The Thomas Balch Library is a history and
genealogy
Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...
library located in
Leesburg, Virginia
Leesburg is a town in and the county seat of Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. It is part of both the Northern Virginia region of the state and the Washington metropolitan area, including Washington, D.C., the nation's capital.
European se ...
.
The library, owned and operated by the town of Leesburg, serves as a designated
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...
research site and has an active research program.
History
The library was incorporated in 1918.
The architect for the library was
Waddy Butler Wood
Waddy Butler Wood (1869 – January 25, 1944) was an American architect of the early 20th century and resident of Washington, D.C. Although Wood designed and remodeled numerous private residences, his reputation rested primarily on his larger c ...
.
In 1922, the Thomas Balch Library was constructed in
Leesburg, Virginia
Leesburg is a town in and the county seat of Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. It is part of both the Northern Virginia region of the state and the Washington metropolitan area, including Washington, D.C., the nation's capital.
European se ...
as a memorial to historian
Thomas Balch, a Leesburg native.
Thomas Willing Balch (1866-1927) and
Edwin Swift Balch
The name Edwin means "wealth-friend". It comes from (wealth, good fortune) and (friend). Thus the Old English form is Ēadwine, a name widely attested in early medieval England. Edwina is the feminine form of the name.
Notable people and char ...
(1856-1927), sons of Thomas Balch, originally endowed the
subscription library
A subscription library (also membership library or independent library) is a library that is financed by private funds either from membership fees or endowments. Unlike a public library, access is often restricted to members, but access rights ca ...
. The Library is part of the
Leesburg Historic District.
The Thomas Balch Library operated for fifty years under a private Board of Trustees. The library was staffed by volunteers and part-time employees. In 1960 the library dropped its subscription and became a free, though segregated, public library. It was desegregated in 1965. In 1973, the
Loudoun County Public Library system was established. The Thomas Balch Library joined as a full service public library branch in 1974, alongside the Purcellville, Purcellville Bookmobile and Sterling libraries.
In 1994, ownership of the Thomas Balch Library was transferred from the Loudoun County Public Library system to the Town of Leesburg. Under the Town of Leesburg, the library began operating as a history and genealogy library. Th
Martin L. Cookphotograph collection was acquired by the library in 2008. Cook was commissioned after training at the
Tuskegee Army Flying School and went on to serve in the
U.S. Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...
in the
Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising the six U.S. armed services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, ...
as an aeronautical engineer.
In 2003 a
Palladio Award
The Palladio Award is an architectural prize given annually for "creative interpretation or adaptation of design principles developed through 2,500 years of the Western architectural tradition". The Awards, in several categories, are presented by ...
in the category "Traditional Buildings" was given to
Bowie Gridley Architects for a "sympathetic" addition to the Library building.
The addition doubled the size of the 1922 building.
[
In 2013, the state legislature passed a special bill enabling the Library to receive a gift of $618,000 left to it by Virginia L. Bowie, a Leesburg resident and longtime library volunteer.]
Services
The Thomas Balch Library offers patrons many services. Research and reference services include general collection research, databases and electronic resources, the Loudoun County cemetery database, research guides and book indices, and digital exhibits. The special collections include archives, manuscripts, cemetery records, census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
records, deeds and wills, genealogies
Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kins ...
and family histories, historic house files, maps, microforms, military collections, newspapers, oral histories, rare books, tax rolls, vertical files
Vertical is a geometric term of location which may refer to:
* Vertical direction, the direction aligned with the direction of the force of gravity, up or down
* Vertical (angles), a pair of angles opposite each other, formed by two intersecting s ...
, visual collections, and vital records
Vital records are records of life events kept under governmental authority, including birth certificates, marriage licenses (or marriage certificates), separation agreements, divorce certificates or divorce party and death certificates. In some j ...
.
Internet access is available for up to an hour on specified computer terminals. Interlibrary loan services are also available to patrons for a small fee.
Reproduction services are also offered for a fee. Copies can be made in black-and-white from a copy machine, printer, or microfilm printer. These services are either self-serve or, when special handling is required for specific materials, employee-assisted. Reproduction services include both written information and photographs. [https://www.leesburgva.gov/departments/thomas-balch-library/research-reference-services/reference-and-reproduction-service-fees]
Loudoun History Awards
Every year, the Thomas Balch Library presents the Loudoun History Awards. These awards are sponsored by the Thomas Balch Library Advisory Commission. The awards were established to recognize contributions of local historian John Elbert Devine (1911-1996), in preserving Loudoun County history. The Loudoun History Awards were initially started in 1993.
Research
In February 2012 the library published work connecting slaves with their modern-day descendants.George Mason University
George Mason University (GMU) is a Public university, public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Located in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., the university is named in honor of George Mason, a Founding Father ...
announced an agreement for academic cooperation.
References
External links
*
Friends of Thomas Balch Library
{{authority control
Public libraries in Virginia
Library buildings completed in 1922
Historic district contributing properties in Virginia
Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia
National Register of Historic Places in Loudoun County, Virginia
Brick buildings and structures in Virginia
1922 establishments in Virginia