053-6487

Snickersville Turnpike

VLR Listing Date

03/17/2022

NRHP Listing Date

06/16/2022

NRHP Reference Number

SG100007792

The Snickersville Turnpike stretches south to north from the village of Aldie in the Bull Run Mountains to the village of Bluemont—formerly known as Snickersville—in western Loudoun County. Before colonial traders and settlers began using it for exploration and commerce in the 18th century, the route served as part of a migratory and hunting footpath for the Sherando American Indians. Chartered in 1810 and completed in 1829, the 15-mile Snickersville Turnpike passes through the late-18th and early-19th century villages of Philomont and Mountville. It crosses over the historic Hibbs Bridge and winds between open, agricultural vistas of the Loudoun Valley. In the 19th century, the Snickers Gap Turnpike Company developed the route for commercial use by adding toll gates and adapting the road for wagon travel. Passing through the gap in the Bull Run Mountains at Aldie to Snickers Gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the turnpike provided overland transportation for Loudoun’s agricultural products, but its condition languished for over a half century following the Civil War. The Snickersville Turnpike was restored in the 20th century for automobile travel. Sharp turns were redesigned for higher speed traffic and rural bridges replaced earlier fords. The Snickersville Turnpike’s original contributing secondary resources, which consist of historic bridges, culverts, and ditches along the route, are made of locally sourced materials. Today, the turnpike retains its near original paved width, roughly 18 to 20 feet wide, which allows for dual lane travel without shoulders. The Snickersville Turnpike follows its original 19th- and 20th-century alignment, serving the local community, farmers, and tourists alike.

Last Updated: December 4, 2023

Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.

Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark

For additional information Read

Nomination Form

253-5182

Ball’s Bluff Battlefield Historic District and National Cemetery

(NHLs) Virginia's National Historic Landmarks

053-6509

Philomont Historic District

Loudoun (County)

253-5117

Union Street School

Loudoun (County)