![\"180120-LHS-AT-ALDIE_ERIC_VPW5664\"](\"http:\/\/www.lovettsvillehistoricalsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/180120-LHS-AT-ALDIE_ERIC_VPW5664.jpg\")
<\/a>Woodburn and three other adaptively-used houses are scheduled to be torn down to make way for a new firehouse at Aldie, which would be a much larger structure to be built along the turnpike and backed into the Bull Run Mountain next to the current 4\u00bd-bay firehouse. Fire apparatus has grown in size since volunteer company No. 7 opened its new station in 1970, and the Aldie area has as well. This is the third site the County of Loudoun has suggested.<\/p>\n
There were several concerns motivating the LHS board in deciding to go on a Saturday morning field trip to Aldie. Rich Gillespie, a new board member, confessed to some interest in getting to ride on LHS President Fred George\u2019s \u201cLoversville\u201d 25-passenger bus, but indicated that was certainly not the driving force to go. LHS board members were concerned that the County was not being sensitive to the historic nature of Aldie, one of Loudoun’s best-preserved and historic villages–but not famous like Waterford or the Old Town part of Leesburg. This resonates because Lovettsville finds itself in a similar situation. They wondered about the degree of impact of the loss of this particularly historic structure (Woodburn) on Aldie\u2019s streetscape and its priceless historic ambiance\u2014something you have to see for yourself to decide. They were concerned over a potential lack of sensitivity by the County when putting a new structure into an historic village which does not fit it in terms of size (in this case quite large) or architectural cues, so they wished to learn more about the proposal.<\/p>\n Lovettsville Historical Society board members wanted to hear from their Aldie counterparts whether the County government had listened to the concerns of citizens when it comes to historic preservation. The LHS board members were mindful that Aldie-area citizens hope to maintain a firehouse in a central location for the service area, while maintaining their historic landscape.<\/p>\n President Florian Hauswiesner and other members of the Aldie Heritage Association met their Lovettsville counterparts after a tour of the Aldie Mill provided by NOVA Parks Site Supervisor Tracy Gillespie. They walked the short distance across Little River to the current Aldie Firehouse, and then on through the structures slated for demolition and on to the threatened Woodburn tavern building.\u00a0\u00a0 Impressed with the massive size of the site and the significant distance from the current fire station to Woodburn, many questions were asked, and the concerns of their colleagues from the Aldie Heritage Association were shared.<\/p>\n While the Lovettsville Historical Society\u2019s Board of Directors did not see it as appropriate for them to make a stand on the Aldie Firehouse issue, they felt strongly that an investigative visit to establish kinship with another\u00a0rural Loudoun historical organization facing a preservation challenge was an appropriate step to take. \u201cThe people that we met at Aldie were young, enthusiastic, entrepreneurial individuals who question bad planning decisions but are likewise willing to work with the county authorities for win-win solutions,\u201d said long-time LHS member Mike Zapf. \u201cWhat they want is not nostalgia, but a quality of life that does not entail bulldozing the landscape and historical landmarks.\u201d<\/p>\n Melani Carty, another LHS board member, noted: \u201cIt is our duty to protect historic structures . . . Western Loudoun\u2019s log and stone buildings viscerally remind us of life in centuries past, and give us a visual framework in place to imagine the events that took place there. Historic buildings like Woodburn give visitors, newcomers to Loudoun\u00a0County, as well as longtime residents, an understanding of the significance and depth of\u00a0history in our area. \u00a0Old\u00a0buildings generate an authentic sense of local character\u00a0and a unique sense of place that enriches our quality of life, and\u00a0contributes to our\u00a0tourism economy. Tear down old buildings, lose that sense of place.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a>