The Black History Committee of the Friends of the Thomas Balch Library,
Leesburg, Virginia, is pleased to announce the publication of IN THE
WATCHFIRES: THE LOUDOUN COUNTY EMANCIPATION ASSOCIATION, 1890-1971, by
Elaine E. Thompson. 100 pages.

IN THE WATCHFIRES illuminates Loudoun County's Emancipation Day
celebrations and the community that created them. Part memoir and part
history, it demonstrates how rural African Americans cultivated racial
pride and civic activism that laid the groundwork for the civil rights
movement. The celebrations chapter and the epilogue are written in the
first person and are rich and evocative. Between them, the author
presents a well-documented history and informed interpretation of the
Loudoun County Emancipation Association and its role in the community. 
A biographical directory highlights fifty-one men and women whose civic
contributions might otherwise go unrecognized. Numerous photographs,
maps, and drawings further enliven the book.

The book may be purchased by sending your address and a check for $20.00
(includes shipping and handling) made payable to  Friends of the Thomas
Balch Library to Friends of the Thomas Balch Library, P.O. Box 2184,
Leesburg, Virginia 20177.

To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions
at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html