A Commitment to the Past
Selma Mansion and the Eliza House — 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 · Restoration In Progress
The newest preservation initiative for Sharon Virts and Scott Miller. Where Selma was a senator's mansion and the Eliza House was a widow's fight, the Whitmore properties carry a different kind of story — one of ordinary lives lived with quiet dignity. Elias and Mary Whitmore — a schoolteacher and a postmaster, known in town as the quiet couple who kept to themselves. Preservation is not only for the grand and famous; it is for the everyday rooms where the real texture of a community was woven.
- The newest restoration project for Sharon and Scott
- Home of Elias and Mary Whitmore — a schoolteacher and postmaster
- A story of ordinary lives and quiet dignity, not just the grand and famous
- Restoration in progress — follow along as the work unfolds
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.
2026 JARB Preservation Award
Sharon's son, Lucas Mason, was selected by the Loudoun County Joint Architectural Review Board (JARB) to receive 2026 awards for his rehabilitation and addition work at 204 and 208 North King Street in Leesburg — recognized for his dedication to preserving the character of the historic district. The awards were presented at the Loudoun Preservation Society's gala at Morven Park.
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 quiet stones of the Whitmore properties, 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