Loudoun County staff have begun taking steps which may result in the adoption of a Stewardship Management Plan for the Ruse-Reed farmstead in the Lovettsville Community Park. This has involved clearing the grounds of underbrush so that more of the remains of previous buildings are visible, and commissioning an historic study of the property. The photos shown here are before-and-after images of locations where some of the grounds clearing has taken place.
In the best-case scenario, this could result in the preservation and restoration of buildings such as the dairy barn and the summer kitchen which can still be salvaged, and interpretive displays for important buildings which no longer exist, such as the bank barn and the old farmhouse.
What is a “Stewardship Management Plan”?
The County owns over 20 historic buildings, many of them on properties that are county parks or slated to become a park. At the Lovettsville Park site, six extant structures and two foundations have been documented from the Ruse and Reed families’ ownership. Future archaeological studies could identify subsurface foundations and/or artifacts associated with a structure that is no longer evident. The historic buildings and features are on the Park’s walking path and near the dog park, and they are currently fenced in for safety and security reasons.
Each of the county’s historic sites will eventually have a Stewardship Management Plan (SMP) written specifically for the location. An SMP contains historical research, a current conditions assessment, and recommendations for maintenance and treatment. It might also contain recommendations for safe and reasonable public uses of the property and how the site could be interpreted. The SMP for the Lovettsville Park was prioritized in early 2025, and research and documentation began in the fall.
Overcoming years of neglect and destruction
As we have discussed in previous articles and postings, such as here, here, and here, this history of this farm was typical of those farmed by German settlers in the colonial and post-Revolutionary War periods, and then into the 19th century. The construction of the bank barn, built – or perhaps, rebuilt — in the 1880s, is fortunately well-documented. The barn burned about 50 years ago, but much of the foundation still remains (see photos).
After the County purchased the park property in 2004, a planning process for the development of the park was undertaken by the County and the Lovettsville community, with the creation of a community Advisory Committee. As we previously reported, the plans included restoration of the historic farm buildings and using them for interpreting farm life in the German Settlement. However, the buildings, and particularly the farmhouse, were the victims of lack of funding, combined with neglect and vandalism. After the County determined that the farmhouse could not be saved, it collapsed while being dismantled in 2021. The logs are in storage, in case they can be reused in an interpretive display.
The Lovettsville Historical Society has some photos dating back to the Reed family’s ownership of the farm, but we have minimal information about farming practices, or of community members’ remembrances of the farm. If you have photos, information, or memories of the Ruse-Reed farm, we would love to hear from you!
