Stepping back in time to
Willisville
By carol lee and Jane Covington
Aldie United Methodist Church
die . And we kept coming back until 2016 , when we bought a house and settled down in the village for good . It remains one of the best decisions we have ever made .
Tucked into the rolling Bull Run Mountains beside the tranquil Little River , the village of Aldie is often called the gateway to Loudoun County ’ s rural west and Virginia ’ s Piedmont ; but years of history , of industry , of battles , of families , and of a community and its stories — these make Aldie something bigger , something more than just that . I ’ ve heard the saying , “ All roads lead to Rome .” I ’ m sure you have , too . I ’ m here to tell you that for me , all roads have led me here , to Aldie . How lucky I am , indeed , to call this place home .
Katie Johnson is a writer , reader , sometimes singer , and President of the Aldie Heritage Association . She lives in the Village of Aldie with her husband , their two wonderful pets , and possibly a few ghosts . She regularly showcases her life in rural Loudoun County on her blog , myvirginiadiary . com .
The tiny village of Willisville , located in southwest Loudoun near the Fauquier County line , is one of Loudoun ’ s few remaining intact Black villages . Under the leadership of Carol Lee , a long-time village resident , Willisville was listed to the National Register in 2019 , recognized for its significance as an Black village that predates the Civil War .
Black communities once dotted 19th century Loudoun . According to land tax records , immediately after the Civil War , there were approximately thirty settlements of Freedmen throughout the county . It is possible that Willisville ’ s origins lay in a varied collection of cabins of Free Blacks , of slave quarters , and at least one overseer ’ s house all pre-dating the Civil War .
One of Willisville ’ s oldest known dwellings is the Willis House , which dates to circa 1840 and was built as a one-and-a-half story log cabin . Henson Willis was a “ mechanic ”— someone who could work with wood and possibly worked at the nearby Clifton Mill . A mechanic would have been a valued trade and therefore it was likely than Henson may have petitioned to remain in the Commonwealth after his emancipation . Although there were few free Blacks in Virginia before the Civil War , there appear to be a few others in addition to Henson Willis living in the neighborhood .
The Willis cabin was located at the edge of Townsend Seaton ’ s ( 1825-1908 ) Catesby Farm in a somewhat swampy area . Willis likely bartered rent in exchange for labor . Land tax records indicate Willis owned neither personal property nor real estate . The dwelling was originally built with a stone foundation and massive stone , cooking chimney on the south gable end . The cabin was originally oriented with the side gable end towards Welbourne Road .
After the Civil War , formerly enslaved Blacks settled in the neighborhood of Willisville . With the aid of neighboring White farm owners , the Black community built a school , which also served as a church when class was not in session . The original school building , like many schoolhouses of this era , was a one-room log structure . It was constructed in 1868 , one of Loudoun ’ s earliest schools for Black children .
By the 1870s , judging from tax records , there were still about five or more families living in Willisville , which was then referred to as “ nr Clifton ” Farm . The same families enslaved by nearby farms
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