Exeter

Exeter, located within the Town of Leesburg, is an established community of 829 single-family and town homes. Paved walking paths connect residents to amenities such as an outdoor pool and clubhouse, tennis courts, and tot lots.

Prior to its development, the Exeter neighborhood was known as Exeter Plantation since its building in 1796, and these very lands were the setting for some important activities during the Civil War. From the Exeter HOA website:

Dramatic events took place here during the American Civil War. Imagine awakening from sleep, and hearing the sounds of horses hooves, gunfire and men yelling in the middle of the night. Here on the Exeter Plantation those events became common place during the American Civil War. Union forces had planned to use the area near Balls Bluff as access into Virginia. On October, 21, 1861, part of the Battle of Balls Bluff took place here on Exeter lands. Confederate soldiers camouflaged themselves in the cornfields of the farm. They took Union soldiers by surprise and drove them back in retreat across the Potomac River at Balls Bluff, which at that time was part of Exeter. Later in 1864, John Mosbys Rangers encamped and resupplied here after another raid on Union forces in the Leesburg area. The grand stone barn here on the Exeter Plantation was burned in retribution for the assistance offered to Mosby. In July of 1864, General Jubal Early and his troops rested and used Exeter as headquarters during a retreat from Washington, which almost resulted in the Confederate capture of the city.

Today, the Exeter community thrives with activities such as a summer swim team and annual pool party. Within the neighborhood is the Paxton Campus, a special education school which hosts annual events such as an 8K Run for Independence, and Shocktober, a real haunted house.

Robinson Park, a town park with sports fields and picnic tables, is located in Exeter, and Ida Lee Park, the “crown jewel” of the Town of Leesburg’s Parks Department, is just steps from the neighborhood.  It’s less than a mile to walk or bike ride to so many Leesburg attractions: Balls Bluff Battlefield Park, Morven Park, Ida Lee Recreation Center, Rust Library, AV Symington Aquatic Center, the W&OD Trail and downtown Historic Leesburg.

Read more about Exeter on the HOA webpage.