historic preservation

A week-old ban on public displays at Loudoun County Courthouse has been reversed due to protests from residents, according to the Washington Post.

The ban would have prevented the Nativity scene and Christmas trees that have decorated the courthouse lawn for decades, in efforts to protect the century-old building from any attacks that might fall on the religious holiday decorations.

"Bowing to an outpouring of protests from residents, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors reversed a week-old rule Tuesday that had banned public displays, including Nativity scenes and Christmas trees, at the county courthouse.

Supervisors voted 7 to 1 to allow community groups 'equal access' to the courthouse grounds. The supervisor who voted to keep the ban, James Burton (I-Blue Ridge), said he feared that extremist groups would turn the century-old courthouse in downtown Leesburg into a 'public circus.'

Dozens of residents carrying signs and wearing Christmas red showed up at a county meeting Monday night to protest the rule, saying that it would ruin the county's holiday parade, set for Dec. 12. A decorated Christmas tree and a Nativity scene have been seasonal fixtures on the courthouse lawn for decades.

More than 1,000 people signed a petition against the policy, and several members of the Leesburg Town Council, including the mayor, voiced opposition to it.

A resident-led county committee that handles issues related to Loudoun grounds and facilities voted unanimously last week to bar any structures, religious or otherwise, from the lawn of the courthouse, citing the increasing number of requests by residents to use it as a public meeting space."

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More than 700 acres at James Madison's Montpelier protected with conservation easements, according to the Freelance-Star.

The easements will protect a Civil War encampment, the home of one of James Madison's former slaves, George Gilmore, water quality in local streams, the forested backdrop to the Montpelier mansion, and the surrounding countryside.

Not only will these easements protect the land that residents and visitors enjoy, but is an investment into the area's tourism. The beautiful historic attraction has about 100,000 visitors each year.

"Some of western Orange County's prettiest landscape has just been set aside for future generations to enjoy.

Private groups and the State of Virginia are permanently protecting more than a square mile of historic property--on several different parcels--around Montpelier, home of President James Madison and his wife, Dolley.

In a public-private partnership, the Piedmont Environmental Council, the Virginia Outdoors Foundation and the state Department of Historic Resources worked together to buy conservation easements on four parts of Montpelier from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and The Montpelier Foundation. They total more than 700 acres.

PEC President Chris Miller said the council was 'thrilled to work with [Montpelier and the trust] to protect this critical historic resource.'

Miller noted that Montpelier inspired Madison and his thinking about the U.S. Constitution, which he crafted, and the future of the new nation. The estate is the heart of the Madison-Barbour Rural Historic District and part of the Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area. The historic site draws more than 100,000 visitors each year."

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