Paeonian Springs is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

Loudoun County Loudoun County () is in the northern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. In 2020, the census returned a population of 420,959, making it Virginia's third-most populous county. Loudoun County's seat is Leesburg. Loudoun C ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, United States. It is located at the intersection of the Charles Town Pike ( State Route 9) and the Harry Byrd Highway ( State Route 7). Paeonian Springs was established in 1890 and is currently served by a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional ser ...

. The town is named after

Paean A paean () is a song or lyric poem expressing triumph or thanksgiving. In classical antiquity, it is usually performed by a chorus, but some examples seem intended for an individual voice ( monody). It comes from the Greek παιάν (also πα ...

, the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

physician of the gods. The

Paeonian Springs Historic District Paeonian Springs Historic District is a national historic district located at Paeonian Springs, Loudoun County, Virginia. It encompasses 58 contributing buildings, 1 contributing site, and 1 contributing structure in the village of Paeonian Sp ...

was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 2006.

History

Developers began construction of the town in 1871 and the town was established in 1890. It was originally developed as a resort town for citizens of Washington, D.C. trying to escape the city in the summer. When developers advertised the town upon its completion they said it had "excellent water, mountain air and magnificent scenery". The Washington & Ohio railroad (later renamed Washington & Old Dominion) played an integral role in the town's development for its first 50 years, making eight stops in the town every day. By 1901 the town had three hotels, a downtown area, and a village green. By 1912, it also had a boardwalk, a church, and two private schools, among numerous other new shops. Beginning in 1920 though the town started to decline. This happened for a number of reasons including: the loss of the boardwalk, mill, and church; the Pure Food and Drug Act's passage; and the discovery of antibiotics.

References

External links

History of Paeonian Springs
Unincorporated communities in Loudoun County, Virginia Washington metropolitan area Unincorporated communities in Virginia Populated places established in 1890 1890 establishments in Virginia {{LoudounCountyVA-geo-stub