With so many of its buildings and architectural phases still intact, Purcellville's strong visual links clearly show how a typical rural town in America evolved. On the main road from the port of Alexandria west to Winchester, Purcellville's midway location allowed it to grow from a simple drover's tavern to a turnpike stagecoach stop that was complete with hotel, livery, store, and blacksmith and wheelwright shops. The arrival of railroad technology in 1874 enabled Purcellville to become a mercantile hub for the fertile Loudoun Valley. Its growth blossomed around the train station, a block north and west of the original village. When divided highways replaced the railroad in 1968, Purcellville had a third surge of growth in businesses, schools, and homes on its fringes, now easily reached by automobile. Like rings on a tree, each of these growth layers represents the technology and society of the age.