A Catoctin Creek mill hamlet with two of Loudoun’s oldest houses facing each other across the water.
History
Taylorstown is among the earliest settled spots in Loudoun. In 1734 Richard Brown, a Quaker from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, chose this bend of Catoctin Creek for a mill, and his small stone house, Hunting Hill, still stands. Across the creek is Foxton, an 18th-century stone cottage that ranks with the county’s oldest vernacular buildings.
In 1784 Thomas Taylor, a Quaker from Frederick County, Maryland, bought the land, built a stone mill and sold small lots around it. Settlers called the place Taylor Town, a name that settled into Taylorstown around 1900. Through the 19th century this was one of Loudoun’s busier corners, with a post office, blacksmith, stores and, for a time, two mills. During the Civil War many residents sided with the Union, and Confederates retaliated by burning the mill and the creek’s only bridge.
The mill later turned to steam power and then served as a feed store before becoming a private home in the late 1960s. A concrete store from 1904 and two Victorian houses round out a crossroads that has changed little, aside from a newer bridge over the creek.
Courses through Taylorstown
Rides through Taylorstown
- Leesburg to Taylorstown & StumptownApr 1, 2012 · 44.7 mi
- Back to Taylorstown/StumptownMay 12, 2012 · 63.2 mi
- Pizza RideMay 4, 2013 · 48.9 mi
- Team Qhubeka Cycling Unbound Gravel Bike RideJul 10, 2022 · 42.1 mi
- Leesburg gravel ride to happy hourSep 16, 2022 · 38.5 mi
- Waterford 45K with after-ride pizzaMay 26, 2023 · 27.9 mi
Sources: Loudoun Historic Village Alliance – Taylorstown · Wikipedia – Taylorstown, Virginia · Virginia DHR – Taylorstown Historic District (053-0603). Ride counts from our own Strava and Ride with GPS logs, 2009–2026.
