Each season, and each year, the Loudoun Museum offers its visitors something new to learn about Loudoun’s heritage. We design our exhibits to be educational, entertaining—and a little different.

Leesburg: Crossroads of Tradition and Transition
The Loudoun Museum celebrates the 250th anniversary of the founding of Leesburg in1758 with its new exhibition, Leesburg: Crossroads of Tradition and Transition. Explore the history of Leesburg through a selection of over 60 historic objects, photographs, postcards and maps.

By the mid-18th century, the frontier settlement and provisioning stop for adventurers heading west had grown into a village at the crossroads of an ancient Native American trading path, called by setters the Old Carolina Road, and the Old Alexandria Road. First known as George Town, after the current British Monarch, George II, the small hamlet of Leesburg was formally established as the seat of Loudoun County by the Virginia Assembly in September, 1758. The settlement's second designation reflected a growing shift in colonists' loyalties; it was named Leesburg in honor of Thomas Ludwell Lee, a prominent resident and politician.

Geographically and socially at the county's crossroads, Leesburg has been at the center of political, cultural and economic change over Loudoun County's 250 year history. Wars, slavery, social unrest and economic depressions have challenged the town's stability and growth, while its historically diverse population, religious tolerance, strong agricultural industries, and location as a transportation hub have contributed to the region's resilience and vitality.

The Portraits of Isabella Elgin Paxson and her son, Charles Paxson
Isabella Elgin Paxson (1822-1864) married Waterford native Cornelius William Paxson (1821-1883) in 1843, in Frederick County, Maryland. The portrait may have been commissioned to commemorate the marriage or as a gift to the groom. Isabella is shown wearing the fashionable hairstyle of the day and a dark dress in the latest style, embellished with a fine linen collar and cuffs and gold jewelry.

Isabella was the mother of Charles Paxson (LM 2007.029.002) whose portrait also hangs in the Museum. Charles, a member of Mosby’s Rangers, was killed at battle of Loudoun Heights in January, 1864. Unlike this richly detailed portrait of his mother, Charles’ image is almost monochromatic, flatter, and was likely painted posthumously.

Both the Elgin and Paxson families had deep roots in Loudoun County, and the couple raised their six children on their farm near Waterford. Most members of the family, including Cornelius’ second wife, Fanny Trundle, and their children are buried in Union Cemetery, in Leesburg. Visit the Museum and learn more about the story of the Paxson family and the story of the Battle of Loudoun Heights.

Grandma’s Attic is our curator’s choice of medical artifacts used by Leesburg's pharmacists and physicians that offers a fascinating glimpse into Loudoun’s history.