Red Rock Wilderness Overlook Regional Park
Red Rock Wilderness Overlook Regional Park is a 67-acre mostly wooded area situated along the Potomac River on the outskirts of Leesburg. Frances Speek donated a portion of the property to the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority in 1978. The park was also supported by the Land and Water Conservation Fund - helping states and communities provide for outdoor recreation and open space for all Americans. However the history of the ruins dates back much further. In 1869, a wealthy industrialist turned gentleman farmer named Charles Paxton purchased over 200 acres of property in Loudoun County. Although best known for his Carlheim estate in Leesburg, Paxton was responsible for the construction of the buildings that have become the ruins at Red Rock Wilderness Overlook Regional Park.
The dimensions of the buildings here are far larger than typical buildings of the antebellum period in Loudoun County. It was Paxton's wealth from his success in the iron working business that allowed him to construct such large buildings.
Marker is at the intersection of Edwards Ferry Road (County Route 773) and Red Rock Way, on the right when traveling west on Edwards Ferry Road.
Courtesy hmdb.org
