Exhibition Runs February 19 - December 31, 2023

The story of Loudoun County farms is one of perseverance and ingenuity. Likewise, the story of Loudoun’s black villages is one of tenacious common purpose. The Nokes manure spreader provides a glimpse into the lives of the Nokes family and other residents of Nokesville, an unincorporated hamlet populated by black Loudouners during the Jim Crow era. . .

This exhibition features the Nokes Manure Spreader, named one of 2022's Top 10 Endangered Artifacts by the Virginia Association of Museums. Now restored, the manure spreader is joined by other Nokesville artifacts to tell the story of this historic Sterling community.