Leesburg, VA (September 7, 2022) – An exhibit featuring three important archival collections related to the life, family, and work of noted Loudoun County historian and educator Elaine Eppie Thompson is now on view in the Margaret Mercer Room at Thomas Balch Library.
In 2016, the library acquired the papers of Thompson, a leading chronicler of Loudoun’s African American community. The exhibit celebrates Thompson’s many accomplishments, as well as the start of the first full school year at the new Elaine E. Thompson Elementary School in Sterling, Virginia.
Highlighted in this exhibit are documents, photographs, and other materials from three new collections donated by Thompson and her family:
- Elaine E. Thompson Collection (M0134)
- Loudoun County Emancipation Association 1896 – 2015, (M0145)
- Thompson Funeral Program and Memorial Collection, 1900-2015, (M0146)
Processing of these materials was made possible through grant funds from Mildred Nichols, the Robey Foundation, and the Loudoun Library Foundation. Now available to researchers, the extensive collections presented in this exhibit not only document Thompson’s career and contributions to African American and local history but also provide valuable materials for future researchers on numerous aspects of Loudoun County History.
The exhibit is viewable during the library’s September operating hours. The library is open Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and by appointment only on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The library will be open from 1 to 5 p.m., on Sundays, beginning September 11.
For more information, please call 703-737-7195 or email balchlib@leesburgva.gov.
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