Cycling Through History on Gravel Roads
Experience 300 Years of Loudoun ’ s Past as You Pedal , and Pause , in This Living Museum
by Jane Covington with emily houston
Photo by Douglas Graham / WLP
Loudoun ’ s old roads predate America , carved out of the hill terrain by early settlers who built prosperous agricultural communities in the northern Piedmont . Terrible wars , slavery and the struggle for freedom , the coming of the automobile and the modern era of commuters living side-by-side with farmers , all make the history embedded in Loudoun ’ s roads the tale of a very American experience .
Loudoun County ’ s unpaved roads have become a mecca for gravel cyclists , attracting riders from all over the country and even the world . The ability to ride loops of up to 100 miles with a high percentage of those miles being on gravel , is a big draw . Each year , the Loudoun 1725 Gravel Grinder attracts hundreds of cyclists who select from three different routes — a 40-mile loop , a 60-mile loop , and an ambitious 80-mile ride . ( See route map .) The immensely popular event is typically “ sold out ” but its routes can be ridden — and enjoyed — at any time . ( And of course , you can drive them as well !)
Here are some of the highlights of the sights you will see on your journey , and their place in the remarkable fabric of Loudoun ’ s history .
Rock Hill Cemetery and African American Culture
Post-Emancipation , African Americans comprised roughly a third of Loudoun ’ s population and their villages and hamlets once dotted Loudoun ’ s countryside . According to land tax records immediately after the Civil War , there were approximately 30 communities of freedmen scattered throughout the County . However , most villages and their associated schools , churches and cemeteries have been lost in eastern Loudoun and only a few remain in western Loudoun .
Living as enslaved people and without the right to own land , permanent African American burial grounds were rarely protected and few have survived into the 21 st century . Rock Hill Cemetery is unique in that it is located on land that was purchased in 1889 for the specific purpose of becoming a burial ground and is one of
38 wander I spring • summer 2023