Ban On Street Names With Confederate, Segregation Ties Approved By Loudoun Supervisors

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — Loudoun County has taken new action against Confederate and racial segregation-associated street names.

On Wednesday, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors approved ordinance amendments to ban street names for Confederate leaders, the Confederate cause, or for people or movements associated with racial segregation. The board further voted to direct the Office of Mapping and Geographic Information's director to start the process of renaming any street names violating the new policy. The policy was approved 8-0-1, with Chair Phyllis Randall (D-at large) absent from the meeting.

"We knew that we were going to get some pushback, but it's the right thing to do because again, there should be no remembrance of folks, simply put, if they had their way, a few of us sitting up here would not sitting here," said Supervisor Koran Saines (D-Sterling) at the meeting. "A few of us would not be attending the schools that we did. Our children would not be attending the school with your children. If you don't agree with that, then I just say I'll pray for you."

"I am super proud of our work," added Supervisor Juli Briskman (D-Algonkian). "I don't think that anybody should have to walk by a statue, drive down a street, play in a park or go to a school that is named after somebody who would rather see them enslaved and would tear apart our country over that issue."

Briskman and Saines had started the Confederate renaming initiative when the state granted localities authority to remove Confederate statues from local government-owned grounds. As part of the initiative, the county made an inventory of Confederate and racial segregationist names.

One of the first actions was the board voting in 2021 to rename Harry Byrd Highway to Leesburg Pike on Route 7 and changing the name of John Mosby Highway to Little River Turnpike on Route 50. Byrd, who served as Democratic governor and senator in Virginia, was a supporter of racial segregation in schools. John Mosby Highway referenced Confederate Army Col. John Singleton Mosby.

Other renamings sought by the Board of Supervisors in 2021 were Jeb Stuart Road in Philomont to Philomont Road and Fort Johnston Road west of the Town of Leesburg to Leeland Orchard Road and Fort Star Lane. Jeb Stuart Road referenced Confederate Gen. James Ewell Brown “Jeb” Stuart, while Fort Johnston Road referenced Civil War-era fort named for Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston. Numerous streets in the Town of Round Hill have also been renamed.

In 2022, the board directed parks and recreation to rename Elizabeth Mills Riverfront Park in Lansdowne to Bazil Newman Riverfront Park and Kephart Bridge Landing. According to the county, the Elizabeth Mill name referenced grist mills named for Elizabeth Clapham, wife of local landowner and slaveholder Samuel Clapham. Elizabeth Clapham held the enslaved people after her husband's death.