Paeonian Springs, Virginia

Coordinates: 39°8′57″N 77°37′9″W / 39.14917°N 77.61917°W / 39.14917; -77.61917
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Paeonian Springs, Virginia
UTC−4 (EDT)
GNIS feature ID1499832[1]

Paeonian Springs is an

State Route 7). Paeonian Springs was established in 1890 and is currently served by a post office. The town is named after Paean, the Ancient Greek physician of the gods.[2]

The Paeonian Springs Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.[3]

History

Developers began construction of the town in 1871 and the town was established in 1890. It was originally developed as a resort town for citizens of Washington, D.C. trying to escape the city in the summer.[4] When developers advertised the town upon its completion they said it had "excellent water, mountain air and magnificent scenery".[2]

The Washington & Ohio railroad (later renamed Washington & Old Dominion) played an integral role in the town's development for its first 50 years, making eight stops in the town every day.[2]

By 1901 the town had three hotels, a downtown area, and a village green. By 1912, it also had a boardwalk, a church, and two private schools, among numerous other new shops.[2]

Beginning in 1920 though the town started to decline. This happened for a number of reasons including: the loss of the boardwalk, mill, and church; the Pure Food and Drug Act's passage; and the discovery of antibiotics.[2]

The Washington & Old Dominion railroad ended service in 1968. Twenty years later in 1988, the Washington and Old Dominion Trail, built on the old railroad's right-of-way, was extended through Paeonian Springs to Purcellville, Virginia.[5]

References

  1. ^ "Paeonian Springs". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ a b c d e "History of Paeonian Springs". The History of Loudoun County, Virginia. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
  3. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  4. .
  5. (PDF) from the original on September 28, 2017. Retrieved December 6, 2023.

External links