Loudoun County-Operated Parks

Within the Lanesville Heritage Area are Vestal’s Gap Road, the Lanesville House, the Schoolhouse, Frogshackle Nature Center, barns, an outhouse, Tenant House, and Civil War Signal Station site.

Vestal’s Gap Road, long used by American Indians, and opened to colonists after 1722 when the Iroquois signed a treaty that opened the Piedmont of northern Virginia to European settlement.

 
Vestal's Gap Road

From the 1720s through the 1820s, Vestal’s Gap Road served as a principal overland route from northern Virginia through the Blue Ridge Mountains at Vestal’s Gap to Ohio and points westward. Planters traveled the road to transport tobacco to the port at Alexandria.

When the Leesburg Turnpike was completed in 1825, the road was superseded as a major thoroughfare. Vestal’s Gap Road also served as a byway for troops in the French and Indian War. In 1770, George Washington traveled to Ohio via Vestal’s Gap to locate bounty land for officers who had served under him in the war with France.

Lanesville House

The Lanesville House acquired its name from the Lane family who owned 1,000 acres of the land upon which this house was situated. Keturah Lane and husband John Keene operated the Lanesville Post Office from this site.

The earliest mention of this home was on an 1807 Loudoun County application submitted by John Keene to run an "ordinary," a resthouse for travelers. Construction details indicate that the house may date back to the late 1700s.

Schoolhouse

The Schoolhouse was constructed in 1870 by Benjamin Bridges, Jr. who established a boys' boarding school.

The teacher lived on the second floor, and classes were conducted on the first floor.

The school operated from 1870-1875. Restoration of the Schoolhouse will begin soon.

Frogshackle Nature Center

Dr. Claude Moore moved the Frogshackle cabin to its present location in the 1960s.

This 1860s log cabin once stood on a farm in Ashburn that was owned by Moore. The Frogshackle cabin now serves the park as the nature center, providing a hands-on nature experience for patrons.

The Nature Center is open during special events and programs and on a limited basis throughout the year. Contact the park at 571-258-3700 for more information.

The restored barns were constructed during the 1800s, with additions and modifications made over the years. The barns were used to store equipment, animals, and animal food. The barns currently serve the park in the same mode: as equipment storage, a maintenance shop, animal pens, hay loft, etc.

The construction date for the outhouse is not known. It possibly served residents of the boarding school or tenants on the farm.

The Tenant House was built in the 1870s. Story has it that this building was moved from a location closer to the house by Dr. Moore. During the second half of the twentieth century, this building served as a residence for Dr. Moore’s farmhands.

Dr. Claude Moore (1892-1991) was the last resident of the Lanesville House and farm. He purchased the property in 1941. Moore was a radiologist at the George Washington University Medical School and had a strong interest in preservation. After retirement, he served on the board of directors of the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). In 1975, he transferred the Lanesville property to the NWF, while he continued to reside in the house. The NWF developed the property as a nature study center. Loudoun County later purchased the land.

Join Virginia Time Travelers at Claude Moore Park

"Virginia Time Travelers" was developed by the Virginia History Initiative to boost interest in Virginia’s rich historic and cultural attractions. The program uses a passport and reward system to encourage students and their families to visit Virginia museums and historic sites.

The goals of the Time Travelers program include the following:

• Students and their families will achieve a better understanding of history, art, science and cultural resources in Virginia.

• Museums and historic sites will benefit from increased visitation and visibility in their communities.

• Libraries, schools, museums and historic sites will develop a network of cooperation.

Passports are located at participating sites and include a list of participating museums and historic sites; sites are grouped by region. A passport can also be found at www.timetravelers.org.

Claude Moore Park's "History Hunt" is part of the Passport program and the passports are available at the Visitor Center. When you find all of the clues at Claude Moore Park, you will qualify for Claude Moore Park’s Lanesville Heritage Area Time Traveler’s stamp. When students collect six stamps from participating sites, they will receive a certificate of recognition signed by Governor Mark Warner and a TimeTravelers T-shirt.

Claude Moore Park Joins Civil War Trails

In March 2003, Claude Moore Park officially joined the Civil War Trail as volunteers and staff gathered for a new interpretive sign unveiling.

The sign—"Guilford Signal Station-Tracking the Confederates"—was unveiled by park volunteers Rebecca Fitzgerald and Steve Meserve to a crowd interested in the history of Civil War activities that took place in the park.

In March 2003, Claude Moore Park officially joined the Civil War Trail as volunteers and staff gathered for a new interpretive sign unveiling.

The sign—"Guilford Signal Station-Tracking the Confederates"—was unveiled by park volunteers Rebecca Fitzgerald and Steve Meserve to a crowd interested in the history of Civil War activities that took place in the park.

The interpretive sign for the signal station is located near the Visitor Center and directs patrons to the Little Stoney Mountain Trail (white blazes) which will lead visitors to the signal station site. Additional information about the Signal Station is available in the Visitor Center.

For more information, please visit Claude Moore Park, seven days a week, 7:00 a.m. to dusk or contact the Visitor Center at 571-258-3700.

• Timeline of  Vestal's Gap Road & the Lanesville Historic District