Virginia Repositories—Northern Virgnia

Thomas Balch Library
208 Wesst Market Street
Leesburg, VA 20176                

Phone: 703-737-7195
Balchlib@leesburgva.gov
http://www.leesburgva.gov/thomasbalchlibrary
https://www.facebook.com/ThomasBalchLibrary
Open Monday, Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. ‒5 p.m.; Tuesday, 10 a.m.‒ 8 p.m., Wednesday, 2 p.m.‒8 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.‒ 4 p.m. and Sunday, 1 p.m.‒5 p.m.; closed legal holidays and weekends of legal holidays.

Thomas Balch Library
Photo by Jim Hanna Photograph Collection

Thomas Balch Library is a history and genealogy library owned and operated by the Town Of Leesburg.  Collections focus on Loudoun County, regional and Virginia history, genealogy, ethnic history, and military history with special emphasis on the American Civil War.  The library is a designated Underground Railroad research site. We host lecture series, classes on research strategies, exhibits and tours and operate a small bookstore of local and regional history and genealogy materials.

Be Prepared

Self-serve photocopy machines are available for patron use at $0.25 per copy. Coins not needed. Higher fees prevail for duplicating manuscript materials, fragile items, and photographs and may not be available “on-demand.”  There are four microfilm reader printers; one is connected to a computer and images may be downloaded to a flash drive at $2.00 for the first fifteen minutes and $1.00 each additional fifteen minutes.

Holdings and Collections

Collection materials including books, oral histories, periodicals, maps, visual collections, newspapers, and manuscripts provide researchers, students and the purely curious an opportunity to study and understand the history of Loudoun businesses, communities, individuals and families, local government and public leaders, and organizations in Leesburg and Northern Virginia.

Our collections open doors to understanding not only the local arena but also that of the greater Commonwealth and the United States and provide an entrée to the world. Public records and private papers, including oral histories, in our library reveal personal and public experiences and reflect cultural, economic, political, religious and social values of the community.  To visit an historical and genealogical research library enables one to put a human face on history ‒ to know the past is to better understand the present  ‒ and through shared knowledge work together for a better future.

Collection Guides and indices to various collections including bible records and family files are accessible on the website.  Collections Guides are also accessible through NUCMC and the Virtual Library of Virginia.

Photo: The accompanying image is from the Jim Hanna Photograph Collection (VC 0032), Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA.

Virginia Repositories—Northern Virgnia