In the 1800s the Ankers Family owned the land that would one day become the Loudoun Campus. They owned the land for over a century, passing it through generations until it was sold in 1964. Around the same time, there was push for a technical push to be built in the area, and the land formerly owned by the Ankers was purchased from the government to be used for the construction of the college.


Plant, Cloud, Sky, Tree

From the NOVA 50th Anniversary Preservation Website:

"Prior to the existence of the Loudoun campus, a large farm once occupied the site. The Ankers family owned the land for over 100 years and witnessed much in their time. Generations of the Ankers family lived on the land until 1964 when the property was sold. However, the last Ankers family member still living on the property, Mahlon, remained in the farm house as a renter after the sale. Education was important to Mahlon’s father, Arthur Ankers, who wished for all of his children to have a good education. The descendants remember books being plentiful in their household. Therefore, it was a special legacy for the family that a college was eventually built on their former land. For decades, they gathered on the site of their farm, holding family reunions. Today, a memorial garden and plaque honor the memory of the Ankers family and their contributions to the community of Northern Virginia.

The Ankers’s family’s early roots begin with John Anchors who was probably born in England around 1630 and came to Anne Arundel County, Maryland with his family around 1665. John Anchors is thought to be the patriarch of the Ankers families in America. A relative, Samuel Ankers bought 98 acres in December 1847. He married Henrietta Barbour Edwards, and had five children, Arthur, Joseph, Samuel, Jonathan, and a baby boy who died. Samuel died on January 7, 1889. There is not a trace of Samuel’s will, but Arthur inherited 80 acres which came to be known as The Ankerage. Samuel Ankers also owned a tract of land across the pike (Route 7).[1] Arthur Ankers married Mary Alice Higdon on May 13, 1879; he was the first farmer in the area. They had nine children and sent each child away to school [2]. The family house burned down on May 24, 1910, due to sparks from a steam engine nearby. That summer the family worked hard to get the house rebuilt, and the family finally moved in on May 4, 1911.

Arthur Ankers died January 1, 1918. The property was inherited by Mahlon, who liked farming. Mahlon Ankers married Mary Louisa Fleming, who came to live with his mother, Mary Alice, and the unmarried siblings. They had a large household; Mahlon decided it was necessary to have a larger income than farming and so he and his brother, Hatcher became dairy farmers. Later, the brothers decided to dissolve the partnership and Mahlon continued with the farm and dairy business at The Ankerage. Mahlon and Mary Ankers raised a family of three daughters and one son. Mahlon later purchased an additional 20 acres at the back of the 80 acres inherited by Arthur. In May 1964 Mahlon sold the farm to a group who called themselves the Route Seven Venture.[3] Mahlon desired to spend the rest of his life in the home he loved so much, and he remained on the property by renting the house after the sale. Following the sale of the farm and Mahlon’s death, the land was rented out for pasture. Sometimes people lived in the house and other times it was vacant. Later, the land was sold to the Board of Education of Virginia.

In the early 1960s, leaders in the community urged that a technical college be built in Northern Virginia. School professionals and business leaders deemed it necessary to establish a junior college to serve the broad Northern Virginia community. Prior to this, the state legislature established the State Board of Technical Education and many Virginia communities competed for state support in funding a local college. In 1965, a committee of citizens formed to initiate the purchasing of 86 acres of land from the Federal Government to establish the first campus. Then called the Northern Virginia Technical College, this became the campus at Annandale. Loudoun campus was the third campus to follow and officially opened in 1974. Because interest in a technical college was high throughout the state, the Commonwealth of Virginia had made a commitment of financial support for the college to have multiple campuses, and it quickly grew to have six today."

History of NOVA at Loudoun 50th Anniversary Exhibit, by the History 183 class of 2023.

History of NOVA at Loudoun 50th Anniversary Website, by the History 218 class of 2024.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/wm12XTG_Ambush_At_Ankers_Shop_Sterling_Virginia

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