Preservation & Land Use

The Waterford Foundation is dedicated to preserving the historic buildings and farmland in and around the village of Waterford, Virginia.

Waterford was awarded National Historic Landmark status by the U.S. Secretary of Interior in 1970 because it is a virtually intact example of an eighteenth- to nineteenth-century rural mill town. The farmland surrounding the village, sited along the South Fork of the Catoctin Creek, gave rise to mills. As the mills thrived, the village evolved around them, and supporting commercial enterprises emerged.

Historic Structures

The rear of the newly restored Old School, built in 1910. The easement on this building is held by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.

The Foundation’s efforts to preserve the National Historic Landmark include preservation of the historic buildings it owns in the village as well as providing preservation support to individual owners of historic properties that also are contributing structures to the district. In addition to the village’s national designation, the Commonwealth of Virginia recognizes this same 1,420-acre area in and around the village as a state historic district.

One of the mills around which Waterford village grew is on the west end of Main Street. The National Trust for Historic Preservation holds the easement on Waterford”s Old Mill, circa 1830.

The village also is within Loudoun County’s Waterford Historic and Cultural Conservation District, a designation placing it under the County’s historic district guidelines. These guidelines protect the historic nature of the district and provide guidance to property owners contemplating changes to their properties; the county grants approval for changes. Many Waterford properties also have easements placed upon them to protect their historic integrity. Easements now in place cover land parcels, building exteriors, and even some interiors; among easement holders of Waterford properties are the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Land Trust of Virginia, the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.

Preservation & Land Use

The Foundation strives to preserve the rural landscape within and adjacent to the Waterford National Historic Landmark, as well as the historic character of Waterford’s architecture. This mission has become increasingly important as growth and development of Loudoun County has exploded in recent years. Because Waterford’s rural landscape and potential for agricultural enterprise was instrumental in the founding of the village, its preservation is critical to maintain the integrity of the Landmark designation. As the mills and surrounding agricultural community thrived, the bustling commercial activities of the village grew as well. Efforts to safeguard this rural setting around Waterford still require the sustained vigilance of the Foundation: its members, its neighbors, and its friends.

Conservation Development

To preserve the rural landscape surrounding the village, in recent years the Foundation has acquired and placed under permanent easement a number of farms within the Landmark , including the 25-acre Hutchison Farm, the 57-acre North Meadow property, and the 68-acre Carr Farm. In turn, these properties have been divided into large conservation lots and sold to buyers who value the preservation of these historic farms. The properties have subsequently been “redeveloped” by their new owners as horse farms, wineries, or carefully managed open space designed to preserve the historic vistas surrounding the village of Waterford.

Preserving the Phillips Farm

In 2003, the Foundation was able, with the assistance of countless committed individuals and organizations, to purchase the 144-acre Phillips Farm on the western edge of the village to maintain it in agricultural use

Volunteers plant a riparian buffer along Catoctin Creek on the Phillips Farm.

The Foundation’s Land Use Committee set to work on developing a Management and Land Use strategic plan for stewardship of the farm. With the completion of that plan, the Foundation’s Board of Directors established a permanent standing Phillips Farm Committee to carry this work forward. Go to the Phillips Farm page to learn the history of the Foundation’s purchase of the property, to learn about current environmental restoration efforts under way (volunteers welcome!), and to find out how to visit the farm and hike the new interpretive trail.