Bluemont Historic District

Bluemont is a small village at Snickers Gap, high on the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge in western Loudoun County, Virginia. The historic district takes in most of the town: 43 buildings along the old Snickersville Turnpike, a few on the Leesburg road, and Elizabeth Avenue. The oldest survivor is Clayton Hall, a stone house from 1797. Stone and log buildings of the early 1800s stand among late Victorian frame houses and early 1900s stores. The village began as a trading point on the route carrying grain from the Shenandoah Valley toward Tidewater ports, and it was called Snickersville until the railroad arrived in 1900. Rail service brought summer visitors from Washington, and boarding houses such as the Loudoun House Hotel and the Blue Ridge Inn were built to host them. Service ended in 1930. Only five modern buildings intrude, so the district keeps a rural, turn-of-the-century character.