Richard Treat Gillespie is a is a retired history educator and public historian living in Taylorstown.  He retired as Executive Director of the Mosby Heritage Area Association (now the Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area Association) in January 2017 and now serves as the VPHA’s Historian Emeritus.  He had previously served for a decade as their Director of Education, in charge of the heritage area’s school and public programming to promote interest in the historic landscape in Loudoun, Clarke, Fauquier, and western Prince William where he reached tens of thousands of students and adults.  Previously, Rich taught U.S. History for thirty years at Loudoun Valley High School in Purcellville, Virginia, helping to partner his students with a variety of historic sites and historical organizations, emphasizing local history and preservation wherever possible.  .