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 kins ...
library located in
Leesburg, Virginia
Leesburg is a town in the state of Virginia, and the county seat of Loudoun County, Virginia, Loudoun County. Settlement in the area began around 1740, which is named for the Lee family, early leaders of the town and ancestors of Robert E. Lee. Lo ...
.
The library, owned and operated by the town of Leesburg, serves as a designated
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. ...
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 a prominent 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 ...
.
In 1922, the Thomas Balch Library was constructed in
Leesburg, Virginia
Leesburg is a town in the state of Virginia, and the county seat of Loudoun County, Virginia, Loudoun County. Settlement in the area began around 1740, which is named for the Lee family, early leaders of the town and ancestors of Robert E. Lee. Lo ...
as a memorial to historian
Thomas Balch, a Leesburg native.
Thomas Willing Balch (1866-1927) and
Edwin Swift Balch
The name Edwin means "rich friend". It comes from the Old English elements "ead" (rich, blessed) and "ƿine" (friend). The original Anglo-Saxon form is Eadƿine, which is also found for Anglo-Saxon figures.
People
* Edwin of Northumbria (die ...
(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 c ...
. 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
Loudoun County Public Library (LCPL), with more than 200 employees, both professional and paraprofessional, serves the citizens of Loudoun County, Virginia. There are 10 physical branches, plus Outreach Services, which delivers books and other res ...
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.
Leesburg, Virginia: Thomas Balch Library
/ref> Th
Martin L. Cook
photograph collection was acquired by the library in 2008. Cook was commissioned after training at the Tuskegee Army Flying School
Sharpe Field is a closed private use airport located northwest of the central business district of Tuskegee, a city in Macon County, Alabama, United States. This airport is privately owned by the Bradbury Family Partnership.
Formerly known a ...
and went on to serve in the U.S. Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...
in the Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to:
Current departments of defence
* Department of Defence (Australia)
* Department of National Defence (Canada)
* Department of Defence (Ireland)
* Department of National Defense (Philippin ...
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 t ...
in the category "Traditional Buildings" was given to Bowie Gridley Architects for a "sympathetic" addition to the Library 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. Reference services include general collection research, and also manuscripts, archives, and rare book research.
Internet access is available on specified computer terminals. Interlibrary loan services are also available to patrons, with a small fee.
Reproduction services are also offered. These services are either self-serve or employee-assisted when special handling is required for specific materials. Reproduction services include both written information and photographs.
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 (George Mason, Mason, or GMU) is a public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia with an independent City of Fairfax, Virginia postal address in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. The university was orig ...
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