Editing Hamilton, Virginia (section)

==History==
The present Town of Hamilton was once occupied by several native tribes.<ref name="compplan">{{cite web| title =Comprehensive Plan for the Town of Hamilton| date =2001| url =http://www.town.hamilton.va.us/documents/Comp-plan-draft-071001-small.pdf| access-date =January 24, 2008| url-status =dead| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20061230221153/http://www.town.hamilton.va.us/documents/Comp-plan-draft-071001-small.pdf| archive-date =December 30, 2006}}</ref>  European settlers arrived in the 1730s.<ref name="compplan"/>   In 1768, George and Tabitha Roach Tavenner built the first house in the Hamilton area.<ref name="compplan"/> Their son, Richard and his wife Ann Hatcher, built an estate called ''Harmony''<ref name="compplan"/> and the surrounding area was thereafter known as Harmony.<ref name="visitloudoun">{{cite web
  | title = Town of Hamilton
  | publisher = Loudoun Association
  | url = http://www.visitloudoun.org/visitors-guide/towns/hamilton/
  | access-date = January 24, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071217114221/http://www.visitloudoun.org/visitors-guide/towns/hamilton/ <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = December 17, 2007}}</ref>

The Leesburg and Snickers Gap Turnpike Company opened a road connecting Leesburg and Snickersville in 1831.<ref name="compplan"/>  Growth ensued and by 1833, the area had enough population to sustain Harmony Methodist Church, which was built on land donated by Richard and Ann Hatcher Tavenner.<ref name="compplan"/>  The town also became known as ''Hamilton Store'' after a store founded there by Charles Bennett Hamilton.<ref name="compplan"/>  In 1835, John Quincy Adams approved a post office located in Hamilton's store and the town's name was recorded as Hamilton.<ref name="compplan"/>

The last important Civil War action in Loudoun County, known as [[The Harmony Skirmish]], took place on March 21, 1865, as confederate Colonel [[John S. Mosby]] and his troops surprised troops commanded by Colonel [[Marcus Reno]].<ref name="compplan"/>

By 1868, a steam railroad from [[Alexandria, Virginia|Alexandria]] had come to Hamilton along the future route of the [[Washington and Old Dominion Railroad]].<ref name="visitloudoun"/>  Many tourists came to the town seeking relief from the city's heat.<ref name="visitloudoun"/> There was a {{frac|1|1|2}}-mile boardwalk that traversed the town and a dance hall.<ref name="compplan"/>  By 1900, the Town of Hamilton was Loudoun County's second largest town.<ref name="compplan"/>  The booming businesses in Hamilton included two newspapers, a butcher shop, a men's clothing store, a broom factory, a [[Hatmaking|milliner]], a dentist, two hardware stores, a stove shop, a flat racecourse, a livery stable and boarding houses.<ref name="compplan"/>

The advent of the automobile led to a slow decline in tourism.<ref name="compplan"/>  In 1926, many of the town's central businesses were destroyed by fire and tourism thereafter declined sharply.<ref name="visitloudoun"/>  Hamilton has since been known more as a residential community.<ref name="compplan"/>

During the town's history, it was the site of a vibrant Afro-American community.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.loudounhistory.org/african-american-communities/ |title=An Introduction to Loudoun County’s African American Communities |last=Lee |first=Deborah |date=2004 |website=The History of Loudoun County, Virginia |access-date=October 21, 2020}}</ref>

The [[Hamilton Masonic Lodge]], [[Janney House]], [[William Smith House (Hamilton, Virginia)|William Smith House]], [[Spring Hill Farm (Hamilton, Virginia)|Spring Hill Farm]], and [[Sunnyside Farm (Hamilton, Virginia)|Sunnyside Farm]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>

[[File:2018-10-19 12 19 02 View east along Virginia State Route 7 Business (Colonial Highway) just west of Rogers Street in Hamilton, Loudoun County, Virginia.jpg|thumb|left|SR 7 Bus in Hamilton]]