At least two different railroad stations stood at this site. When the Alexandra, Loudoun & Hampshire Railroad, later the W&OD, arrived in 1860, the crossroads of Farmwell became one of many rail stops serving agrarian Loudoun County. In 1896, after an ash tree caught fire and supposedly burned for a week, Farmwell changed its name to Ashburn. Loudoun County then had more than 1,200 farms, and the railroad carried wheat, corn, oats, livestock, and dairy products. By 1891, early morning trains through Farmwell hauled about 4,000 gallons of milk to Washington each day, though some crewmen sometimes churned milk into butter during the trip, sold it at the next stop, kept the money, and threw the empty milk cans into Goose Creek.