100 Old Houses On The W&OD Trail

Step into the upside-down world of old houses, which has its own vocabulary. Do you know what a gable is? In this world, aluminum siding is bad, even though it requires little maintenance, while German siding

German siding exposed when porch was repaired on house. Located on crushed gravel parallel trail, near border between Loudoun and Fairfax, just west of Herndon. Part of Oak Grove, an African-American neighborhood, outside of the corporate limits of Herndon, centered around a Baptist church.

is good, even though you must paint it every other year. Outside of Alexandria, old houses are scarce in Northern Virginia, because its population grew slowly until World War II. The houses along the railroad are one exception to this rule. People built houses near the railroad so they could commute to Washington, D.C. Prior to 1920, the roads were unimproved dirt, so driving into Washington was difficult. When fast growth arrived in both Arlington and Fairfax Counties, many old houses fell under the blades of bulldozers, further diminishing the supply. The story of old houses in Loudoun County is a happier one. Unless otherwise noted, all of these houses are private. Please respect the property rights of the owners by not trespassing on their land.

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This page last updated Apr 8, 2003 by

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