Figure 1. Peoples National Bank building today. (Photo credit: Elizabeth Welch) When walking through downtown Leesburg, the historic nature of King Street is apparent. Shops, boutiques, and restaurants now occupy former mercantile buildings, jewelry stores, banks, and townhomes. However, one building dominates the landscape and draws the eye with its rich Romanesque architecture: Lightfoot restaurant, formerly the Peoples National Bank of Leesburg. I have always been attracte

In modern times, gift giving has become a major part of winter holidays and for many, especially children, is one of the most exciting traditions of the season. Generations of children in Loudoun County have been delighted by receiving holiday gifts. Toys have always been a popular gift item. Just like today, these toys ranged from the latest technology to homemade heirlooms. We’re lucky enough to have a variety of historical toys in our collection and happy to share some of

If you have ever attended an event at the Loudoun Museum, chances are you sat upstairs in the gracious, high-ceilinged Odd Fellows Hall. You might even have noticed the sign in the corner that reads, “Loudoun Lodge No. 26, I.O.O.F. Meets Every Friday, 8 pm.” The museum holds about a dozen artifacts relating to this Lodge, which was active from 1845 to about 2010. [1] The Lodge met in this room until 1981, when it sold the building to the Town of Leesburg for the nominal pric

Travel writer John Oseid spent some time at Loudoun Museum this fall. It was a pleasure to host him and he clearly enjoyed the experience, noting: "As befits a town whose historic core was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Loudoun Museum is a great place to start in Leesburg. As fine a small regional or civic museum as you’ll find anywhere, its two floors are worth a good 90 minutes for those who truly like to delve deeply into museum exhibitions." Rea