NOVA Parks News
THROWBACK THURSDAY—NOVA PARKS--THE RIVER CROSSING THAT BECAME A PARK
On Monday, June 9, 2014, NOVA Parks opened and dedicated White’s Ford Regional Park. The beautiful 295-acre property is located on the shores of the Potomac River just north of Leesburg, Virginia, and named after Elijah V. White, a former owner of the land. The park is highlighted by a long walking trail and also has water access, making it a great place for fishing and/or non-motorized boating.
White’s Ford Regional Park is a historically significant location. It was the place where the Confederate Army crossed into Maryland in 1862 on their way to the Battle of Antietam. The site was also the location of many other strategic crossings of the river during the Civil War by forces on both sides.
What is also very interesting about the site is that thousands of years before the Civil War a natural ford was used by Native Americans. They used the shallow waters of the area to trap fish and built a village on what is today the regional park.
White’s Ford is an amazing property with a history of humans that stretches back well into our very distant past. It is wonderful that it is now a public regional park and that the historical aspects of the property are preserved and interpreted for visitors.
NOVA Parks has always valued its work in preservation and conservation. The park authority is proud to have preserved an enormously important historical site such as White’s Ford; a valuable resource for Loudoun County, the Commonwealth of Virginia and our nation. It is yet another NOVA Parks park that helps tell the story of America.
