village of Snickersville , to Bluemont ( 1900 ).
As the nation descended into the Civil War , much of Loudoun was contested territory . The residents and businesses of Philomont experienced frequent movement of Union and Confederate forces along the turnpike , and multiple actions within the immediate surroundings .
In the wake of the Battle of Antietam , on November 1 , 1862 , Union and Confederate cavalry exchanged artillery and ground action at the ford crossing of the north Fork of Beaverdam Creek , expanding the following day into what is more widely recognized as the Battle of Unison .
Commencing in November , 1864 , nearly all barns in the region were burned by Union forces in an effort to disrupt support for Confederate Colonel John S . Mosby . One of the only barns documented to have survived this action stands just north of Philomont ’ s main crossroads along the western side of Snickersville Turnpike .
The post-Civil War era ushered renewed spirit and growth to Philomont . With businesses thriving , and boarding houses hosting summer visitors hoping to abandon city heat for the countryside , the community believed their chapel should be moved nearer the center of the developing village . Accordingly , the stone chapel which served the area during the Civil War period , was moved in the fall of 1890 . The Milhollen family , proprietors of the general store at the time , contributed land within the village core . The entire community of multiple faiths , is claimed to have deconstructed , moved , and rebuilt the chapel on the new site , stone by stone . The Roszell Chapel UMC remains active at this same location , honoring the name of the family who first provided the property for its prior location . Boardwalks were later constructed , linking the chapel , store , and school .
A second general store was opened by John B . VanSickler in the late 1890s , just east of the present-day Philomont Community Center . Though operation of this business proved volatile , the structure played an unmatched role in ensuring the stability of the village . By 1907 , the VanSickler operation had changed hands , and gone out of business , leaving the building vacant . The following year , Philomont ’ s original store , founded by Megeath and operated by the Milhollen family at the time , was struck by lightning and burned . The vacant space , less than 200 yards away , enabled
Photos : Drew Bishop
Left : The Philomont Roszell Chapel ; right : the village core of Philomont ; anchored by the Philomont General Store , the Philomont Volunteer Fire Department — Company 8 , and the Philomont Community Center pictured here .
the original business to continue serving the village of Philomont . The Milhollens operated from this location for approximately five years , when the current general store structure was completed . The former VanSickler store hosted the Philomont school in 1917 , after a stone and wood school was destroyed by fire . Again , a second store operated , mid-century , until the location was ultimately converted to a private residence .
As the village moved into the 20th century , its current form began to take shape . The advent of the automobile caused a contraction of economic activity for most Loudoun villages — and Philomont was not immune . Greater mobility meant increased access to competitive goods and services . Some early Philomont businesses ( i . e .– wheelwright , milliner ) became obsolete , while others found it difficult to weather general economic adversity , and competition from the growing business hubs of Purcellville and Middleburg — both with railroad access .
Despite headwinds , and the recent fire , the Milhollen and
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