History and Comprehensive Description of Loudoun County, Virginia | Page 3

of another kind.
What the philosopher Johnson said of his great Dictionary and himself
could as well be said of this humble volume and its author:
"In this work, when it shall be found that much is omitted, let it not be
forgotten that much likewise is performed; and though no book was
ever spared out of tenderness to the author, and the world is little
solicitous to know whence proceeded the faults of that which it
condemns; yet it may gratify curiosity to inform it, that the English
Dictionary was written with little assistance of the learned, and without

any patronage of the great; not in the soft obscurities of retirement, or
under the shelter of academick bowers, but amidst inconvenience and
distraction, in sickness and in sorrow."
If further digression be allowable I might say that in the preparation of
this work I have observed few of the restrictive rules of literary
sequence and have not infrequently gone beyond the prescribed limits
of conventional diction. To these transgressions I make willing
confession. I have striven to present these sketches in the most lucid
and concise form compatible with readableness; to compress the
greatest possible amount of useful information into the smallest
compass. Indeed, had I been competent, I doubt that I would have
attempted a more elaborate rendition, or drawn more freely upon the
language and the coloring of poetry and the imagination. I have
therefore to apprehend that the average reader will find them too
statistical and laconic, too much abbreviated and void of detail.
However, a disinterested historian I have not been, and should such a
charge be preferred I shall look for speedy exculpation from the
discerning mass of my readers.
In this connection and before proceeding further I desire to say that my
right to prosecute this work can not fairly be questioned; that a familiar
treatment of the subject I have regarded as my inalienable prerogative. I
was born in Loudoun County, of parents who in turn could boast the
same distinction, and, if not all, certainly the happiest days of my life
were passed within those sacred precincts. I have viewed her housetops
from every crowning eminence, her acres of unmatched grain, her
Arcadian pastures and browsing herds, her sun-kissed hills and silvery,
serpentine streams. I have known the broad, ample playgrounds of her
stately old Academy, and shared in the wholesome, health-giving
sports their breadth permitted. I have known certain of her astute
schoolmasters and felt the full rigor of their discipline. Stern tutors they
were, at times seemingly cruel, but what retrospective mind will not
now accord them unstinted praise and gratitude? Something more than
the mere awakening and development of slumbering intellects was their
province: raw, untamed spirits were given into their hands for a brief

spell--brief when measured in after years--and were then sent forth to
combat Life's problems with clean hearts, healthy minds, robust bodies,
and characters that might remain unsullied though beset with every
hellish device known to a sordid world. God bless the dominies of our
boyhood--the veteran schoolmasters of old Loudoun!
But to return to my theme. I have a distinct foresight of the views
which some will entertain and express in reference to this work, though
my least fears of criticism are from those whose experience and ability
best qualify them to judge.
However, to the end that criticism may be disarmed even before
pronouncement, the reader, before condemning any statements made in
these sketches that do not agree with his preconceived opinions, is
requested to examine all the facts in connection therewith. In so doing
it is thought he will find these statements correct in the main.
In such a variety of subjects there must of course be many omissions,
but I shall be greatly disappointed if actual errors are discovered.
In substantiation of its accuracy and thoroughness I need only say that
the compilation of this work cost me three years of nocturnal
application--the three most ambitious and disquieting years of the
average life. During this period the entire book has been at least three
times rewritten.
In the best form of which I am capable the fruits of these protracted
labors are now committed to the candid and, it is hoped, kindly
judgment of the people of Loudoun County.
JAMES W. HEAD. "ARCADIA," BARCROFT, VA., _Feb. 1, 1909_.

Descriptive.
SITUATION.
Loudoun County lies at the northern extremity of "Piedmont

Virginia,"[1] forming the apex of one of the most picturesquely
diversified regions on the American continent. Broad plains, numerous
groups and ranges of hills and forest-clad mountains, deep river gorges,
and valleys of practically every conceivable form are strewn to the
point of prodigality over this vast undulatory area.
[Footnote 1: "Piedmont" means "foot of the mountain." "Piedmont
Virginia," with a length of