How Did Ida Lee Come to Be?
Ida Lee
Park
was made possible in 1986 by the generous donation of Greenwood Farm to the
town of Leesburg by William F. Rust, Jr., and his wife, Margaret Dole Rust.
The farm contained 141 acres and was donated to the town for perpetual use as
the Ida Lee Park. The Rusts requested that the park be named in memory of Ida
Lee, Mr. Rust's grandmother, to preserve the historic link between the Lee family
of Virginia and the Town of Leesburg. Ida Lee Rust was the daughter of Edmund
Jennings Lee, first cousin of Robert E. Lee. Ida Lee spent her married life
at "Rockland"; the Rust family home located near Leesburg, and in
her later years lived in a house built by her sons at 113 East Cornwall Street
in Leesburg. The Rusts also donated 3 acres of land from the original 141 acres
for the Rust Library located adjacent to Ida Lee Park. In 1991, the Rust's gave
the town $50,000 for the construction of the William J. Cox Pavilion at Ida
Lee Park, a public picnic area containing a pavilion and playground.
History of Ida Lee Park
Ida Lee Park is located on Business Route 15 North, alongside Old Waterford Road on the northern boundary of the historic Town of Leesburg. Originally known as the Greenwood Farm, the property was a working farm owned by Mary Conrad, a lady who delighted in thwarting developers. In 1979, the farm was purchased by Mr. Rust a man who shared Mary Conrad's belief in the importance of preserving the farm, and its quality of life. Ida Lee Park stands for the memory of Mr. Rust's grandmother, the continuation of the Lee family name, which played a key role in Leesburg's history, and Mr. Rust's sentiment that Leesburg should remain a "personal" town.
History of Leesburg
Leesburg, one of the oldest towns in Northern Virginia, was originally an outfitting post during the French and Indian War. Once named "George Town" in honor of King George II, Leesburg was established in 1758 from land originally held by Lord Fairfax. Later, the town was renamed in honor of the influential Lee family of Virginia when Leesburg became the County seat of Loudoun County.
Leesburg was a staging ground for the British during the French and Indian War and for the Colonials during the Revolutionary War. During the War of 1812, with the city of Washington in flames, 22 wagonloads of United States documents, including the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution, much of George Washington's correspondences, and Congressional and State Department records, were brought to Leesburg for safekeeping. In 1825, Ludwell Lee, who lived in historic Belmont entertained the Marquis de Lafayette, the French benefactor of our new nation during the Revolution.
During the Civil War, the Leesburg was a strategic point for troop movements. The Battle of Ball's Bluff took place northeast of Leesburg. On October 21, 1861, Confederate forces pushed the Union troops back across the Potomac River. Many of the homes along King Street served as hospitals for soldiers that were wounded at the battle. Today, Ball's Bluff National Cemetery honors the many soldiers who fought and died there.
Leesburg offers a view of three centuries of history and continues to play an important part in the future as the seat of government for Loudoun County.
