About - This Archive of River Creek's Early Days

This website is a digital archive of the photos and other materials provided by Mark Montgomery. The goal is to preserve the content before it before it succumbs to the rages of time. There are duplicates of photos and other materials because Mark provided both the individual photos and the collections containing the photos. Where possible I used the original digital materials, in other cases only printed copies existed and were scanned. Almost all content on this site is due to the efforts of others, these photos and works of art are not mine.

The History by Joe Motheral

River Creek has the distinction of being a major part of the history in this area. The following discourse attempts to recount from the earliest times the various events that have taken place in or near River Creek. One thing to bear in mind: River Creek is an integral part of Loudoun County and Leesburg and indeed Northern Virginia and Maryland and adjacent counties. We are padlocked onto the region and the region on to us. To discuss these issues in isolation has much less merit than ensuring that River Creek is part of the whole and the whole is part of us. Also neglecting the eons prior to human habitation would be a disservice to nature as we enjoy the fruits of what she has bequeathed: the Potomac River, the rolling terrain dotted with plant life and teeming with deer, hedgehogs, squirrels, rabbits, blue heron, hawks, eagles and a multitude of other species; Goose Creek and its tributaries; the lovely red bluffs.

The advent of humans continued the drama that unfolded in various ways. We had aborigines, Indians—called the first Americans, Europeans came aboard bringing the benefits-and the ills of civilization. Although it might surprise you—it did me—to learn that social structures of some sophistication existed prior to when the Europeans set foot on the stage. This very space we occupy had once served as a hunting ground, productive farm land, part of a regional transportation network, a forum for commercial activity—not to mention as an arena for the most violent of human endeavors—war.

... for the rest of Joe's article please view the album "The History by Joe Motheral".