Leesburg in Loudoun County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

The Leesburg Lime Company

Photographed By Craig Swain, July 4, 2007

1. The Leesburg Lime Company Marker

Inscription. The arrival of the railroad in the 1860s spawned new businesses. One such enterprise was the Leesburg Lime Company, which operated at the site where you are now located. In 1868 a local newspaper announced:

New Lime Kiln— Messrs. Orr & Manning have in full blast, their new improved Lime Kiln, erected near the A.L.&H. Railroad Depot, Leesburg. It works beautifully, and is turning out a large quantity of Lime. Our farmers and builders can now be supplied with this article, at reasonable rates.

Quarriers used dynamite to break up the limestone inside the pits. The tall poles in the photograph below were part of a steam-powered cabled winch that hauled stone from the pit. Stone was mixed with coal and burned in the kilns, then brought out to the track through the arched openings ahead of you.

The lime company supplied farmers with fertilizer, and builders with plaster for walls and stone for roads. The company went out of business when bluestone, quarried in the eastern part of the county, proved more durable for road use.

Erected by The Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park, Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce

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• Railroads & Streetcars. In addition, it is included in the NOVA Parks, and the Washington and Old Dominion (W&OD) Railroad series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1868.

Location. 39° 6.572′ N, 77° 33.667′ W. Marker is in Leesburg, Virginia, in Loudoun County. Marker can be reached from Harrison Street, on the right when traveling north. Located about 250 feet east of Harrison Street, along the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Trail. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Leesburg VA 20175, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. This Is W&OD Trail: Leesburg! (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Leesburg Freight Station (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Orion Anderson Story (approx. 0.2 miles away); Stationmaster's House (approx. 0.2 miles away); Log House (approx. ¼ mile away); McKimmey's Mill (approx. ¼ mile away); Norman-Harding Barn (approx. ¼ mile away); Dairy Barn (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Leesburg.

More about this marker. The background of the marker is a photo of the lime kiln captioned, “The W&OD tracks alongside the Leesburg Lime Company in about 1912.

Lime Company Marker in Front of the Kiln image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Craig Swain, July 4, 2007

2. Lime Company Marker in Front of the Kiln

By that time, the original quarry, filled with water in the foreground, was replaced by a quarry on the other side of the embankment.” A small inset reproduces an advertisement for the Leesburg Lime Quarry Co. from 1891.

The Lime Kiln image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Craig Swain, July 4, 2007

3. The Lime Kiln

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on August 17, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 3,096 times since then and 66 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 17, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. • J. J. Prats was the editor who published this page.