Ten new historic sites have been added to the Virginia Landmarks Register (VLR), and two of those newly labeled landmarks are in Fairfax and Loudoun counties.
The new listings were approved at a meeting of the commonwealth’s Board of Historic Resources on Thursday.
Drover’s Rest in Fairfax County is on the new list with its construction as part of an 18th-century mill complex dating back to 1757 to 1785. The VLR says the building is “representative of the history of early milling and road development during the mid- to late 18th century.” It was built by landowner Bryan Fairfax and is located southwest of the Potomac River.
The term “drover’s rest” meant that it once served as a place for workers and travelers to stay while passing through. Thomas E. Lovejoy, a biologist and environmental conservationist, purchased Drover’s Rest in 1975 and lived there until he died in 2021.
A village in Loudoun County was also added to the list. The Philomont Historic District rural village is at the intersection of Snickersville Turnpike and JEB Stuart Road.
The village sits on about 43 acres and includes a general store, fire station and a community center. Most of the homes there were built in the late 18th century with buildings being added at about the same time as repairs of the turnpike were being made at the end of the Civil War.
Other new listings in Virginia include the Samuel D. Outlaw Blacksmith Shop in Accomack County, the Gascony estate in Northumberland County, Pulaski High School in Pulaski County, the Montross Historic District in Westmoreland County, the Downtown Norfolk Financial Historic District in the City of Norfolk, the Newport News Downtown Historic District in the City of Newport News, the Roberson Mill in Floyd County and the Clarkton estate in Halifax County.
The Virginia Department of Historic Resources said in a statement that it is sending the documentation of these locations to the National Park Service for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.
