USA > Virginia > Loudoun County > Loudoun County > History and comprehensive description of Loudoun County, Virginia > Part 4
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14
Chromate of iron was long ago discovered along Broad Run, and, about the same time, a bed of micaceous iron ore on Goose Creek below the Leesburg turnpike. Copper ore is associated with the last-named mineral.
In 1860, the output of pig iron in Loudoun was 2,250 tons, and its value $58,000. Rockbridge was the only Virginia County to exceed these figures.
In several localities small angular lumps of a yellowish sub- stance, supposed to contain sulphur, have been found, eni- bedded in rocks. When subjected to an intense heat, it gives forth a pungent sulphurous odor.
Small quantities of silver ore are discovered from time to time; but the leads have never been extensively worked and many of the richest veins are still untouched.
Deposits of copper in the schists have long excited interest and led to mining operations. The amount of ore, however, appears not to have justified any considerable work.
Near the base of the Catoctin Mountain, where it is first approached by Goose Creek, marble of an excellent quality is found but has been little worked. Among the varieties at the quarry are included pure white, white and pink, blue and white, white and green, serpentinized and chloritic serpen- tinized marble. These marbles are of great beauty and sus- ceptible of a good polish. The calcareous bed here is about fifty feet thick and reaches southward for three miles with increasing thickness. At its southern end it is not entirely metamorphosed into marble, but retains its original character of fine blue limestone. Northward along this range the thick- ness of the marble constantly diminishes and rarely exceeds ten feet. Sometimes there are two beds, sometimes only one. At Taylorstown, just south of the Potomac, the bed is about three
46
HISTORY OF
feet thick; on the north side of the Potomac about four or five feet. Here, as elsewhere, the beds of marble are inclosed in a bluish green micaceous schist, which has been thor- oughly transformed by mechanical pressure.
In the vicinity of Leesburg and north of that town, and between the Catoctin Mountain and the Potomac River, the conglomerate limestone or brecciated marble is found in abun- dance, associated with red shale. It is a calcareous rock, apparently formed in part of pebbles cemented together and, when burned, produces an inferior lime. It is commonly known as Potomac marble. Of this variegated marble were formed the beautiful columns in the old Representatives' chamber of the Capitol at Washington. The soil in which this rock occurs is extremely productive and valuable.
The exhibition at the World's Fair, at New Orleans, of the following specimens of Loudoun minerals claimed much inter- est from visiting mineraloguists:
1. Specular Iron Ore, from near Leesburg, said to be in quantity. From Professor Fontaine.
2. Chalcopyrite, from near Leesburg, said to be a promising vein. From Professor Fontaine.
The following were contributed by the "Eagle Mining Company," of Leesburg; F. A. Wise, general manager:
1. Carbonate of Copper, from vein 3' wide, developed to 25' deep. Assays by Oxford Copper Company of New York give 51 per cent of copper and 27 ounces of silver per ton.
2. Sulphuret of Copper, from vein 10" wide, developed to 50' deep. Assays by Oxford Copper Company of New York give 121/2 per cent of copper.
3. Iron Ore, from vein 4' wide and 50' deep. Yields 55 per cent metallic iron by assay of W. P. Lawver, of U. S. Mint. 4. Sulphuret of Copper, from vein developed 50'. Yields 11 per cent of copper and 1 ounce of silver per ton by assay of W. P. Lawver, U. S. Mint.
5. Carbonate of Copper, red oxide and glance, from vein 3' wide, developed to 25' deep. Yields 50 per cent metallic cop- per and 27 ounces silver per ton by assays.
47
LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA.
6. Iron Ore, from vein 2' to 4' wide, developed 50'. Yield 55 per cent metallic iron.
7. Oxide of Copper, from Carbonate vein, developed 60' on 4' wide vein; 25' deep.
8. Sulphuret of Copper, from vein 8" to 15" wide, developed 50'.
9. Iron Ore.
10. Barytes, heavy spar, vein undeveloped.
11. Iron Ore, from 50' level of Eagle Mining Company's shaft.
12. Marble, from quarry of "Virginia Marble Company," three miles east from Middleburg. The deposit has been demonstrated to be of great extent; the marble has been pronounced of a very superior quality. Contributed by Major B. P. Noland.
13. Marble, from same as above.
14. .
17. Copper Ore, James Pinkham, from Virginia Department of Agriculture.
In the "Handbook on the Minerals and Mineral Resources of Virginia" prepared by the Virginia Commission to the St. Louis Exposition, Loudoun is credited with the three comparatively rare minerals given below. The two first- named occur nowhere else in the State.
"ACTINOLITE: Calcium-magnesium-iron, Amphibole,
Ca (Mg Fe)3 (Si O4)3.
Specific Gravity, 3-3.2. Hardness, 5-6. Streak, un- colored. Fine radiated olive-green crystals are found at Taylorstown
"TREMOLITE: A variety of Amphibole. Calcium.
Magnesium Amphibole. Ca Mg2 (Si O4)3.
Specific Gravity, 2.9-3.1. Hardness, 5.6. Long bladed crystals; also columnar and fibrous. Color, white and grayish.
48
HISTORY OF
Sometimes nearly transparent. Found in the greenish talcose rocks at Taylorstown."
Chromite, of which no occurrence of economic importance has yet been discovered in the County or elsewhere in Vir- ginia.
"*On the eastern flank of the Catoctin rests a thin belt of mica slate. This rock is composed of quartz and mica in varying proportions, and this belt, on reaching the Bull Run Moun- tain, there expands itself, and forms the whole base of that mountain, and where the mica predominates, as it does there, it sometimes forms excellent flagging stones."
"Immediately at the western base of the Catoctin Mountain, a range of magnesian or talcose slates occur traversing its whole length. In this range a vein of magnesian limestone is met with, and is exposed in several places. It however is narrow, in some places only a few feet in thickness, and being difficult to obtain is not much sought after for burning."
"Along the eastern side of the valley (Loudoun) gneiss is frequently met with on the surface, and where the larger streams have worn deep valleys, it is sometimes exposed in high and precipitous cliffs. This is more particularly the case along Goose Creek and Beaver Dam. Associated with it, however, is clay slate, not so much in rock as in soil, for it being more readily decomposed is seldom found on the sur- face, except as soil. These two varieties are often met with side by side in thin layers, and their combination at the sur- face forms a peculiarly favorable soil for agricultural pur- poses. The gneiss from the quartz it contains makes a sandy soil, while the clay slate gives it tenacity. This happy com- bination is a prevailing feature of this entire valley, and ren- ders it one of the best farming sections in Virginia.
"Another rock that is a valuable acquisition is hornblende. This kind when first taken from the ground, is always cov
*Taylor's Memoir.
49
LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA.
ered as with a coat of rust. This is doubtless the fact, for the oxydasion of the iron it contains gives it that appearance, and colors the soil a reddish hue in its immediate vicinity. Wherever this rock abounds, the soil is durable and the crops are usually heavy. It is sometimes met with having a fine grain, and so very hard as to be almost brittle, though gen- erally very difficut to break, and when broken strongly re- sembling cast-iron, and will sometimes ring, on being struck, almost as clearly. It was used very much formerly for mak- ing journals to run mill-gudgeons upon. When found on the surface, it is usually of a rounded form.
However, much of the rock of the valley partakes of the nature of both hornblend and gneiss, and has been aptly termed a "hornblend gneiss rock."
Beds of magnesian or talcose slate, sometimes containing crystals of sulphuret of iron, are frequently met with in this section, and at the base of Black Oak Ridge, which is com- posed chiefly of chlorite slate and epidote, another bed of magnesian limestone is found. Containing about 40 per cent of magnesia, it makes an excellent cement for walls, but is of little or no value as a fertilizer.
SOILS .*
The soils of Loudoun vary greatly in both geological char- acter and productiveness, every variety from a rich alluvial to an unproductive clay occurring within her boundaries. In general the soils are deep and rich and profitably cultivated.
The heavy clay soils of Loudoun are recognized as being the strongest wheat and grass soils. The more loamy soils are better for corn on account of the possibility of more thorough cultivation. However, the lands all have to be fer- tilized or limed to obtain the best results, and with this added
*For the bulk of the information appearing under this caption the author is indebted to Carter's and Lyman's Soil Survey of the Leesburg Area, published in 1904 by the United States Department of Agriculture.
50
HISTORY OF
expense the profit in wheat growing is extremely uncertain on any but the clay soils. The loamy soils are especially adapted to corn, stock raising, and dairying, and they are largely used for these purposes. The mountain sandstone soils, which are rough and stony, are not adapted to any form of agriculture; but for some lines of horticulture-as, for in- stance, the production of grapes, peaches, apples and chest- nuts-or forestry they seem to offer excellent opportuni- ties. The schist soil of the mountains, although rough and stony, is productive, easily worked, and especially adapted to apples, peaches, and potatoes. The shale and mica soils, although thin and leachy, are especially adapted to grapes, vegetables, and berries, and other small fruits. These soils should be managed very carefully to obtain the best results. They are easily worked and very quickly respond to fertiliza- tion and thorough cultivation. It is very probable that market gardening and fruit raising on these types would prove profitable. It seems, however, that peach trees are short lived on these soils. The meadow lands are low and subject to overflow, although otherwise well drained. They are best adapted to the production of corn, grass, and vege- tables.
That part of the County lying east of a line drawn from the Potomac River near Leesburg, by Aldie to the Fauquier line, is much more unproductive than the western portion, partly on account of an inferior soil, and partly in con- sequence of an exhausting system of cultivation, once so common in eastern Virginia, i. e., cropping with corn and tobacco without attempting to improve the quality of the soil. When impoverished, the lands were thrown out to the com- mons.
Large tracts that formerly produced from thirty to forty bushels of corn to the acre, still remain out of cultivation, though many of the present proprietors are turning their attention to the improvement of these soils and are being richly rewarded.
In this section, particularly along Goose Creek, trap-rock
51
LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA.
occurs, sometimes covering large surfaces, at other times partially covered with indurated shale, formed from the red shale of this region which has become hardened by the heat of the intruding trap. Where this rock occurs covering large surfaces, nearly level, "the soil is a dark brown colored clay, very retentive of moisture and better adapted tograss than grain.
ยท A deficiency of lime probably occurs here, and there may be some obnoxious ingredient present. Minute grains of iron sand are generally interspersed through this rock, and as it is not acted upon by atmospheric influences, its combina- tion may contain some acid prejudicial to vegetation. Where this rock is thrown into more irregular elevations, and is ap- parently more broken up, the soil is better."*
Near the Broad Run Bridge the soil is deplorably sterile. "In many places it is but a few inches in thickness, and the rock below, being compact, prevents the water from penetrat- ing much below the surface, thus causing an excess of water in rainy weather, and a scarcity of it in fair weather. The red shale does not appear to decompose readily, as it is found a short distance beneath the surface, and the strata dipping at a low angle, prevents the water from freely descending into this kind of soil."+
There is a huge belt of red land, known as "the red sand- stone formation," extending from the Potomac through a part of each of the counties of Loudoun, Fairfax, Prince Wil- liam, Fauquier, Culpeper, and Orange, which, with judicious cultivation, might be rendered liberally productive. Professor W. B. Rogers, in his report to the legislature of Virginia, in 1840, described it under the head of the "secondary forma- tion in the northern district." "The general form of this area," he wrote, "is that of a prolonged triangle, extending in a direction from SSW. to NNE., having its apex at the southern extremity, and gradually expanding until it reaches the Potomac. Measured at a point on the Potomac between the mouths of Goose Creek and Broad Run, its length
*Taylor's Memoir.
tIbid.
52
HISTORY OF
is about 80 miles. Its greatest breadth, as measured near the Potomac, and parallel to the road leading from Leesburg to Dranesville, is about 15 miles. This, in round numbers, gives 600 square miles for the area of this region."
Bottom lands of inexhaustible fertility and rich upland loams are commonly met with north and south of Leesburg for a considerable distance on either side of the turnpike lead- ing from Point of Rocks, Md., at one extremity of the County to Middleburg at the other.
Limestone occurs in vast quantities throughout this zone, and there are present all the propitious elements that will be enumerated in the treatment of the soils of other areas.
The land here is in a high state of cultivation and, accord- ing to its peculiarly varying and unalterable adaptability, produces enormous crops of all the staple grains of the County.
The soil in the vicinity of Oatlands, included in this zone, is stiff and stony, except such as is adjacent to water courses, or the base of hills, where it is enriched by liberal supplies of decayed matter, which render it loamy and inexhaustible. In the main, it is of a generous quality, so pertinaciously retain- ing fertilizers as to withstand the washing of the heaviest rains. Still it is an anomaly that some of the richest areas in this region will not produce wheat; while, in the cultivation of rye, oats, and corn, satisfactory results are almost invari- ably obtained. Likewise there are but a few parcels whereon white clover does not grow spontaneously and in the greatest abundance. Than these, better pasture lands are found nowhere east of the Blue Ridge. Limestone occurs here in vast quantities.
In the Valley of Loudoun, between the Catoctin and Blue Ridge mountains, the soil is formed from gneiss, clay-slate, hornblend, greenstone, and quartz. The happy combination of these materials produces a most excellent and durable soil, containing, in fair proportions, alumina, silex, potash, lime, and other fertilizing minerals. Certain fertilizers have been successfully employed in improving its natural fertility, and when it is partially exhausted by excessive tillage, rest alone will restore it.
53
LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA.
Loudoun Sandy Loam.
The Loudoun sandy loam consists of from 8 to 12 inches of a heavy brown or gray sandy loam, underlain by a heavy yellow or red loam or clay loam. Often the subsoil contains a con- siderable quantity of coarse sand, making the texture much the same as that of the soil. The sand of the soil and sub- soil is composed of very coarse rounded and subangular quartz particles. The surface material is not a light sandy loam, but is more like a loam containing considerable quantities of very coarse quartz fragments. It is generally quite free from stones, but small areas are occasionally covered with from 5 to 20 per cent of angular quartz fragments several inches in diameter.
The Loudoun sandy loam occurs in irregular areas of con- siderable size in the intermediate valley between the Blue Ridge, Short Hill, and Catoctin mountains. The largest area of the type is found in the vicinity of Round Hill.
The topography of this soil in the valley varies from gently rolling to hilly, the slopes being long and gently undulating, while along the valley walls and in the uplands it is ridgy. Owing to the position which this type occupies, surface drain- age is good. The light texture of the soil admits of the easy percolation of water through it, and, except where the subsoil contains considerable sand, the soil moisture is well retained. In dry weather, if the ground is cultivated, a mulch is formed, which prevents the evaporation of the soil moisture and greatly assists the crops to withstand drought.
Nearly the whole of this type is in cultivation. Where the forest still stands the growth consists chiefly of oak. The soil is easy to handle, and can be worked without regard to moisture content. It is considered a good corn land, but is too light-textured for wheat, although a considerable acreage is devoted to this crop. Corn yields at the rate of 40 or 50 bushels per acre, wheat from 12 to 15 bushels and occasionally more, and grass and clover at the rate of 1 or 2 tons per acre. The productiveness of the soil depends greatly on the sand content of the subsoil. If the quantity be large, the soil is
54
HISTORY OF
porous and requires considerable rain to produce good yields. If the clay content predominates, a moderate amount of rain suffices and good yields are obtained. Apples, pears, and small fruits do well on this soil.
Penn Clay.
The Penn clay consists of from 6 to 12 inches of a red or reddish-brown loam, resting upon a subsoil of heavy red clay. The soil and subsoil generally have the Indian-red color char- acteristic of the Triassic red sandstone from which the soil is in part derived. From 1 to 10 per cent of the soil mass is usually made up of small sandstone fragments, while through- out the greater part of the type numerous limestone conglom- erate ledges, interbedded with Triassic red sandstone, come to the surface. In other areas of the type numerous limestone conglomerate bowlders, often of great size, cover from 10 to 25 per cent of the surface.
This latter phase occurs in the vicinity of the Potomac River near Point of Rocks, Md., and near the Potomac, 3 miles north of Leesburg, and in these places the heavier phase of the type occurs, the clay often being very near the surface. In other parts of the County, where the limestone conglom- erate is not so preponderant, or where it lies deeper and is mostly unexposed, the surface soil is deeper, often consisting of 18 inches of loam. The land is locally termed "limestone land." Near Catoctin Mountain the rocks seem to have weathered to considerable depth, there being no exposures or outcrops. Here the soil has been washed away from some of the more elevated small areas, and the heavy red clay subsoil is exposed.
In a great many places along the base of the mountain the formation of this type is somewhat complicated by the wash from the mountain, which consists principally of subangular quartz fragments, from 1 to 4 inches in diameter. This rock sometimes forms as much as 30 or 40 per cent of the soil mass. This phase is called "gravelly land," and is hard to cultivate on account of its heavy texture and stony condition, although it is inherently productive.
55
LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA.
This type occurs in one irregular-shaped area, about 15 miles long, varying from less than 1 mile to 3 or 4 miles in width, being cut by the Potomac River just east of Point of Rocks, Md. It thus lies in the central part of the County, in the Piedmont Plateau, extending from immediately north of Leesburg, and skirting the eastern foot of Catoctin Mountain.
The general surface drainage is good, there being many small streams flowing through the type and emptying into the Potomac River. The stream beds are but little lower than the surface of the surrounding land, while the slopes are long and gentle. Excessive erosion scarcely ever occurs. The heavier phase of the type would undoubtedly be improved by tile draining, as it is usually lower lying than the lighter phase. The heavier phase bakes and cracks in dry weather much the same as the heavy limestone soils of the Shenandoah Valley, but with the lighter phases, where the soil covering is deeper, good tilth is easily maintained throughout the growing season.
Corn, wheat, clover, and grass are the crops grown, of which the yields are as follows: Corn, from 40 to 60 bushels per acre; wheat, from 15 to 25 bushels per acre, and clover and grass, from 11/2 to 212 tons of hay per acre.
The Penn clay is the most highly prized soil of the Pied- mont region of Loudoun and brings the highest prices.
Penn Stony Loam.
The Penn stony loam consists of from 8 to 12 inches of a red or grayish heavy loam, somewhat silty, underlain by a heavier red loam. From 10 to 60 per cent of gray and brown fragments of Triassic sandstone, ranging from 1 to 6 inches in thickness, cover the surface of the soil. The color is in general the dark Indian-red of the other soils derived from Triassic sandstone, being particularly marked in the subsoil.
This type occurs in the southeastern part of Loudoun, on the Piedmont Plateau. It occupies three small areas whose
56
HISTORY OF
total extent probably does not exceed two and one-half square miles. It is closely associated with the Penn loam and grades gradually into that type. The only great difference between the two is the presence of sandstone fragments in the Penn stony loam.
The topography varies from gently rolling to hilly and ridgy, with slopes that are sometimes rather steep. How- ever, the surface is not so broken as to interfere with cultiva- tion, and the slopes are usually gentle.
The type is well drained, the slopes allowing a rapid flow of water from the surface, while the soil water passes readily through the soil and subsoil. On the other hand, the texture is sufficiently heavy to prevent undue leaching and drought.
Little of the laud is in cultivation, on account of its stony character, which makes cultivation difficult. Where unim- proved it is covered with a heavy growth of chestnut, oak, and pine. The land is locally called "chestnut land." In a few small areas the larger stones have been removed and the land is cultivated, corn and wheat being the principal crops. The yield of corn ranges from 20 to 35 bushels and of wheat from 8 to 15 bushels per acre. Apples and small fruits and vegetables do well.
Iredell Clay Loam.
The soil of the Iredell clay loam consists of from 6 to 18 inches of light loam, usually brown or gray, although sometimes of a yellowish color, with an average depth of about twelve inches. The subsoil consists of a heavy yellow to yellowish-brown waxy clay. This clay is cold and sour, almost impervious to moisture and air, and protects the underlying rock from decay to a great extent. Often the clay grades into the rotten rock at from 24 to 36 inches. In the poorly drained areas a few iron concretions occur on the surface. Numerous rounded diabase bowlders, vary- ing in size from a few inches to several feet in diameter, are also scattered over the surface of the soil. Occasional slopes of the type have had the soil covering entirely removed
57
LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA.
by erosion, and here, where the clay appears on the surface, the soil is very poor. In other places, where the soil cover- ing is quite deep, as from 12 to 18 inches, the type is fairly productive, and its productiveness is generally proportional to the depth of the soil.
The local name for the Iredell clay loam is "wax land," from the waxy nature of the subsoil, or "black-oak land," from the timber growth. A few small, isolated areas of this soil occur in the intermediate valley of the Catoctin Belt, and here the texture is much the same as that described above; but the soil usually consists of from 6 to 10 inches of a drab or brown loam, underlain by a heavy mottled yellow and drab silty clay. This phase has few stones on the surface or in the soil. The local names for this phase are "cold, sour land " and "white clay."
The greater part of the Iredell clay loam occurs in the southern or southeastern corner of the County and occupies one large, irregular-shaped but generally connected area, extending from Leesburg, in a southeasterly and southerly direction along Goose Creek to the southern boundary of the County, the most typical development of the soil being at Waxpool. The phase already described occurs in small, dis- connected areas, usually quite far apart, the general relative direction of these areas being northeast and southwest. They all lie in the intermediate valley of the Catoctin Belt, and are usually near the foot of the Blue Ridge or Short Hills. The most typical development of this phase occurs just south- east of Bluemont.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.