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

Paeonian Springs Station

 
 
Paeonian Springs Station Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Swain, August 25, 2007
1. Paeonian Springs Station Marker
Inscription. In its heyday, Paeonian Springs attracted folks such as those men gathered for a raccoon hunt sponsored by The Washington Post in October 1912. The station shown at right stood where the three-sided shelter stands today.

Two things happened to make places like Paeonian Springs popular. The first was the need to escape heat and epidemics such as the ones that hit Washington in the 1860s and 70s. The second was the expansion of the railroads, making travel easy and inexpensive. The railroad arrived here in 1871.

Paeonian Springs promoted its "healing" springs, which people drank from and bathed in. For ten cents you could buy a gallon to take with you - and bottles were shipped to Washington by rail. By 1912 a boardwalk linked the depot with "downtown," which consisted of a post office, a confectionery store, a mill, a blacksmith shop, a wheelwright shop, a general store, and three boarding houses.
 
Erected by The Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park, Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority.
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: 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 month for this entry is October 1912.
 
Location.
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39° 8.864′ N, 77° 37.156′ W. Marker is in Paeonian Springs, Virginia, in Loudoun County. Marker is on Simpson Circle, on the right when traveling south. Located just west of the Simpson Circle crossing of the W&OD Railroad Trail. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Paeonian Springs VA 20129, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Clarkes Gap (approx. 0.8 miles away); Diesel Trains on the W&OD (approx. 1.4 miles away); Tracks into History (approx. 1.7 miles away); Hamilton Station (approx. 1.7 miles away); Early’s Washington Campaign (approx. 1.8 miles away); Rust Manor House (approx. 2.6 miles away); The Second Street School (approx. 2.6 miles away); The Garden (approx. 2.6 miles away).
 
More about this marker. An inset picture shows the station, and the background photograph shows "Raccoon hunters gather[ed] beside the station in October 1912."
 
Also see . . .
1. Paeonian Springs Station. The photo used in the inset. (Submitted on October 10, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.) 

2. History of Paeonian Springs. (Submitted on October 10, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
3. The W&OD in Loudoun County. (Submitted on October 10, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
4. The Washington and Old Dominion Railroad. Book
Marker in front of the Shelter Along the Trail image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Swain, August 25, 2007
2. Marker in front of the Shelter Along the Trail
by Ames Williams available on Amazon.com (Submitted on May 7, 2008, by Tom Fuchs of Greenbelt, Maryland.) This website may earn income if you use this link to make a purchase on Amazon.com. 

5. Rails to the Blue Ridge: The Washington and Old Dominion Railroad, 1847 - 1968. Book by Herbert Harwood available on Amazon.com (Submitted on May 7, 2008, by Tom Fuchs of Greenbelt, Maryland.) This website may earn income if you use this link to make a purchase on Amazon.com. 
 
Additional commentary.
1.
In 2006, the shelter along the trail at the site of the former Paeonian Springs station contained on its rear wall a sheet of paper within a plastic cover. The sheet described the history of the shelter. The sheet stated that the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad constructed the shelter at the site of the Clarkes Gap station on Dry Mill Road after the Clarkes Gap station burned down. According to the sheet, a railroad employee who lived in Paeonian Springs preserved the shelter. The sheet further stated that the employee's family had donated the shelter to the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority.
    — Submitted January 29, 2008, by Bernard H. Berne of Arlington, Virginia.
 
Nearby Trailhead Sign and Informational Display image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Swain, August 25, 2007
3. Nearby Trailhead Sign and Informational Display
Paeonian Springs Post Office image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Swain, August 25, 2007
4. Paeonian Springs Post Office
Located across the street from the marker.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on October 10, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,585 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 10, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.

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Mar. 29, 2024