Ashburn, Virginia
Encyclopedia : A : AS : ASH : Ashburn, Virginia
Ashburn was originally called Farmwell (variant names include Old Farmwell and Farmwell Station) after a nearby mansion of that name owned by George Lee. The name Farmwell first appeared in George Lee's October 1802 will and was used to describe the 1,236 acre plantation he inherited from his father, Thomas Ludwell Lee II. A section of Farmwell plantation west of Ashburn Road, a 580 acre tract, was purchased in 1841 by lawyer and almost vice-president John Janney, a Quaker, as a summer home. John Janney called the property Ashburn Farm (first known written use is 1870 when he sold the property). It is likely he named the farm after family friends named Ashburn. In 1895, Ashburn Farm was purchased by Senator William Morris Stewart. Local legend has it that the village, known until then as Farmwell or Farmwell Station, got its new name after lightning struck an ash tree on Senator Stewart's farm in 1896. The ash tree is rumored to have burned and smoldered for a week and attracted spectators from miles around. Since the Post Office had been pressing for a new name for the village (to avoid confusion with Farmville in Prince Edward County, Virginia), and the Senator was the area's leading citizen, the villagers renamed the village after the ash burn.[link]
Today, Ashburn's population is slightly over 50,000 and is one of the largest unincorporated areas of Loudoun County. Many of its citizens commute into Washington, D.C. and the surrounding suburbs to their places of employment.
Ashburn has multiple golf courses and two universities, and it is located between Washington Dulles International Airport and Leesburg, the county seat of Loudoun County. Ashburn is the current home to the America Online division of Time Warner. Formerly home to the world headquarters of MCI, several other high-tech businesses continue to have a major presence in the area. In addition, Howard Hughes Medical Institute is building a major research campus in northern Ashburn.
Ashburn is also the home to four landmarks on the National Register of Historic Places: Belmont Plantation (1799), the Broad Run Bridge and Toll House (1820), the sanctuary of Ashburn Presbyterian Church (1878), and Janelia Farm (1936).
Miles to DC: 33.57
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