TaleS of two mapmakers
Eugene Scheel and Yardley Taylor : A passion shared for charting Loudoun ’ s early days
The Sioux Indians of Loudoun County
by Pamela Lane Baldwin
Without the presence and the unique capabilities of Eugene Scheel in Loudoun County , current residents would know little or nothing about the history of our area before English and German families first settled here in the early 18th century .
Scheel , a longtime resident of Orchardcroft Farm just west of Waterford , has drawn wonderfully detailed maps that tell stories of long ago in many parts of Loudoun , but perhaps the most unique among his many maps is his most recent one : The American Indian in Loudoun County and Surrounding Areas , and the Journeys of the First Explorers , 1692-1712 .
Scheel explains his decision to create an Indian map as follows : “ The idea for the map came because no one else had done it , and I thought some attention needs to be given to the peoples who had occupied the area for far more centuries than we settlers . The Rust Center provided a lot of information about sites , especially in eastern Loudoun , and I was fortunate to take down information before the building went up in flames . As shown on the map , the Sioux had neighbors from the Algonkian , Conoy , Shawnee and Tuscarora tribes .”
Scheel , who is now in his eighties , grew up in Brooklyn , NY and became deeply interested in distant locations while following daily news of the battles of World War II . He then studied geography at Clark University in Worcester , Massachusetts , earned a Master ’ s degree in architecture from Georgetown University , and served in the Marine Corps before working at the National Geographic magazine in the 1960s . Later he wrote a historical column for The Washington Post .
After leaving National Geographic , Scheel became a cartographer . He drew his first Loudoun map thereafter and ultimately produced some 50 superbly hand-drawn maps of multiple areas of Loudoun and other parts of Virginia , all of which reveal his extensive knowledge of the history of Loudoun and the state .
Eugene Scheel
These maps also reflect his many conversations with knowledgeable longtime residents , in addition to his own extensive research . They are impressively detailed , showing the locations of Civil War battlefields , family graveyards , and many other features of historical note . Indeed , the Rust Center in Leesburg was an important center of historical documentation and collection before fire destroyed the Rust building and its contents in 1980 .
36 wander I fall • winter 2021