More than a Century of Family Life in Bluemont

Judy Anderson's tale of family life in Bluemont, going back more than a century, began with her great-grandfather Volney Osburn purchasing a farm off what is now Route 7, on the north edge of Snickersville. The story continues, with Judy's grandmother Pearl Osburn Jones ("Granny Jones"), Judy's father and mother (Robert and Ellen McClaughry Jones), memories of a free and adventurous childhood in Bluemont in the 1950s, Judy's marriage to classmate Bud Anderson, and the way the newspapers took notice when Judy donated a kidney to Bud a decade ago.

Through this website, the Andersons have shared more than a century's store of pictorial treasures: a 1849 recipt for William T. Osborn's tuition, doctor's records from the 1880s, a signed letter by Senator Harry Byrd, a 1937 monthly phone bill (amount: $1.90), an ad featuring Winnie Davis "the Daughter of the Confederacy," and Virginia script from the Civil War. ... more...

The Andersons earlier shared one-of-a-kind documents on a related story -- basic to Bluemont's early 20th Century identity -- which has been all but lost: Romancing the Railroad: How Bluemont Citizens Brought the Railway to Bluemont. ...more...

Romancing the Railroad:
Part 1: How Bluemont Citizens Brought the Railway to Bluemont in 1900

Many know that the railroad came to Snickersville in 1900, reportedlymaking its initial run onthe first Independence Day of the Twentieth Century.  Many also know that at the suggestion of the railway company, and in the hope that a more upscale name might draw a stronger trade of summer visitors, the people of Snickersville acquiesced in changing the village’s name to “Bluemont.”

Many people know that story.  But few know the story of what the citizens of Snickersville did for themselves to make the railway extension happen.  They notified the public, organized themselves to conduct business, subscribed and collected money to construct the depot, and handled legal considerations around obtaining the right of way and adjusting “damages.”  All these actions helped make the railway extension from Round Hill to Bluemont become a reality. ...more...

Going Squirrely

... in early Aprilwe noticed tails frisking away in the upper branches of the much-trimmed white walnut at the back of the house. Then, on April 19, there they were -- several baby squirrels -- even daintier than the "girl squirrel," venturing down the tree to get at the seeds. They would startle and bluff each other, or approach slowly and touch noses, apparently to identify each other.

At one point I thought I counted five babies, but later we could spot only three at any given moment...

...more photos...

Bluemont Cards

Featuring 3 scenes of Bears Den based on antique postcards.

For details & to purchase...

Rnjoy Bluemont Even More with this
Carefully Researched, Easy, Entertaining Reference ...

From Snickersville to Bluemont: The Biography and History of a Village by Jean Herron Smith, Evelyn Porterfield Johnson, and Robert Hoffman

The work of many hands and several generations, this book in its 2003 edition is simply the best reference work available on the Western Loudoun village of Bluemont. ORDER NOW

If YOUR House Could Talk

Does your house have a story to tell?

In 2009, Friends of Bluemont launched a new project—“If This House Could Talk” —to spotlight homes or other buildings of the Bluemont area – houses up on the mountain, down in the village, and nearby.  We will be taking photos, collecting stories, and scanning historic photographs and documents.

Most of Bluemont is outside of the village itself.  We'd love to hear from anyone in the 20135 zip code, or just beyond the official boundary, with something interesting to tell.