Loudoun County Courthouse Named National Historic Landmark

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — Loudoun County's historic courthouse has earned National Historic Landmark status, months after it was renamed to recognize a nationally-watched civil rights case.

Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced the historic Loudoun County Courthouse in Leesburg as one of 19 new National Historic Landmarks across the U.S. The National Historic Landmark designation is the top federal recognition for public and private properties. The National Park Service maintains the listings of National Historic Landmarks, but many are privately owned.

"As America’s storyteller, it is our privilege at the Department of the Interior, through the National Park Service, to tell our nation’s history and honor the many historical chapters and heroic communities that brought us to where we all are today," said Haaland in a statement. "These newly designated historic landmarks join a list of the nation’s premier historic and cultural places, all of which were nominated through voluntary and locally led stewardship."

The 19 new landmarks join more than 2,600 nationwide to showcase the history and culture of the U.S. The National Park Service also updated documentation for 14 National Historic Landmarks and withdrawn three due to demolition or destruction.

Loudoun County's historic courthouse was built in 1894, but Visit Loudoun says the property dates back to 1758 when plans were made for a county courthouse and jail. The first courthouse and jail were removed from the building a year later due to poor quality building. A larger courthouse was constructed in 1811 and survived a shootout between Union and Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. Pieces from the courthouse's pillars were saved and are now in the courtyard of the historic property.

The historic courthouse was recently renamed Charles Hamilton Houston Courthouse. According to the county, the namesake Charles Houston was a civil rights attorney who led an all-Black legal team to defend George Crawford, who was accused of white socialite Agnes Ilsley, and her maid Mina Buckner, in Middleburg.

Crawford was found guilty and received a life sentence, but it was considered progress at the time that he didn't receive the death penalty, according to the Loudoun County Heritage Commission's research.

The Crawford case was the first time an all-Black legal team came to Loudoun County court and drew national attention to a concern of all-white juries and the abilities of Black attorneys. The commission's research said the case exposed the biased all-white jury selection and helped set up the NAACP’s campaign to undo racial segregation. The case also inspired Houston's two young Howard Law School students — future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and famed attorney Oliver Hill.

Houston is also credited with helping Loudoun County's African American community create a school for Black students — the Frederick Douglass High School that opened in 1941.

According to Visit Loudoun, the historic courthouse is also a National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Site.