Huntley (plantation)

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Huntley
Fairfax County Inventory of Historic Sites
Huntley 2019b.jpg
Southern face of the house from the terraced lawn in 2019
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Location6918 Harrison Lane Alexandria, Virginia
Coordinates 38°45′56″N77°05′41″W / 38.76556°N 77.09472°W / 38.76556; -77.09472 Coordinates: 38°45′56″N77°05′41″W / 38.76556°N 77.09472°W / 38.76556; -77.09472
Area16 acres (6.5 ha)
Built1820–1825
Architectural style Federal
Greek Revival
NRHP reference No. 72001392 [1]
VLR No.029-0117
Significant dates
Added to NRHPNovember 3, 1972
Designated VLRMarch 21, 1972 [2]
Designated FCIHSSeptember 12, 1972

Huntley, also known as Historic Huntley or Huntley Hall is an early 19th-century Federal-style villa and farm [3] in the Hybla Valley area of Fairfax County, Virginia. [3] The house sits on a hill overlooking Huntley Meadows Park to the south. The estate is best known as the country residence of Thomson Francis Mason (1785–21 December 1838), [3] [4] [5] grandson of George Mason of nearby Gunston Hall. [3] [4] [5] It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), the Virginia Landmarks Register (VLR), and the Fairfax County Inventory of Historic Sites. [6]

Contents

History

Upon the death of Mason's grandfather George Mason on 7 October 1792, his father Thomson inherited a portion of the Gunston Hall estate. [7] Around 1817, Mason's father Thomson divided the property into two farms: [7] Dogue Run farm for Mason's younger brother Richard Chichester Mason (1793–1869) and Hunting Creek farm adjacent to Mount Vernon for Mason. [3] [6] [7]

After Mason's marriage in 1817 to Elizabeth "Betsey" Clapham Price of Leesburg, Virginia, he began building Huntley as a secondary home against a hillside overlooking Hybla Valley and the Potomac River on his Hunting Creek tract between 1820 and 1825. [3] [6] [7] Consistent with its counterpart Mason residences like Gunston Hall and Hollin Hall, Huntley was most likely named for Huntly Castle, an ancestral home in Scotland from Mason's mother's side. [3] Huntley never served as a permanent residence for Mason, who owned a number of houses in Alexandria including Colross, his chief homestead. [3] Huntley was conveniently located along a gravel road from Alexandria. [6] By 1834, Mason's brother Richard built Okeley Manor on neighboring Dogue Run farm. [7]

Twenty years after Mason's death, his widow Betsey attempted to sell Huntley and its accompanying Hunting Creek farm in 1859. [3] [7] When she was unable to sell the property, Betsey transferred ownership on 7 November 1859 to her sons John "Frank" Francis Mason and Arthur "Pen" Pendleton Mason. [3] [7] Once the property was transferred to Mason's sons, Huntley was held as security on a debt to a family friend, Dr. Benjamin King. [3] [6] [7] On 7 December, they obtained a $13,000 loan, due for repayment on 1 January 1862, from Dr. King. [6] [7] Frank Mason rented Huntley to George W. Johnson, a Union sympathizer, for two years beginning on 1 August 1860. [6] [7] Under their agreement with Johnson, the Masons promised him $1,000 to put the farm in order. [7] At the onset of the war, Pen Mason enlisted in the Confederate States Army. [6]

During the American Civil War from December 1861 through February 1862, the 3rd Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment camped at Huntley, with their quartermaster and his wife residing in the mansion. [6] [7] Also during the war, the Masons defaulted on their loan, and Dr. King eventually acquired Huntley at a public auction on 12 June 1862. [3] [6] [7] Despite Dr. King's ownership, Johnson continued to reside at Huntley and worked the farm until February 1863. [7] After the American Civil War, Johnson reported to the Southern Claims Commission that when Frank Mason and his mother Betsey traveled south before the war, the Masons left all of their servants and their servants' children in Johnson's care without compensation. [7]

Six years after Dr. King purchased the estate, Albert W. Harrison and Nathan W. Pierson from New Jersey assumed Huntley's title on 21 November 1868 and divided their claim in 1871. [3] [7] Harrison took ownership of the mansion and its supporting structures and Pierson acquired the rest. [3] [7] Following Harrison's death in 1911, Huntley came into the possession of his heirs. [3] Richard Chichester Mason's descendants sold nearby Okeley Manor in 1916, [7] ending Mason family ownership of any of the original Gunston Hall property. [7]

During the 1930s, Huntley's property, along with other former Mason properties, was partially reassembled by entrepreneur Henry Woodhouse for the proposed George Washington Air Junction. [3] [7] The airport was intended to serve as a regional landing site for Graf Zeppelin airships, but the plans never came to fruition and Woodhouse lost the land by default. [3] [7] The last of the Harrisons died in 1946 and Huntley's mansion was sold to August W. and Eleanor S. Nagel. During the Nagels' brief period of ownership, the couple commissioned Arlington architect Edward M. Pitt to make drawings of the mansion. [3] Three years later, Huntley was sold to Colonel and Mrs. Ransom G. Amlong. [3]

Huntley in 2009 after being boarded up and fenced off to protect the structure from further vandalism Huntley plantation house.jpg
Huntley in 2009 after being boarded up and fenced off to protect the structure from further vandalism

Huntley was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 3 November 1972. [1] In 1989, Huntley was acquired by the Fairfax County Park Authority. Due to vandalism, it was boarded and fenced until restoration funds were secured. [6] In May 2010 a contract was made for restoration and the work begun that fall. The exterior of the house was restored to its appearance in the early 19th century. [8] A $100,000 grant through the National Park Service's Save America's Treasures program was awarded to help with the renovation. The Fairfax County Park Authority also provided several million dollars towards preservation and redevelopment of the site. The restored Huntley officially opened on May 19, 2012. [9]

Architecture

Interior Huntley interior 2019a.jpg
Interior
One of several outbuildings Huntley outbuilding 2019e.jpg
One of several outbuildings

Huntley's mansion and its surrounding farm complex were constructed between 1820 and 1825 in the early Federal style. [3] Originally built in the shape of an "H", the mansion's central section rises three stories on the south and two on the north. [3] For unknown reasons the east and west sides were built first and later joined in the center. Its brickwork is laid in a common bond. [3] The mansion's flanking wings, which are one story lower than the one-room central section, each consist of two rooms. [3] The central gable is crowned by two rectangular interior chimneys which run parallel to the mansion's roofline. [3] The central gable also contains three bays with casements of nine panes each. [3]

The second story of the central section is crowned by a mousetooth brick cornice that once marked the edge of the mansion's clipped roof. [3] The first floor central section is sheltered by a three-bay porch addition that links the pedimented wings. [3] The mansion's front entrance is framed by three-paned sidelights separated by slender reeded pilasters and surmounted by a fanlight with wooden tracery. [3] The two bays which flank this entrance on the first floor porch have a four-over-four sash. [3] The remaining windows on the ground and first floors consist of a six-over-six double hung sash. [3] Set slightly into the brick of the house, the windows still consist mostly of their early glass, and single panel shutters vented by fixed louvers. [3]

The mansion's most notable architectural features are its one-bay pedimented wings. [3] The wing elevation on the south includes a simple ground floor bay surmounted by the first floor windows which are set into recessed rectangular frames. [3] The side wings are topped by pediments enhanced by a molded cornice and enclosing louvered lunettes. [3] Windows on the east and west sides of the mansion's wings are spaced irregularly. [3] On the east side, two bays light the ground level and three bays break the wall of the first story. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hybla Valley, Virginia</span> Census-designated place in Virginia, United States

Hybla Valley is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of Alexandria. The population was 15,801 at the 2010 census, down from 16,721 in 2000 due to a reduction in area, resulting from some of the eastward neighborhoods including much of Hollin Hills being moved to the Fort Hunt CDP. The population increased to 16,319 in the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gunston Hall</span> Historic house in Virginia, United States

Gunston Hall is an 18th-century Georgian mansion near the Potomac River in Mason Neck, Virginia, United States. Built between 1755 and 1759 as the main residence and headquarters of a 5,500-acre (22 km2) plantation, the house was the home of the United States Founding Father George Mason. The home is located not far from George Washington's home.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huntley Meadows Park</span> Park in Fairfax County, Virginia

Huntley Meadows Park, the largest park operated by the Fairfax County Park Authority, is located in the Hybla Valley area of Fairfax County, Virginia, south of the city of Alexandria. The park features a visitor center, a beaver-created wetland with boardwalk, wildlife observation platforms, and an interpretative trail system. The park is home to abundant wildlife and is known for attracting many birds, amphibians, and plants that are considered less common in the region. Secondary-growth forest, sprinkled with several small, native-grass and wildflower meadows surround much of the wetland habitat. The main bodies of water that flow through the park are Dogue Creek at the western border of the park, Barnyard Run, the source of the park's Central Wetland, and the headwaters of Little Hunting Creek.

George Mason V was an American planter, businessman, and militia officer. Mason was the eldest son of United States patriot, statesman, and delegate from Virginia to the U.S. Constitutional Convention, George Mason IV and his wife Ann Eilbeck. He received his early education from private tutors at Gunston Hall and was given Lexington plantation on Mason's Neck by his father in 1774. In 1775, he named his plantation to commemorate the Battle of Lexington in Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raspberry Plain</span> Human settlement in Virginia, United States of America

Raspberry Plain is a historic property and former plantation in Loudoun County, Virginia, near Leesburg. Raspberry Plain became one of the principal Mason family estates of Northern Virginia, and was rebuilt in the early 20th century. It currently operates as an event site, hosting weddings and other special events year round.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Hall</span> Historic house in Virginia, United States

Temple Hall is an early 19th-century Federal-style mansion and working farm near the Potomac River north of Leesburg in Loudoun County, Virginia.

Thomson Francis Mason was an American lawyer, planter and politician who served as the mayor of Alexandria between 1827 and 1830, and as a justice of the peace for many years and briefly in the months before his death as a judge of the Washington D.C. criminal court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colross</span> Georgian mansion in Princeton, New Jersey

Colross is a Georgian style mansion built around 1800 as the center of a large plantation in what is now the Old Town neighborhood of Alexandria, Virginia, and moved circa 1930 to Princeton, New Jersey, where it is currently the administration building of Princeton Day School.

Richard Chichester Mason was an American planter, physician and politician in Fairfax County, Virginia, which he twice represented in the Virginia House of Delegates. Mason also practiced medicine in Alexandria, Virginia and spent the American Civil War in Richmond working for the Confederate States Army.

William Mason was an American planter and soldier. He was a militiaman in the American Revolutionary War and a prominent Virginia planter. Mason was the third son of George Mason, an American patriot, statesman, and delegate from Virginia to the U.S. Constitutional Convention.

Thomson Mason was an American planter, soldier and politician who represented Fairfax County in both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly. He was one of the sons of George Mason, an American patriot, statesman, and delegate from Virginia to the U.S. Constitutional Convention.

Okeley Manor was an early 19th-century plantation in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Okeley, the residence of prominent Alexandria physician Richard Chichester Mason (1793–1869), was one of the principal Mason family estates in Northern Virginia. Mason's plantation house was used as a hospital during the American Civil War and burned to prevent the spread of smallpox.

Locust Hill is an early 19th-century Federal-style mansion north of Leesburg in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. Locust Hill was the home of John Thomson Mason, a prominent American jurist and Attorney General of Maryland in 1806 and nephew of Founding Father of the United States George Mason.

Chestnut Hill is an 18th-century Federal-style mansion north of Leesburg in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. Chestnut Hill was a home of Thomson Francis Mason, a prominent jurist, lawyer, councilman, judge, mayor of Alexandria, and grandson of Founding Father of the United States George Mason. Chestnut Hill was also a home of Mason's son, Dr. John "Frank" Francis Mason. It is located at 13263 Chestnut Hill Lane near Leesburg.

Arthur "Pen" Pendleton Mason was an American military officer, merchant, planter and lawyer who served as a lieutenant colonel in the Confederate States Army serving during the American Civil War. Mason was a scion of the prominent Mason political family of Virginia.

Beverley Randolph Mason was an American military officer and educator who was the founder and principal of the Gunston Hall School for young women in Washington, D.C. Mason was a great-grandson of George Mason, author of the Virginia Bill of Rights.

George Mason III was an American planter, military officer, legislator and government official. Although he repeatedly won election to represent Stafford County in the then-one-house Virginia General Assembly, he may today be best known as the father of George Mason IV, a Founding Father of the United States.

Selma is a historic property and former plantation in Loudoun County, Virginia, near Leesburg. Selma is best known as the residence of Armistead Thomson Mason, a U.S. Senator from Virginia from 1816 through 1817.

Clermont was an 18th-century plantation in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Clermont is best known as the home of John Mason, an early American merchant and planter and a son of George Mason, a Founding Father of the United States. Clermont is also known for being the birthplace of Fitzhugh Lee, nephew of Robert E. Lee, grandson of John Mason, Confederate cavalry general in the American Civil War, Governor of Virginia, diplomat, and United States Army general in the Spanish–American War.

Hope Park was an 18th and 19th-century plantation in Fairfax County in the U.S. state of Virginia, where Dr. David Stuart (1753–1814), an old friend of and correspondent with George Washington lived with his wife, Eleanor Calvert Custis (1758–1811), and family. It was approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) southwest of Fairfax Court House.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ↑ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission Staff (March 1972). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: Huntley" (PDF). Department of Historic Resources. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-22. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
  4. 1 2 Gunston Hall. "Thomson Francis Mason". Gunston Hall. Archived from the original on 2020-03-28. Retrieved 2009-03-07.
  5. 1 2 The Political Graveyard (June 16, 2008). "Mason family of Virginia". The Political Graveyard. Archived from the original on 2013-04-04. Retrieved 2009-03-07.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Fairfax County Park Authority. "Historic Huntley". Fairfax County Park Authority. Archived from the original on 2009-05-15. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Shirley Scalley. "Huntley Meadows Park". www.historygems.com. Archived from the original on 2009-02-20. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
  8. ↑ "The Restoration". www.historichuntley.org. Archived from the original on 2013-03-09. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
  9. ↑ "Historic Huntley". Fairfax County Park Authority ]. Archived from the original on 2015-10-06. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
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