Sterling, VA is in what was once the heart of a young United States. We have some great landmarks in the area that showcase our history, and we’d like to recommend you pack a picnic into the Chevy Tahoe, load up some family or close friends, and explore a few of these places.
Broad Run Toll House
At 45290 Russell Branch Pkwy in Ashburn, the Broad Run Toll House is where the toll keeper on the old Leesburg Turnpike use to live for many years until Highway 7 was finally finished and then repaved. Since then, it’s been neglected, but it’s a place that deserves to be remembered.
The building was constructed in 1829, and tolls were collected on the stone bridge at Broad Run here until 1924. The bridge continued to be used until 1949, when a new modern bridge was built. In 1970, the toll house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Heritage Farm Museum
Head over to the Heritage Farm at 21668 Heritage Farm Ln here in Sterling, in the Claude Moore Park Visitor Center, to learn more about our area and see the history of the county. The museum sits on land that was once a Native American trail, and also home to a nature center from the mid-eighteen century, the 1779 Lanesville Ordinary and Post Office, and a historic schoolhouse built in the 1880s.
At the museum, you can travel through 10 generations of Loudoun County families, explore a real one-room schoolhouse, learn about what life was like for the American Indians who lived here, and enjoy the blacksmith forge and workspace. The museum also has a huge collection of horse-powered agricultural materials collected by a local family and now on display.
Historic Ashburn Mill
At 20704 Ashburn Rd, the Ashburn Mill is a gorgeous building and one of the oldest parts of Ashburn. The county has worked hard to make this a beautiful place where you can learn about the area and the way life used to be.
The original mill was built in the 1870s by M.L. Kendrick. His son sold it, and the mill was then purchased in the 1910s and finally sold for the last time in 1944. Though it’s no longer used as a mill, you can still see how it all used to work and the way people pursued their jobs in this kind of work.
Arcola Slave Quarters Historic Site
At 24837 Evergreen Mills Rd, this spot is also on the National Registry of Historic Places, and also the Virginia Historic Landmarks Registry. It’s heavily involved in research into the lives of slaves in nearby Oatlands and Sully plantations and is the only standing former slave dwelling in the area.
The structure has been donated to the county by the Friends of the Slave Quarters, in the hope that it will be part of raising public awareness about slavery in the region and the history of Loudoun County’s African American population.
These are just a few interesting places you can explore in a reliable Chevy. To get one, or get service on yours, see us at Ted Britt Chevrolet today.
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