Leesburg in Loudoun County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
The Leesburg Lime Company
The Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park
Photographed by Craig Swain, July 4, 2007
1. The Leesburg Lime Company Marker
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 Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce •
this page online
Location. 39° 6.572′ N, 77° 33.667′ W. Marker is in Leesburg, Virginia, in Loudoun County. It 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.
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area and in Northern Virginia. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
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); Raflo Park (about 700 feet away); 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. Ό mile away); McKimmey's Mill (approx. Ό mile away); Norman-Harding Barn (approx. Ό mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Leesburg.
Another marker is no longer nearby. The Lost Locomotive (was approx. 0.2 miles away but has been permanently removed).
More about this marker.
Photographed by Craig Swain, July 4, 2007
2. Lime Company Marker in Front of the Kiln
Photographed by Craig Swain, July 4, 2007
3. The Lime Kiln
Credits. This page was last revised on January 11, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 17, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 3,778 times since then and 41 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.
