Preserve America Community:
Warrenton, Virginia
Warrenton, Virginia (population 6,670), county seat of Fauquier County, was founded in the 1760s at a crossroads of two main thoroughfares. Its strategic location made it a target during the Civil War, and the community changed hands between the Union and Confederate armies 67 times. Warrenton was a center for the raiding activities of Confederate partisan leader Colonel John Singleton Mosby, the legendary “Grey Ghost.”
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The town has purchased Mosby’s home, Brentmoor, and is partnering with the non-profit John S. Mosby Foundation to transform the property into a focal point for heritage tourism.
The historic home will be restored as a museum, and a new Warrenton-Fauquier
County Visitor Center will be constructed on the grounds. Brentmoor
is located in Warrenton’s historic district, which is listed
in the National
Register of Historic Places.
During the 1980s, Warrenton’s downtown was threatened by the competition of nearby strip shopping centers. However, since Warrenton became a designated Virginia Main Street community in 1989, almost 400 downtown buildings have been rehabilitated, and $18 million in private funds and $357,000 in public funds have been invested in the downtown.
For more information
Town of Warrenton: www.townofwarrenton.com
The Partnership for Warrenton Foundation: www.historicwarrenton.org
National Register Travel Itinerary: www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/VAmainstreet
Posted May 26, 2009