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It’s All About Local History at Thomas Balch Library
It’s All About Local History at Thomas Balch Library
By Laura Longley
At the end of a boxwood-lined walkway leading to the West Market Street entrance of Leesburg’s Thomas Balch Library, its recently appointed director, Laura Christiansen, is putting out a new “Welcome” mat. Never been there? Then now’s the time to visit what she calls a “oneof-a-kind place” and discover the wealth of resources Laura’s been acquiring as curator of manuscripts and archives over the past 10 years.
Over that time, working with retiring director Alexandra Gressitt, Laura has played an instrumental role in expanding the library’s extensive collection of cemetery and census records, deeds and wills, tax rolls, vital records, historic house files, maps, wills, military collections, newspapers, postcards, oral histories, and rare books.
Since its dedication in 1922 by the sons of Philadelphia attorney Thomas Balch, the library has focused its work on a special requirement—that the institution maintain and foster a section dedicated to local history. It’s done that—and much more.
Today the library is the go-to place to trace your family’s genealogy; dig into first-person accounts of the Civil War in Loudoun and Fauquier counties; discover the significant contributions of Loudoun’s Quakers to the region’s social, economic, and political life; and advance your knowledge of African-American heritage through the research of the Black History Committee of the library’s friends organization. (The library is now designated an Underground Railroad research site.)
It’s only been since the Covid 19 pandemic, however, that going to the library also has meant sitting down at your computer or opening your phone and connecting through virtual programs, social media, and YouTube channels.
Beginning in the spring of 2020, Laura has increased the library’s offerings on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (now X) and nurtured partnerships for programming with organizations such as the Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area.
She’s added informative videos, recordings of authors’ lectures, and engaging chats with research experts. She’s also taken deep dives into the archives, sharing and interpreting everything from Civil War battle maps to the records of the Village of Lincoln’s “Home Interest Club.”
Founded in 1903 by women members of the Society of Friends “to discuss all topics tending to elevate and improve the home,” the group shared recipes— which Laura shares with viewers. One of them—perfect for the current strawberry season—is for “Short Cake.” The recipe is signed by Lincoln artist Cosmelia Janney.
“We have her sketchbook in our collection,” Laura said, “with beautiful sketches she did of houses in Lincoln.”
In the video, she also thumbs through the records of the “Housekeepers Club” of African-American women in Aldie who founded their organization in 1914 to help each other because, they wrote, “by working together all things are possible.”
In another YouTube video, Laura invites viewers to join her in a “homework lesson,” perusing the “sums” and lettering books of 19th century schoolboys (you won’t see penmanship like that today!).
“My main goal,” she said, “is to make everyone know they’re welcome here. It’s well known among all kinds of historical communities and educators. But I’d like to get the message out that we’re here for any age group. We’ve expanded our programs for K-12 school groups and for undergrads, and I’m eager to build on that.”
Since Leesburg reopened public facilities three years ago, Laura and Alexandra have resumed live lectures, exhibits, and DNA genealogy seminars, with many of the programs made possible through the support of the Friends of Thomas Balch Library. They’ve also reintroduced exhibits in the library’s award-winning, light-flooded addition designed by the Washington, D.C. firm Bowie Gridley Architects.
In addition, Laura has led development of a new exhibit and processing space at the Donaldson Log Cabin—the log building on Loudoun Street SW next to the Loudoun Museum. The library hosts monthly pop-up exhibits there in conjunction with Leesburg’s First Friday events.
Meanwhile, as Laura has focused on outreach, Alexandra, who retires June 23, has spearheaded the conversion of the library’s extensive catalog from the Dewey Decimal System to the Library of Congress classification system.
That conversion has helped distinguish Thomas Balch Library as an independent research library and separated it from the Loudoun County Public Library catalog. That initiative helped the library join more than 107 countries on the international library stage as part of Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) Worldcat Discovery.
Laura is well prepared to move to Thomas Balch Library’s center stage. In addition to her work with the Thomas Balch Library over the past decade, she gained previous experience in the fields of history, library services, and library development at the Clarke County Historical Association, the Handley Regional Library in Winchester, and the Chrysler Museum of Art.
She holds bachelor’s degrees in art history and history from Berry College; a master’s degree in public history from the University of South Carolina; and a master’s degree in library and information science, also from the University of South Carolina.
Upon Laura’s appointment, Leesburg Town Manager Kaj Dentler said her “promotion represents a continuation of the legacy that Alexandra Gressitt has achieved to make the Thomas Balch Library a destination for research and learning. This also represents a unique opportunity in time to move the library forward to ensure the Balch Library continues to serve the next generation of learners in the digital age.”
“I’m excited to have the opportunity to work to grow the library’s collections and the community around it,” Laura said. “I love that Thomas Balch Library is a place where everyone can experience history firsthand by seeing something amazing in the archives, learning about their genealogy, or discovering something new about our shared past. It is a truly a unique institution, and I am honored to be selected to lead it as director.”
Details: Thomas Balch Library is located at 208 West Market Street in Leesburg. Details: balchlib@leesburgva.gov and https://www.leesburgva.gov/departments/ thomas-balch-library. For new catalog, click on the “Centennial Catalog” button.
