Losing the Heart of Philomont

By Madeline Skinner

The Philomont Horse Show Grounds have been demolished. Only the cook shack remains—for now. For more than 60 years, this space served as a gathering place for the community and as the home of one of the area’s oldest horse shows. Today, it has been permanently erased.

Trees have been cleared for “line of sight” along this section of Snickersville Turnpike. But the challenges still remain due to limited visibility caused by hills and blind spots.

The three-board white fence is gone, replaced by chain link along this historic corridor. When completed, the site will include more than four acres of asphalt and a structure covering nearly half an acre of the seven-acre parcel. Environmental, wildlife, and neighborhood considerations appear to have taken a back seat.

In 2015, when this parcel was offered to the county by the Philomont Volunteer Fire Department Board, I did not anticipate that the county would abandon our existing, well-constructed seven-bay firehouse that could have been renovated, in favor of a project approaching $30 million— particularly one that may not match the lifespan of the current facility and reflected a decision that failed to consider community input or the loss of a valued public space.

The county’s reliance on “Special Exceptions” has raised additional concerns. Zoning restrictions prohibit a firehouse as a permitted use on this site, and the Comprehensive Plan for Rural Historic Villages calls for new construction to be “compatible” with surrounding structures. These guidelines were ignored.

It is difficult to see how a 19,305-square-foot building aligns with adjacent historic properties, including a 1700s log cabin, an 1800s stone chapel, and other longstanding homes.

Residents supported an alternative—expanding and renovating the existing firehouse. This approach would have met safety needs for Loudoun County Fire and Rescue personnel while preserving the character of the village, saving taxpayer dollars, and maintaining the Historic Horse Show Grounds.

The long-term impacts are already being felt. Several neighboring homeowners chose to sell and relocate prior to construction. Others now face ongoing disruption from construction activity and uncertainty about future property values. Potential blasting is not off the table.

A large, continuously operating facility—with increased noise, lighting, and water usage—will change the character of the historic community of Philomont.

Water resources are another concern. No well drawdown test was conducted, despite the site’s elevation and the close proximity to neighboring wells—some within 300 to 500 feet. 

Nearby residents rely on shallow wells, and one home within 300 feet depends on a century-old-spring—now vulnerable to the strain of a massive, high-water-use structure. This raises valid questions about both water quantity and quality.

There have been many frustrating aspects to this situation—too many to list here. If the county had chosen to renovate and expand the existing firehouse, the PVFD should have returned the Horse Show Grounds to the community. 

The property was originally paid for through local fundraisers and donations, and it should have remained a shared community green space for the residents who made it possible.

Finally, questions remain about the future of the existing firehouse property. At public meetings, the PVFD repeatedly said that residents would have input on what happens next to the existing firehouse. 

To date, however, those commitments have not been realized. Emails have gone unanswered. Questions raised at PVFD board meetings have been met with complete silence. 

Greater transparency, responsiveness, and meaningful engagement with the community will be essential moving forward. After all, the community’s fundraising and volunteer efforts over decades made this facility possible and should warrant a voice in its future.

Philomont is on the National Register of Historic Places, and decisions made today will shape its future for generations. The question now is not just what has been lost—but what kind of community will be left behind, and whether residents will have a meaningful voice in protecting it before more is gone for good.

Madeline Skinner is a resident of Philomont and is very active in multiple preservation and conservation organizations.