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LOUDOUN FAVORITES PULL OUT INSIDE
VOL. 7, NO. 36
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JULY 28, 2022
New Exhibit Tells Story of the Enslaved at Temple Hall BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com
Temple Hall Farm Regional Park is known for its connections to famous people, from its founding by William Temple Thomson Mason, the nephew of George Mason, to the visits made to the property by the Marquis de Lafayette, President John Quincy Adams, and former President James Monroe. Now, a new exhibit puts the spotlight on 22 people who played a more important role in the life of the farm, although far less is known about them. On July 21, the NOVA Parks board of directors gathered at the Leesburg-area park with Loudoun County NAACP President Michelle Thomas and Supervisor Caleb Kershner (R-Catoctin) to unveil two new historical markers that provide information on enslaved people who lived on the property. The display is based on research conducted by Paul McCray, the park’s former director who retired after working four decades for the park authority. He combed through records at Leesburg’s Thomas Balch Library, historical records at Loudoun’s courthouse and other sources to learn more of slave life on the property. The effort is an element of NOVA Park’s strategic plan to put an emphasis on telling these stories. Thomas said it was important work. “What you’re doing here is telling the comprehensive, holistic history that makes all of us Americans. It unifies this country around the truth of what happened and the better parts of what we’ll become in the future,” she said. Kirshner also cited the value of telling history’s full story. “I have always believed that preserving and continuing to strive to learn all aspects of our history—both the triumphs and the tragedies, the challenges and failures as well as the successes are very important,” he said. McCray said the property once had two slave quarters and 22 enslaved people, although that number was reduced as the needs of the farm evolved. That made it likely that they would be leased out to other farms, often splitting families. TEMPLE HALL EXHIBIT continues on page 22
Renss Greene/Loudoun Now
Power lines and quarry equipment visible from Philip A. Bolen Memorial Park in Leesburg.
Supervisors Face Pressure to Set More Aggressive Climate Targets BY RENSS GREENE rgreene@loudounnow.com
Twenty Loudoun nonprofits have joined a call for county supervisors to take more aggressive action toward fighting climate change, in a county where the data center industry has made Loudoun one of the most energy-hungry localities in the state.
The calls come as supervisors were preparing for their environmental summit, scheduled for Wednesday, July 27. The county government is working to revise its energy plan. Currently, that effort includes a mission to work toward net-zero emissions by 2045 and a carbon-free power grid by 2050. But a resolution prepared by the Piedmont Environmental Coun-
cil, the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, and the Native Plant Society Piedmont Chapter, calls to commit to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 50% of 2005 levels by 2030, and to go carbon-free by 2035. The groups are pushing supervisors to adopt the resolution, but so far, no supervisor has agreed to bring it forward. CLIMATE TARGETS continues on page 22
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