Loudoun County Poor House Is someone taking you to the Poor House?  Not so many years ago that was no joking matter.  Loudoun, like any county in Virginia, had it own Poorhouse.   And Loudoun, unlike every county in Virginia, saw its poorhouse survive World War II.   Loudoun's first overseers, probably appointed in 1787 or 1788 were pillars of the community.  On January 1, 1822, the county's nine overseers of the poor bought Loudoun's third poorhouse for $3,479. Originally established as a plantation by William Burson in 1814, its buildings consisted of a stone and frame bank barn, two rows of five-quarter slave dwellings, and a brick main house.   The 260 acres of the Loudoun Poorhouse produced grains that were sold, and the proceeds were used for the poors upkeep.  In pre-Civil War times, there were generally 10 inmates, as the residents were called.  All were white.  The number of inmates varied from 20 to 35 with the normal about 25 from the 1870's until the 1930's. The inmates were a mixed conglomerate.  Some could get summer employment, and therefore just spent the winter.  Others were members of well-to-do families, temporarily down and out older folks who couldn't work, young folks who wouldn't.  Generally they would be bailed out after a year or two.   In the Civil War, Sheridan's burning raiders burned the barn in November, 1863.  Francis Earl Robey, who had ridden with Mosley's Rangers, became overseer of the poor in 1883, where he and his family resided over the poorhouse until 1903 and then turned their duties over to William Madison Monroe where he presided until he died in 1913.  Then his son James Harrison Monroe became overseer.   At Christmas, Leesburg's superintendent of nurses, Miss Aca Janney, would bring gifts and candy for the inmates, and May Dulany Nevile from Pelham across from Old Welbourne, would give a dollar or two to each person.  She knew how they felt, for during the Civil War, the family had one pair of shoes.  When she went out she wore them.  When her sister, Francis, went out, she wore them.   James Harrison Monroe Sr. died in 1937, and shortly, Edward H. Barton became the last overseer of the poor, serving through 1946.  Then that year, the board members voted to disband the 424 acre Alms-house. The poorhouse remained occupied by some of the poor until the 1970's and in 1987, the current owners bought and restored the poorhouse into a beautiful bed and breakfast that has been in use since 1990.  Now you too can come and take part in spending a night or two at what really was that old Loudoun County Poor House.