Britain, Virginia Explained

Britain, Virginia
Settlement Type:Unincorporated community
Pushpin Map:USA Virginia#USA
Pushpin Label:Britain
Pushpin Label Position:bottom
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2: Loudoun
Unit Pref:Imperial
Population As Of:2000
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone:Eastern (EST)
Utc Offset:-5
Timezone Dst:EDT
Utc Offset Dst:-4
Coordinates:39.2528°N -77.6969°W
Postal Code Type:ZIP codes
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID

Britain is an unincorporated community village in Loudoun County, Virginia lying along Milltown Creek. It is located on the eastern flanks of Short Hill Mountain along Mountain Road (VA Route 690) at its junction with Britain Road.

History

Originally known as Guinea, the village of Britain—named after Michigan senator Calvin Britain—became the place of settlement for a free African American community in the mid 19th century. Mount Sinai Free Baptist Church was built here in 1880 and served as a school for the community until 1915. Unlike most of the black settlements in Loudoun County, Britain had a post office in operation. Its African American residents began to move elsewhere in the early 19th century with the last black families leaving Britain in the 1920s.