| New
Walking Tour Brings Herndon's Past to Life |
By Anne DeCecco
Observer Staff Writer |
| Visitors and town residents can explore some of the most
historical sites in Herndon's downtown area with the help
of a new guide the Town of Herndon and the Herndon Dulles
Visitor's Center released Jan. 25. |
| The "Self-Guided Walking Tour of Historic Downtown
Herndon" features 15 historic sites and a numbered map
with directions on how to navigate from one site to the next.
|
| "Nowhere is Herndon's historical significance more
in evidence than our downtown," said Connie Hutchinson,
executive director of the visitor's center and Town Council
member. "This self-guided walking tour gives visitors
to our town a glimpse of the people, places and events that
form our heritage." |
| The brochure also briefly summarizes Herndon's history and
the changes the town underwent since England's King Charles
II granted the land that was to become Herndon to Thomas Culpeper
in 1688. |
| Carol Bruce, president of the Herndon Historical Society,
said the historical society suggested sites to include on
the tour and checked the brochure for accuracy. She said the
historical society learned the majority of the information
through oral histories that have been documented, as well
as the meticulous research of various individuals. |
| Anne Curtis, public information officer for the Town of
Herndon, said the idea to create a walking tour came from
visitors' requests for additional information on Herndon's
historical places. Curtis said the tour also is a wonderful
way for residents to learn about the town. |
| "For many people, when you live in a place, you really
don't know a lot about its history," she said. "This
is a great way for those of us who live in Herndon to renew
our appreciation for our town and its historical values." |
| The brochure explains the mystique behind the famous "Yellow
House," a 19th century building that has served as a
schoolhouse, library, private home and apartments. |
| "According to local legend," the brochure reads,
"the house has always been painted a shade of yellow—a
landmark for travelers of yore arriving in Herndon by rail,
as well as for present day hikers and bikers arriving in Town
via the W&OD Trail." |
| Also featured is the Red Caboose, a reminder of the days
when trains delivered milk from local farms to markets in
Washington, D.C. The Ice House Café is another stop on the
tour. The cafe was built on the site of a mill that operated
during the civil war and in which Union soldiers hid during
the Herndon Station skirmish March 17, 1863. |
| Richard Downer, a local historian who has performed two
reenactments of the skirmish, said Col. John S. Mosby and
his Confederate troops arrived in Herndon disguised in the
coats of Union soldiers whom they had recently defeated. The
Union soldiers at Herndon Station mistook Mosby's troops for
fellow soldiers there to relieve them and allowed them to
pass freely into town, he said. According to Downer, only
one person was injured at the skirmish that ensued, but the
Union soldiers surrendered because Mosby threatened to burn
down the mill. |
| The brochure also guides visitors and residents to the Herndon
Fortnightly Library, which was built in 1927 by the Fortnightly
Club, an organization formed in 1889 to establish the town's
first library. |
| The brochure can be picked up at the Herndon Dulles Visitor's
Center, located in the Old Train Depot at 717 Lynn Street.
Copies may also be obtained by calling 703-437-6366. Visit
www.herndon-va.gov. |
