery service to run from Snickersville to Round Hill to pick up travelers and take to them to one of the several hotels that began to spring up in and about the town. By 1900, the success of the resorts in the vicinity of Snickersville, including Jules DeMonet's Blue Ridge Inn at Bear's Den, prompted the Southern Railway (which had acquired the Washington & Ohio's route) to extend its tracks to the town, which became the final western terminus of line. The extension permitted the steam railroad's passengers to travel to the base of the Blue Ridge from a terminal in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
To promote the resort nature of the town, the railroad petitioned the United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
to change the name of the town to Bluemont. The Postal Service acquiesced to this request on September 7, 1900. The zenith of the town came in 1908, when its population peaked at 200.
In 1912, interurban electric trolleys
Interurban
An interurban, also called a radial railway in parts of Canada, is a type of electric passenger railroad; in short a hybrid between tram and train. Interurbans enjoyed widespread popularity in the first three decades of the twentieth century in North America. Until the early 1920s, most roads were...
of the new Washington and Old Dominion Railway
Washington and Old Dominion Railroad
The Washington and Old Dominion Railroad was an intrastate short-line railroad located in Northern Virginia. Its oldest line extended from Alexandria on the Potomac River northwest to Bluemont at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains near Snickers Gap, not far from the boundary line between...
began to serve Bluemont on the Southern Railway's former steam route. However, with the advent of the automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
, the rail based tourism that was so good to the town began to decline. In 1939, deteriorating conditions on a trestle immediately east of Round Hill, combined with a lack of rail traffic, led to the abandonment of the line between Purcellville and Bluemont.
By the 1940s Bluemont had become a sleepy village of about 140 inhabitants. Still its scenic location continued to be a lure, especially artists and musicians, including artist Clyde Beck
Clyde Beck
Clyde Eugene "Jersey" Beck was a right-handed infielder in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds from 1926 to 1931.Beck spent the first five seasons of his career with the Cubs...
, who with Evelyn Johnson, founded the Bluemont Citizens Association and the annual Bluemont Fair in 1968. Around the same time the commune of Skyfields was established by local musicians Howard Bass and Peter Dunning. From the commune and the musicians it attracted was founded the Bluemont Concert Series in the 1970s.
In 1984, the Bluemont Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. A historic marker at the intersection of Clayton Hall Road and Snickersville Turnpike identifies the location of the Historic District, which is a Virginia Historic Landmark.
As of 2007, the village has about 200 residents. The Bluemont zip code (20135) encompasses parts of three counties and two states (Loudoun, VA; Clarke, VA; and Jefferson WV).
Bluemont Fair
The Bluemont Fair is held annually on the third weekend in September. It features juried crafters, a pickle and pie contest, a 10K race, and live music in a variety of styles. While the fair is spread throughout the village, the primary site is the grounds of the Bluemont Community Center at the eastern edge of the village.Sponsored by the Bluemont Citizens Association, the proceeds from the fair are used to fund street lighting, local student scholarships, community beautification, historic building improvements within the village and to support local service organizations.
External links
- Village website with gallery of historic photos
- Bluemont Fair website