Thomas Balch Library, Research library in Leesburg, United States

Thomas Balch Library is a history and genealogy library owned by the Town of Leesburg, housed in a 1922 building designed by Waddy Butler Wood as a memorial to historian Thomas Balch, a Leesburg native. A 2003 addition by Bowie Gridley Architects doubled the size of the original structure and received a Palladio Award. The library is part of the Leesburg Historic District.

The library was incorporated in 1918 and built in 1922 as a memorial to Thomas Balch, a historian born in Leesburg, funded by his sons Thomas Willing Balch and Edwin Swift Balch. A private board of trustees ran it for fifty years with volunteers and part-time staff. It became a free but segregated public library in 1960, was desegregated in 1965, joined the Loudoun County Public Library system in 1974, and passed to the Town of Leesburg in 1994.

The collections display old maps, photographs, and documents showing how communities in Virginia developed and were settled over time. Visitors can trace how people lived in this region across generations through the materials on view.

The center is located in downtown Leesburg and welcomes visitors interested in family research or regional history. Staff members are available to help navigate the collections and access digital resources.

The center holds original manuscripts and personal papers from local families spanning several centuries of regional history. These private collections are often unavailable elsewhere and offer rare insights into everyday life in past times.