Belmont Ridge

Belmont Ridge. . , The Belmont Ridge area has a very rich natural and cultural history , both of which have always been linked. The two most prominent natural features are Goose Creek, the largest waterway in Loudoun County and the Luck Stone Quarry, which is located beside the creek. The name of the area comes from the former Belmont Plantation, owned by Ludwell Lee who built the Belmont Manor House between 1799 and 1802. Lee was a member of the family for which Leesburg was named., The Alexandria, Loudoun and Hampshire Railroad came through the area in 1859 on its way to Leesburg and a planned destination in West Virginia was derailed by the Civil War, though and poor financing led to numerous changes in ownership. The railroad reached Bluemont in 1900 and went no further; The railroad was abandoned in 1968 and the W&OD Trail was established soon after., In 1884 a small railway station stood on the east side of Goose Creek and was the disembarkation point for Belmont Park, described as picturesque resort and popular excursion spot. A newspaper article of that year described this short-lived resort as offering refreshing springs, romantic views, winding trails and boating. That summer; 1,500 excursionists from Washington and Alexandria were said to ride the rails to Belmont Park on a single day., A later owner of Belmont was Edward McLean whose father owned the nearby W&OD Railroad, McLean, who purchased the property in 1915, was also famous for his wife Evalyn McLean, who bought the Hope Diamond., In 2017, a bridge over the W&OD Trail was built by Loudoun County as part of a road widening project for Belmont Ridge Road., [Captions:] , Goose Creek Bridge , The bridge over Goose Creek was the longest and highest span on the W&OD Railroad., Boating On Goose Creek , Boating on Goose Creek was one of the activities at Belmont Park which was located east of the waterway and north of the railroad., Luck Stone Quarry , Until 1968, the railroad hauled carloads of stone from this quarry to points throughout Northern Virginia. The stone was used to build the Beltway and other roads in Virginia and was hard, brittle, and non-polishing , meaning it would never become smooth and slippery from millions of tires running over it.