To the Editor:

Re: "Not known locally" in Milton Seaton story in the 1987 History of Middleburg I covered that case in detail. At that time the "wanted poster" for Seaton's murderer hung in the town office. So I'd say there are scores of people who knew about the case — if they were the least bit observant. Read your history before writing about it.

Eugene Scheel
Waterford, VA

To the Editor:

We have all seen the horror that has just taken place in England — Dear old London and its people attacked. But as we've also seen you will not break the spirit or resolve of a Londoner. I know, I AM A LONDONER!

A couple of weeks ago I received a copy of my June advertisement with a note scribbled on it, unsigned with no return address. I was going to ignore it, as one does with blatant ignorance, but this terrible tragedy occurred, and I thought NO! We must nip in the bud stupidity and unpleasantness no matter how small.

So I say to the silly little individual who mailed this, GET A LIFE, GET A JOB — you obviously have more time on your hands than should be allowed; and since you are such a bright spark, why don't you volunteer as a proof reader for this great local paper.

In the meantime, I shall continue to wisely treat such insignificance as you with the disdain you deserve.

Feisty Londoner
Pauline Wisdom
Wisdom Gallery, Middleburg, VA

To the Editor:

The Unison Village Historic District, a Virginia State Landmark on the National Register of Historic Places, is threatened by a totally inappropriate subdivision proposed for the Bloomfield Road on the edge of our rural historic district. The proposed "Bloomfield Heights" subdivision would be larger than the village itself, dramatically increase traffic in our village and threaten our limited water supply.

The Unison Preservation Society, which created the historic district, is concerned that such a suburban-style subdivision, the first of its kind proposed in our area northwest of Middleburg, would destroy the integrity of our historic landmark village and the rural farms and roads around it, an area which historian Eugene Scheel has called one of Virginia's best preserved historic areas.

The village, one of the first five settlements in Loudoun County in the 1730s, and the narrow, winding rural (and mostly dirt) roads that lead into it, with their stone walls and old trees, has remained virtually unchanged for more than 150 years.

The Unison area has been described by The Washington Post and other publications as a tourist destination for those wishing to see Virginia's historic countryside, where Mosby and his raiders galloped and the Civil War battles of Middleburg, Unison and Upperville were fought. Bicycle groups regularly pedal out here. Buggies and four-in-hand coaches drive in and around Unison regularly. And Unison is home to the Piedmont Hunt, the nation's oldest fox-hunting organization, which regularly meets in the village and uses village roads.

This proposed subdivision, which apparently would use A-3 zoning to put about 30 houses on 90 some acres 200-300 yards outside the village historic district, would also adversely impact the county's own Beaverdam Creek Historic Roadways District, which includes Bloomfield Road.

There would be pressure from the new residents of a large subdivision to pave and widen the dirt road section in front of it. We are absolutely opposed to ANY paving of roads around our village, any widening of roads and any destruction of historic stone walls and trees. We believe that any state approved or funded road changes adjacent to a state/federal historic district must be reviewed by state agencies and would require public hearings.

A large suburban subdivision of new houses in a bare field on an exposed hill overlooking the village not only would be an eyesore and out of place in an historic rural area, but would double the traffic and endanger residents in a small village that has no sidewalks and extensive pedestrian traffic. And the profusion of wells and septic fields in the subdivision could have a disastrous impact on the village and surrounding homes, in one of the worst soil-perking areas of the county and one of the county's worst areas for well water.

And were such an inappropriate subdivision to be approved, we are concerned that it would set a precedent for additional subdivisions, and in a domino effect, overwhelm a celebrated and historic rural area of Loudoun.

GROUND WATER: The Unison area has a notoriously poor well water supply, with many houses only a few hundred yards from the proposed Bloomfield Road subdivision having less than a gallon a minute and many relying on water holding tanks with outside water trucked in regularly. A project of this size could drain water away from the wells of already deprived residents. Water tests are mandatory to assess the COLLECTIVE impact on nearby property owners of the wells of some 30 large houses (larger than any houses in Unison). We cannot believe it would have no impact.

SEPTIC FIELDS: In an area notorious for poorly perking soil, we find it difficult to believe that some 30 new closely-packed septic fields, on a hill lying above the village, will have no effect on its downhill neighbors. Any septic seepage into the groundwater supply or into the collector streams that feed Goose Creek, a public water supply, could have disastrous health effects. The COLLECTIVE impact of so many septic fields on a congested, elevated site must be studied.

TRAFFIC: Such a large subdivision on a rural dirt road, going into a village with no sidewalks and many houses 10-15 feet from the roadway, and with every day and evening pedestrian, horse and bicycle traffic, would be a safety hazard and dramatically increase the noise and exhaust pollution for the historic village.

There is virtually no speeding and are almost no accidents on our dirt roads. But there is constant speeding and running of stop signs on the paved section of road in and around the village, and a number of accidents on the paved roadway. In the last few years we have had one dog and at least two cats hit by speeding cars in the village, on the paved section, and one elderly woman resident walking a dog was knocked into a ditch by a car that refused to slow down. I don't know the figure the county uses to estimate increased traffic from new homes, but I believe some 30 new large homes, with 2, 3 or 4 cars each, and multiple drivers, might generate close to 100 or more car trips a day through the village, which could come close to doubling our current traffic.

Virginia officials praised Unison and its residents when the state approved creation of our historic district in 2002, because we proposed and founded it ourselves, and had unanimous support for it, which is unusual for Virginia historic districts.

We spent well over $10,000 to create our historic district, funds donated by residents, neighbors and friends, and have raised close to $20,000 more in small individual gifts to plant trees along village and nearby roads, help restore our two 200-year-old cemeteries and to help protect and preserve one of the most historic and best preserved villages in Loudoun County. We ask and get few public benefits from the county, having no crime (except speeding and stop sign violations), rarely have a fire, and have relatively few children of school age.

The Unison Preservation Society is not elected and we do not claim to speak for residents on every subject. But I can tell you on one subject we are almost certainly unanimous. We do not want to see a massive suburban subdivision suddenly dropped on the edge of our historic village, impacting our traffic and historic roads and endangering pedestrians, our groundwater supplies, our daily lives and our home values. For this proposed subdivision will diminish the value of historic properties in and around the village and significantly alter the nature of our rural area.

We ask that zoning, planning, health, water and sewer, traffic and other county and state regulations be interpreted and enforced strictly in regards to this proposed out-of-place subdivision. The county should not be helping or expediting an out-of-town developer's money-making, maximum-development plan, but should work to protect the homes and investments and way of life of the hundreds of rural area residents who live here.

We have worked hard as citizens to create an historic district and improve and preserve this scenic and historic part of Loudoun and will continue to do so. We hope you share our pride and will do whatever you can to protect one of Loudoun's earliest and most historic villages.

Rant & Raves
Paul Hodge
president, Unison Preservation Society
July 2, 2005