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Local historian, Rich Gillespie will lead a historic walking tour, Leesburg, Loudoun and the American Revolution on Saturday, March 7, beginning at 10 a.m. This two-hour event will begin at the Thomas Balch Library parking lot. In the decade that brought on the American Revolution-the 1770s-Loudoun was a new county, created by the House of Burgesses in 1757, and was what modern historians refer to as the "Southern Back Country." West of the "fall line" European settlers arrived here as much from Pennsylvania as from long-settled Tidewater Virginia. This tour will both introduce you to the American Revolution and how it played locally against the backdrop of the historic landscape that remains from that time. Good Walking shoes, warm clothes, and a bottle of water are recommended as you will be outside for the morning. Pre-registration is required. Only 50 spots are available. The tour will be offered again in Fall 2026. Call 703-737-7195, email balchlib@leesburgva.gov, or register online. A long-time history teacher in the county, Gillespie is also Historian Emeritus for the Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area.