HomeMy Public PortalAboutTOL NR 2022-05-12 “Loudoun County and W&OD Railroad” with Paul McCray at Thomas Balch Library
Town of Leesburg
News Release
For Immediate Release
May 13, 2022
Media Contact:
Leah Kosin, Assistant Public Information Officer
pio@leesburgva.gov 703-771-2781
“Loudoun County and W&OD Railroad” with Paul McCray at
Thomas Balch Library
Leesburg, VA (May 13, 2022) – Local historian, Paul
McCray, will speak about Loudoun County and the
W&OD Railroad on Sunday May 22, beginning at 2 p.m.
The discussion will take place in the lower level meeting
room at Thomas Balch Library, 208 W. Market Street,
Leesburg, Virginia.
The railroad which became the Washington & Old
Dominion had a major impact on how Northern Virginia
was developed and the effect on Loudoun was
substantial. The railroad influenced locations of towns,
which areas of the county grew, where roads were
located, the success of farms, and where commercial
development took place. This program will explore how the W&OD Railroad came to be, its
successes and failures, and why it was abandoned in 1968.
Pre-registration is required for this event. Please call 703-737-7195,
email balchlib@leesburgva.gov, or register online.
Paul McCray is a life-long resident of Northern Virginia and has lived in Loudoun County for 30
years. He managed various Regional Parks in Loudoun for NOVA Parks including Ball’s Bluff
Battlefield, Temple Hall Farm and oversaw the W&OD Railroad Regional Park for 20 years.
While in that position he became interested in preserving the history of the W&OD and collected
almost 2,000 images of the railroad as well as hundreds of original documents. Retired, he
continues to work part-time for NOVA Parks as a historian researching and telling the stories of
park history. McCray is a recipient of Thomas Balch Library’s Loudoun History Award.
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