Virginia Board Approves State Historical Marker In Waterford

VIRGINIA — The Virginia Board of Historic Resources approved 15 new state historical markers for placement along roads and in towns that highlight the history of the state.

One of the markers will be placed in Loudoun County, tracing Waterford's origins upon the arrival of Quakers from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, beginning around 1733. Originally called Janney’s Mill, the village was renamed Waterford about 1780. By 1830, free African Americans accounted for about a quarter of Waterford’s households.

The Virginia Board of Historic Resources approved the markers during a virtual public meeting last week. The marker’s sponsor covers the required $1,770 manufacturing expenses for a new marker. The Waterford Citizens’ Association is sponsoring the new marker in Waterford.

Virginia’s historical highway marker program began in 1927. Currently, there are more than 2,600 state markers, most of which are maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation, except in those localities outside of VDOT’s authority.

The state's Department of Historic Resources said it creates markers not to honor their subjects but rather to educate and inform the public about a person, place, or event of regional, state, or national importance.

The Waterford marker will be located in front of the mill on Main Street in Waterford. The text on the Waterford marker will read:

Amos and Mary Janney, Quakers from Bucks County, PA, settled here ca. 1733. Others soon followed, forming a manufacturing and commercial center that served the surrounding farmland. By mid-century the village was known as Janney’s Mill after its most important enterprise; it was renamed Waterford about 1780. By 1830, free African Americans headed a quarter of Waterford’s households. During the Civil War, most residents opposed slavery and supported the Union. From the 1930s, local property owners—and the Waterford Foundation they established in 1943—have worked to preserve the 18th- and 19th-century village and its rural setting. The area became a National Historic Landmark district in 1970.

Starting in the mid-20th century, African Americans began moving out of Waterford. In 1992, a special event was held at the 1891 John Wesley Methodist Church in Waterford to remember the town's African American community.