Herndon Historical Society Celebrates 30 Years

For thirty years, the Herndon Historical Society has been preserving Herndon's heritage. They took a moment on Sunday, September 30, 2001, to pause and reflect upon their own history and to look forward to the years to come.

The last train pulled out of the Herndon depot in 1968. The Washington and Old Dominion line had seen its share of traffic in the preceding years. The last major job had been to haul sand for mixing the concrete used in building runways at the Dulles International Airport.

Characters, past and present

Richard Downer, former town councilman and 45-year Herndon resident, waxed nostalgicly about the origins of the historical society. Downer had been instrumental in efforts to preserve the Herndon depot after the last train pulled out.

Chuck Mauro, current president of the society, recounted the first meetings of the group, named the dozen past presidents, and elaborated on contemporary activities, like acquisition the caboose exhibit and the plaque program recognizing historical aspects of Herndon locales.

Tom Rust, 19-year town mayor and current candidate for state delegate, congratulated the society on behalf of the town council.

The celebration included a rare simultaneous appearance by Commander William Lewis Herndon (Gary Rinker), the town's namesake, and by Colonel John Singleton Mosby (Jeff Smith) who led his rangers in a raid on the train depot during the American Civil War.

Kitty Kitchen Hanna (Kathryn Coombs) talked about the historical importance of remembering the lives of everyday people.