Selma Mansion, the Eliza House, the Whitmore Properties — each one is a commitment to the idea that the past deserves to be cared for, inhabited, and loved. Not just studied.
Selma Mansion
Built 1810 · Restored · 2016–2019
Built in 1810 by Armistead Thomson Mason — a U.S. Senator and nephew of George Mason IV — Selma Mansion had fallen into decades of neglect and faced the threat of demolition when Sharon Virts and Scott Miller discovered it in 2016. What followed was a three-year, top-to-bottom restoration guided by original 1902 architectural plans. Over 109,000 followers watched the story unfold, making it one of the most-watched preservation projects in America.
- Purchased in 2016 after years of abandonment and vandalism
- Three-year restoration preserving original heart pine floors, hand-plastered walls, and century-old mantels
- Recipient of Preservation Virginia's 2020 Gabriella Page Award for Outstanding Preservation
- 109,000+ social media followers followed the restoration journey
The Eliza House
Built 1811 · Restoration In Progress
An 1811 Federal-style house in downtown Leesburg, formerly known as the Lynch House. Sharon and Scott renamed it the Eliza House after Eliza Thompson — the woman who bravely fought a thirteen-year court battle for ownership of the home after her husband was killed in the Civil War. She is also rumored to still roam the halls. Purchased in 2020 and restored with the same preservation mindfulness and quality craftsmanship as Selma.
- Built 1811 — a Federal-style gem in downtown Leesburg
- Named for Eliza Thompson, who fought a 13-year legal battle after the Civil War
- Restored with the same care, materials, and preservation standards as Selma
- A sustainable long-term purpose — not a fix-and-flip, but a commitment
The Whitmore Properties
Built 19th Century · Newest Initiative
The Whitmore Properties at Belmont represent Sharon's newest preservation initiative. Belmont carries deep history in Loudoun County — once a Lee family plantation, later home to Elias and Mary Whitmore, a schoolteacher and postmaster known in town as the quiet couple who kept to themselves. The property also connects to the Belmont Enslaved Cemetery, the largest known African American burial ground for the enslaved in Loudoun County, which the Virts Miller Foundation helped restore.
- Located at Belmont — a property with deep Loudoun County roots
- Home of Elias and Mary Whitmore — a schoolteacher and postmaster
- Connected to the Belmont Enslaved Cemetery restoration through the Foundation
- Sharon's newest preservation commitment — details forthcoming
Through the Virts Miller Foundation
Preservation in the Community
Belmont Enslaved Cemetery
The largest known African American Burial Ground for the Enslaved in Loudoun County. Spanning over 120 acres and 220 years, this once-abandoned heritage site holds the key to unlocking the true history of the African American experience in Loudoun. The Virts Miller Foundation helped restore the cemetery and gravesite markers.
Loudoun County Museum
Sharon serves as President and Chair of the Board of Trustees. Under her leadership, the museum has undergone a major transformation — new exhibits, renovated public areas, and a campaign to give visitors a 360-degree view of Loudoun's history. Sharon and Scott provided a foundational donation to kick off the campaign.
Preservation Virginia Award
In 2020, Sharon and Scott received the Gabriella Page Award for Outstanding Preservation Project — recognizing the Selma Mansion restoration as the project that best exemplifies the use of preservation standards and brings an outstanding building into appropriate contemporary use.
Op-Ed · Loudoun Now · July 2026
Preservation or Progress?
"Process must serve preservation's purpose — not become it."
— Sharon Virts
I've spent enough time around old buildings to know one thing: water doesn't wait for a committee. A leaking roof doesn't care how many meetings have been scheduled. Rot never pauses while another report is written. Every season of delay leaves another stain, another weakened beam, another piece of history that no amount of money can fully restore.
While serving on the board of Oatlands, the historic Carter estate south of Leesburg, we had an opportunity to replace the mansion's failing roof before the damage became irreversible. A qualified contractor had submitted a proposal for under $100,000, and my family foundation donated $50,000 to help make it happen. But once additional reviews and expanded planning entered the picture, what began as a straightforward roof replacement became a comprehensive storm water management plan estimated to cost nearly ten times as much. The money no longer worked. The project stalled. The roof continued to leak.
No one intended that outcome. Everyone involved loved the house and wanted to fix the roof. But as bureaucracy added more reviews, more requirements, and more ambitions to the project, replacing the roof gave way to perfecting the plan. The process outlasted my patience, and I stepped down from the Oatlands board. I could no longer accept responsibility for watching a historic building deteriorate while waiting for permission to save it.
Wood · Stone · Story
The Through-Line of Preservation
From the heart pine floors of Selma to the Federal brick of the Eliza House and the old stones of Belmont, each property carries a story forward. Proceeds from Sharon's books and paintings fund the Virts Miller Foundation — keeping that story alive in Loudoun County.
Learn About the Foundation