Waterford Village, VA: Buying in a Historic Landmark Town

About seven miles northwest of Leesburg, the village of Waterford sits along Catoctin Creek much as it has for nearly three centuries. Settled around 1733, when Amos Janney built a mill complex on the creek, it grew into a flour-milling town of about seventy houses by the 1830s. Today it has a population of under 200 and is one of the best-preserved historic villages in Virginia.

A National Historic Landmark

Waterford was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970, the highest level of historic recognition in the United States. Landmarks include the Waterford Mill, dating to about 1750, the Hague-Hough house, considered the village's oldest, Arch House Row, and the Catoctin Creek Bridge, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

How easements shape the village

Much of what makes Waterford feel unchanged is deliberate. In 1974 the Waterford Foundation began a land preservation program built on open space and façade easements, and more than 100 properties in and around the village are now protected by easements held through conservation organizations.

For buyers, that matters. An easement can limit changes to a home's exterior, additions, subdivision of land or new construction, and it stays with the property when it sells. Reviewing any recorded easement before making an offer is essential, and it is one of the first documents worth requesting on a Waterford home.

The Waterford Fair

Each autumn the Waterford Foundation hosts the Waterford Fair, a long-running celebration of traditional crafts, music and history held across the village. The fair marked its 80th year in 2024 and draws visitors from across the region.

Questions to ask on a Waterford home

• Is the property under an open space or façade easement, and who holds it?

• What exterior changes, additions or outbuildings does the easement allow?

• Is the home within the National Historic Landmark district boundary?

• What documentation exists on the home's age, past renovations and original materials?

• How is the property served for water and septic?

Your personal connection to Hunt Country.

Chrissie Goodrum works with buyers and sellers of historic homes and land across Loudoun County, from Waterford and Lovettsville to the estates of western Loudoun. To talk through a historic property, contact Chrissie at 571.275.5556 or chrissie.goodrum@hcsir.com.