The Herndon Historical Society’s 50th Anniversary (1971-2021)
The Herndon Historical Society celebrated its 50th anniversary at their 2021 annual meeting. During the meeting they took a look back in time, showing how the Society was formed and its accomplishments over the last 50 years.
The following are four YouTube videos on the history of the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad. These videos have been prepared by Paul McCray, who was the manager of the W&OD Trail for 20 years before becoming the Operations Director for NOVA Parks. His research about the W&OD led to a collection of almost 2,000 photos and over a thousand news articles and original documents from the railroad. These are wonderful reminders of our history in and around Herndon.
NOVA History Remembered: The W&OD Railroad Begins (6 minutes and 18 seconds)https://youtu.be/6D1Z4wJOPB0(Turn your volume up for this one)
NOVA History Remembered: The W&OD Railroad: After the Civil War (6 minutes and 20 seconds)https://youtu.be/A8_rM_zLRDI(Turn your volume up for this one)
NOVA History Remembered: Great Falls and Old Dominion Railroad (10 minutes and 32 seconds)https://youtu.be/FiQRq3ZbWFY
NOVA History Remembered: The End of the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad and the W&OD Railway (9 minutes and 5 seconds)https://youtu.be/dUnNyCJx_c4
HCTV - Herndon Community Television Videos “Herndon Voices”
Go to the following link to view a series of Herndon Community Television videos entitled ‘Herndon Voices.’ In these videos, long-time Herndon residents talk about their recollections of Herndon history.
The speaker for this year’s Annual Meeting was well known author Chuck Mauro who has written a number of books on Herndon and Civil War history. His latest bookWe Once Met by Chancefollows four people’s lives during the Civil War. The lives of John S. Mosby, Charles Russell Lowell, Laura Ratcliffe, and James Robinson are true nonfiction stories which are woven into a narrative that gives insights into life during a turbulent era in our Nation.
The following link takes you to his presentation on the book:
Herndon High School Band to participate in the 75th Anniversary of the Normandy Invasion
Below is link to an NBC4 story they did about the Band trip to Normandy. It’s 3:44 minutes long. It shows some brief scenes of when Angie Goff visited our Depot and spoke to Margaret Jamborsky who has been researching history of the USS Herndon.
The below video link - ‘Lucky Herndon at Sea’ – is about the USS Herndon and its crew, which includes 15 minutes of actual WWII footage taken on board the ship!
At our September 27, 2017 meeting Barbara Glakas showed the silent film “The Road to Happiness”. The film was made in 1924 by the Ford Motor Company. The purpose of the film was to promote improved roads and was shown throughout the United States. Many scenes in this film were shot in western Fairfax County and featured local residents, including residents from the Herndon area. In addition to viewing the film we learned about some of the local residents who participated in the film. To view the film click on the link or image below.
One such local resident was Louise Rinker Harrison who lived on Station Street in Herndon. In her younger years she taught at the historic Navy School, formerly located in greater Herndon near the intersection of West Ox and Thompson Roads and shown in the "Road To Happiness" film. Use the following link to access the 1924 video clip showing Miss Rinker teaching at the Navy School. The audio was recorded in her later years as she recollected her experiences as a young teacher at the Navy School.
"W&OD in 1963" This video is from the W&OD Railroad Collection of NOVA Parks. It is a 1963 video of a train ride along the W&OD Railroad from Rosslyn to Bluemont Junction. The Herndon section can be seen between minutes 10:20 and 11:20.
A Visit to the Past: 150th Anniversary of St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, Herndon, VAThree speakers give presentations about the history of Herndon’s St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church at a 150th anniversary celebration
"Ship of Gold" This History Channel video tells the story of the sinking of Commander Herndon’s ship – the S.S. Central America – and how it was later found on the 1980s.
