Thomas Balch Library

The Loudoun County Public Schools' Social Sciences Fair began in 1996 as an outlet for Intermediate and High School students to research social science topics of interest to them. There are several award categories, including Local History, Movers and Shakers, Citizenship and Government, and Wars and Revolutions, as well as special commemorative topics that change annually. Additional awards are presented by organizations such as Daughters of the American Revolution, the Loudoun County Historical Society, and the Waterford Foundation. Since 2008, the Thomas Balch Library and the Thomas Balch Library Advisory Commission have jointly presented an award honoring excellence in local history, chosen from all the categories at large. In addition, the Black History Committee of Friends of the Thomas Balch Library has presented awards for outstanding submissions on a topic related to African-American History.

From the guide to the Loudoun County Public Schools' Social Sciences Fair Collection, 2000-, (Thomas Balch Library)

Public library given to the town of Leesburg, Va., by the sons of Thomas Balch (1821-1877) as a memorial to their father.

From the description of Records, 1839-1984 (bulk 1903-1933 and 1960-1974). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 70959127

The village of Bluemont is located in Loudoun County, Va., on the east slope of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is one of the oldest settlements in western Loudoun County. Bluemont was known as Snickers Gap from 1807 to 1824; the name was changed to Snickersville when the area officially became a village. When the railroad arrived it brought with it people and tourism. The Southern Railway Company, believing the name Snickersville would not entice people to visit the village, requested the village's name be changed to Bluemont to promote tourism in the area.The names Snickers Gap and Snickersville originate from the name of one of the previous owners of the land, Edward Snickers. Edward Snickers (1735-1790), a ferryman among other things, owned the land from 1769 to 1777. Snickers sold the 624 acres where Bluemont is now located to Richard Wistar (d. ca. 1788). After Wistar's death, William Clayton (d. ca. 1817) bought the property from his heirs in 1792. Clayton was the first owner of the land to actually live on it. His son Amos Clayton (d. 1829) designed and built Clayton Hall for him in 1797. Clayton Hall is one of the historical landmarks still standing in the village of Bluemont. Clayton is the first recorded landowner resident of the land, but it is likely that the actual settlement of Snickersville originated before Clayton owned the land. Before the railway arrived the most common way for people to travel in and out of the town was by one of two major roads located in the area. These roads were located at present day Route 734 and Route 760. Route 734 traveled from Snickers Gap to Aldie and Route 760 connected Bluemont with Route 7. When the railway arrived, the village of Bluemont was small. The railroad brought a good amount of tourism to Bluemont that helped the village to prosper. New general stores were built and the number of people living in the area increased as well. Most of the tourism came to Bluemont because of its mountain surroundings. People from Washington, D.C., would vacation in the area because of its mountain views. Once the widespread use of personal motor vehicles became popular, the railway was no longer the main source of tourism. Tourism decreased once motor vehicles made their way into society. In 1984 the Bluemont Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is still today a place for people to travel and take in the history of the small town, and its mountain views.

From the description of Bluemont research collection, 1902-ca. 1997. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 652040425

Prior to local governments' requirements to maintain official vital statistics record, family Bibles were used to record births, deaths, marriage and baptisms. Because Bible records fill a gap in the official documentary record, they continue to be of great use to genealogists and historians.

From the guide to the Family Bible Records, ca. 1750-ca. 1970, (Thomas Balch Library)

Postcards developed out of the complex tradition of nineteenth-century printed calling cards, beginning with the advent of the Cartes-de-Visite in France. In the 1850s, Parisian photographer Andre Adolphe Eugene Disderi invented a photographic process involving egg white, albumen, and silver nitrate to create inexpensive portraits on paper cards. These photographic Cartes-de-Visites were 2 1/2 by 4 inches and became a popular, collectable form of "visiting cards" world-wide. Photographers would reprint portraits of famous individuals they had taken at their studios or during travel and sell them as collectable cards. Public figures such as European royalty, military generals, doctors, and businessmen would pose for Cartes-de-Visite portraits that were used as trading cards, business cards, and advertisements. During the American Civil War such cards were taxed, with revenue stamps affixed to the back.

Postcards as we know them now first began in 1861 as cards mailed by private post, invented by American John P. Charlton of Philadelphia with the patent later transferred to Philadelphian H. L. Lipman. Prussian postman Heinrich von Stephan advocated government-issued postcards in 1865. In 1869 the first government-created postal cards were printed in Hungary and the first cards for private post were printed in Austria. In the 1870s picture postcards grew in popularity throughout the United States, Britain, Europe, and Japan. China created regulations for postcards in 1896 and began printing them in 1898.

In 1873 the United States Government began to issue the only postal cards legal in the U.S., of plain card stock with no artistic design on the front. On 19 May 1898, Congress passed the Private Mailing Act, which allowed the mailing of privately printed post cards marked "Private Mailing Card." Only this designation, the address, and the stamp were permitted on the back; any message had to be written over the artwork which publishers printed on the front of the card. The Act also reduced the postage rate for the cards from the two cent letter rate to one cent. Beginning on 24 December 1901, relaxed regulations authorized private printers in the United States to drop "Private Mailing Card" in favor of "Post Card" or "Postcard."

During the "Undivided Back" period printers began to leave white space on the front of the card where the sender could write a message without spoiling the artwork (see VC 0004_3000). Cards were first permitted to have a "Divided Back," with text written on the left half of a dividing line and the address on the right half, beginning in England in 1902. France switched to a divided back in 1904, Germany in 1905, and the United States on 1 March 1907 (VC 0004_3025).

Around 1900 the first postcards made of "Real Photos" rather than artwork began to circulate, aided in by advances in amateur photography equipment by companies such as Kodak. Kodak also introduced postcard paper for photographic development and photography studios began to offer portraits printed as postcards (see VC 0004_2504). Many local town, countryside, and architectural images were captured during this period by local photographers, then printed and sold as postcards (see VC 0004_1708).

The loosening of government regulation, lowered costs, and advances in amateur photography all contributed to a postcard craze that lasted from 1900 to the First World War. Postcards were the preferred means to send a quick note, whether across town or across a continent. U.S. postal records for fiscal year 1907-1908 indicate over 677 million postcards mailed.

German printers' fine artwork and superior processes allowed Germany to dominate the market until the outbreak of war in 1914 (see VC 0004_3017). European printers opened offices in the United States and postcard artists moved to Germany. When war halted the flow of high-quality German cards, English and American producers attempted to fill market demand. Their processes, however, resulted in cards of inferior quality. From the War to 1930 cards were printed with a white border around the edge to bring down high printing costs by saving ink (see VC 0004_3038). Lower quality contributed to the demise of postcard mania.

Although new linen paper processes in the 1930s resulted in better quality, more brightly colored card art (see VC 0004_3037), the postcard industry continued to decline. After 1939, new Photochromes, color photo postcards, began to replace both linen and black and white photo postcards (see VC 0004_0200). By the end of World War II these "Chromes" had completely replaced other card forms. The widely available telephone replaced the postcard for sending short messages and postcards became largely confined to the realm of souvenirs (see VC 0004_0600). Though postcards continue to be produced, they would never regain the enormous popularity of the early twentieth century.

From the guide to the Historical Postcards, 1900-1980, (Thomas Balch Library)