Photo Tour: Hamilton, Purcellville & Round Hill (Leesburg, Shenandoah: hotels, houses)

[normie]

Before we start the photos, a few notes:

Purcellville, Hamilton, and Round Hill are a cluster of very old towns just west of Leesburg. People live there for the small town ambiance, the stunning views of the mountains, and for the historic districts with their Victorian buildings. Most people who live in this area work in Purcellville, Leesburg, or Ashburn.

Also, a note from Caladium, the photographer: This photo tour was done in mid January because I had a business meeting in Purcellville. Midwinter is probably the bleakest time of the year to take photos, so to be fair I plan to return in the spring to show this area in its glory.

Also, I was in a hurry and took many of the photos while driving by. I didn’t wander down the side streets, and some homes may be sorted into the wrong town. It's hard to remember which ones went with which town. These three towns were once a fair distance apart but these days they’ve grown together and for an outsider like me it’s hard to tell them apart.

[normie]

Hamilton

Hamilton is a very old town. The first homes were built in the 1760s. The area was originally called Harmony, and there are still many references to the original name throughout the town. The town was officially named Hamilton by the post office in 1835.

At one time Hamilton was booming. Businesses included two newspapers, a dance hall, grocers and butchers, a factory, numerous stores, a racecourse, a livery stable and boarding houses. A fire in the 1920s destroyed the business district and after that Hamilton became a residential community.

Hamilton’s central core is mostly buildings from the Victorian era. Surrounding the core are newer neighborhoods with a mix of buildings from many eras, including 40’s ranch homes, 70’s split levels, and McMansions.

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Some of the Victorian homes sport colorful paint jobs. Yards tend to be typical of a small country village—mature plants, big trees, grass less groomed than in the suburbs, lots of trellises and other garden structures, and sidewalks are sometimes non existent.

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Small towns always seem to have many beautiful churches and fascinating graveyards.

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The original train station

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Most of the businesses are along Rt. 7 (business route, not the main Rt. 7). As you can see, in some ways a small country town is very walkable. Your home is likely to be near the store—but on the other hand it can be dangerous to walk along the road. Sidewalks are nonexistent in some areas or are very skinny strips of gravel right next to the road. Cars and trucks do come hurtling down Rt. 7 all during the day, but traffic isn’t that heavy.

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[normie]

More of Hamilton:

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I love the mansard roof of this house and the mature tree.

[normie]

Purcellville

Purcellville is the business and shopping district of the three towns. Purcellville is also the major population center for western Loudoun. Like Hamilton, this town has numerous Victorian buildings. Surrounding the historic core is a mix of buildings from many eras, including 40’s ranch homes, 70’s split levels, and McMansions.

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Many offices are in old homes. I love the pink shutters on the red brick!

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The yellow building at the end of this group of stores is Nichols Hardware. This is a true, old-fashioned hardware store. A wonderful store.

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[EuroExpat]

Great photos Normie!! That toy shop looks very inviting..

[normie]

More of Purcellville:

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The 3 towns were once a fair distance apart, but now bump up against each other. I’m not sure which town these homes belong to:

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This is my favorite of all the beautiful old homes in the Loudoun Valley.

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Love the gothic stone work on the wall.

[normie]

More of Purcellville:

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Not all the historic homes are Victorian. This beauty looks like it was built in the 20’s or 30’s.

[normie]

Round Hill

Round Hill was the terminus for the W&OD. It was once a tourist destination, with hotels and boarding houses. Now it’s mostly a residential area. Round Hill does have a few cute stores, unfortunately VDOT was doing extensive repair work on that street, so there was no chance to get photos. Round Hill was important in the civil war as a lookout point and signal hill (for both sides).

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the Hammersly House, a historic Victorian mansion in downtown Round Hill that they hope someone will restore.

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The house may look haunted, but it’s right next to the Methodist Church so I’m sure that keeps the ghosts in line.

[normie]

More of Round Hill:

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Rt. 7 is a rolling road with beautiful views of the Shenandoahs. I believe the road also has different local names depending on which town you’re in. BTW, this is the “business” route for Rt. 7, not the main road.

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Whimsical yard art.

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In Round Hill the businesses have more of a “country” look and less of a Victorian look. I love the stained glass in this building.

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Country churches are so pretty in this area. Someday I may have to do a photo tour just of all the churches.

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[normie]

It's not all Victorian:

The historic architecture is fun, but all three towns have more to them than the historic areas. In each town, you'll find an assortment of architectural styles--often just a block or so from the historic downtowns. The lots in the historic district tend to be quite small, but just a block or so away they become much larger. The largest lots, of course, are in the "countryside" on the edge of town.

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