Historic restoration will be presented at the May 3 First Friday Event

The restoration preformed on the historic Loudoun County Order Book B, Part 2, 1762-1965, will be unveiled during the upcoming Town of Leesburg’s First Friday event. On May 3, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., the book will be displayed in partnership among the Clerk of Circuit Court, the Ketoctin Chapter DAR, and the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution.

This partnership has been invaluable for Loudoun County residents and future historians through restoration of historic Revolutionary War records and various documents totaling over $50,000. The preservation of Order Book B Part 2, 1762-1765, was obtained in the amount of $7,614.00. Kofile, Incorporated, located in Dallas, Texas, performed the work.

The conservation of the afore mentioned Order Book included delamination of cellulose acetate adhesive performed with organic solvents, removal of all adhesive and adhesive residue, and removal of all previous mends to the extent possible without causing damage to the paper and inks.

Kofile uses a hot tacking iron or solvents as appropriate, deacidification of the paper, mending of all major chips and tears with Japanese tissue or starch paste, encapsulation in two milliliter archival grade polyester envelopes (three-sided seal). Finally, Kofile assembled all of the documents and placed them in a custom post binder with titling on the spine. 

Admission to First Friday is free to the public. The Ketoctin Chapter will display and discuss this restoration work. Please join us at the Charles Hamilton Houston Courthouse at18 East Market St, Leesburg, Virginia.  We will also celebrate National Historic Preservation Month.

Gary M. Clemen, Clerk of the Circuit Court is committed to historic preservation in the community; and the Ketoctin Chapter is pleased to bestow funding for the restoration and preservation of Order Book B, Part 2, 1762-1765. Without the work performed by Kofile, this order book would continue to deteriorate. The historic information contained within the book could have been lost to time.

Stacey Bassett, Regent, Ketoctin Chapter, DAR said, “The Ketoctin Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution is delighted to help preserve this historic document. Our chapter prides itself with multiple historic preservation projects. Our desire is to preserve our history for generations to come.” 

Funding for this project was made possible through the sponsorship of the Ketoctin Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. 

The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a women’s service organization whose members can trace their lineage to an individual who contributed to securing American independence during the Revolutionary War. Today’s DAR is dynamic and diverse, with over 185,000 members in 3,000 chapters in the United States and abroad. DAR members annually provide millions of hours of volunteer service to their local communities across the country and world. DAR chapters participate in projects to promote historic preservation, education, and patriotism. Over one million members have joined the organization since its founding in 1890. 

If you are interested in learning more about DAR membership, visit www.KetoctinDAR.org or contact Stacey Bassett, Regent, Ketoctin Chapter, NSDAR, Ketoctin.DAR@gmail.com.