Washington Bottom Farm
Ridgedale | |
Coordinates | 39°24′49″N 78°44′19″W / 39.41361°N 78.73861°W |
---|---|
Area | 251.6 acres (101.8 ha) |
Built | 1835 |
Architectural style | Greek Revival |
NRHP reference No. | 01001328[1] |
Added to NRHP | November 29, 2001 |
Ridgedale (also known as Washington Bottom Farm, Ridge Dale, and as the George W. Washington House and Farm) is a 19th-century Greek Revival plantation house and farm on a plateau overlooking the South Branch Potomac River north of Romney, West Virginia, United States.[2][3][4][5][6] The populated area adjacent to Washington Bottom Farm is known as Ridgedale. The farm is connected to West Virginia Route 28 via Washington Bottom Road (West Virginia Secondary Route 28/3).
Ridgedale, constructed in 1835, was the residence of
Architecture
The main residence at Ridgedale farm is a high-style Greek Revival structure.[4] The three-story brick house stands on a brick foundation and has an L-shaped plan.[4] The house has a hip roof with a central square cupola and a widow's walk.[4] The cupola has a window on each side with a 4 over 4 double-hung sash, and brackets under the roof edge.[4] On the roof are five chimneys, one at each corner and one in the back ell with a slightly flared edge of corbels at the top, and a recessed panel in the center face.[4]
The front, or south elevation, has a center hipped wooden
The residence's west elevation is divided into two sections with the front portion of the house and the rear ell.[4] Each section has three bays on each floor with 6/6 sash windows on the first and second floor and lozenge windows on third floor of the front section.[4] The rear ell is slightly set back from the facade and has a kitchen porch on the first floor with wooden posts.[4] A lower level door leads into a basement room, and the first floor door leads into the kitchen.[4] The basement windows are 3/3 sash windows
The north side of the ell is a blank brick wall with a single lower level entrance that has a brick stairwell and original beaded door.[4] The north side of the main house has two 6/6 sash windows.[4]
The east
The interior of the residence has good integrity with original wooden floors, wooden trim, a wide center hall with curved stairs, 12'ceilings, and six panel doors, some of which have graining.[4] The trim on the second floor with 11' ceilings is simpler with narrow closets in the bedrooms having been added after 1939.[4] The doorways on this floor have transoms opening into the hallway.[4] 2 bathrooms were added at the front end of the hall with pocket doors and transoms.[4] The 3rd floor has 9' ceilings which angle and the low lozenge windows and face nailed pine floor.[4] A narrow dog-leg stairway leads to the cupola and a door opens out to the widow's walk.[4] A dog-leg stairway also connects to the second floor of the rear porch.[4]
History
Fort Williams
The land on which Ridgedale Farm is located can be traced back to
George W. Washington
George W. Washington (1809–1876) was the son of Edward Washington, a descendant of George Washington's great-great-grandfather
Establishment of Ridgedale
The couple moved to the Ridgedale and constructed the single pen log cabin around 1832 where they lived until the spacious Greek Revival main house was completed.[3][4][5][6] As their family and resources grew, they added to the farm and constructed the main house in 1835.[3][4][5][6] They had 11 children: Edward, John W., Rebecca, Esther (also known as Etta and Ettie), John, Betty, George, Robert, and Sallie.[3][4][5][6] Son John W. and daughter Sallie died when less than two years old, and the second John died during the American Civil War in which his brother Edward also fought.[3][4][5][6]
George W. Washington's agricultural practices included raising
Washington kept a daily
Washington speaks of the ridge, known as Middle Ridge (geologically a continuation of Mill Creek Mountain), which was used to pasture his cattle and sheep.[4] This section is no longer part of the farm.[4] Corn was also grown and harvested from a high water island in the South Branch Potomac River known simply as "the island."Slavery
George W. Washington and his family owned 16
William Bias, one of the Washington family's slaves, and his wife Ann, took the surname Washington and were conveyed by Susan Blue Parsons 2 acres (8,100 m2) from Wappocomo plantation on November 7, 1874.[8] William and Ann Washington's home, known as Washington Place, was one of the first residences in Hampshire County built by freed slaves.[8] William Washington later acquired other properties on the hills north of Romney along what is now West Virginia Route 28 and became the first African-American land developer in the state of West Virginia.[8] One of his subdivisions is the "Blacks Hill" neighborhood of Romney, adjacent to the Washington Place homestead.[8]
American Civil War
"Camp Washington"
Ridgedale was the scene of activity during the American Civil War.
George W. Washington kept a journal of the happenings of this period, which has preserved valuable information concerning the period of the American Civil War in Hampshire County.[3] Washington's sons, Edward and John, both joined the Hampshire Guards before the American Civil War began, and left for
Southern Methodist support
Washington was an early supporter of the Southern Methodists in Hampshire County, of which he alludes to in his 1868 journal.[4] He was one of the trustees who purchased land in 1851 in the town of Springfield to construct a church building for the Methodist Episcopal Church South, after Methodists split into northern and southern factions in 1846.[6] Washington states that he and his family had not been able to attend the Springfield Methodist Church while it was in the process of being repaired after the American Civil War.[4]
Robert M. Washington
George W. Washington died on February 6, 1876, and his
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad built a line near the farm in 1883.[4] This line served the communities from Green Spring, West Virginia, to Petersburg.[4] The railroad had a siding on the farm to drop supplies as needed, such as fencing and other materials.[4] This was in place until 1930.[4] The South Branch Valley Railroad continues to operate on the old Baltimore and Ohio line near Washington Bottom Farm.
Brinker family
Brothers Fred, George, and Joseph Brinker had owned a
Washington Bottom Farm was then owned by Robert C. Brinker and his wife, Loretta.
Since the Shaw's purchased the farm, Ridgedale has undergone an extensive restoration project partially funded from both the West Virginia Division of Culture and History and the United States Department of the Interior through the National Park Service.[2] The Shaw's use the home as their private residence and give tours upon request.
Archaeology
A small Indian mound, is to the east of the house.[4]
See also
- List of historic sites in Hampshire County, West Virginia
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Hampshire County, West Virginia
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ a b Charles C. Hall (2007). "Ridgedale Restoration: Restoring the George W. Washington Home". historichampshire.org. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
- ^ OCLC 3121468.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb cc cd ce cf cg ch ci cj ck cl cm cn co cp cq cr cs ct cu cv cw cx cy cz da db dc dd Loretta Brinker; Katherine Jourdan (2001). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Washington Bottom Farm" (PDF). West Virginia Division of Culture and History, State Historic Preservation Office]. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
- ^ ISBN 0-8063-4775-9.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Special Collections & Archives, Hutchins Library, Berea College (2010). "Guide to the Rebecca Washington Collection". Hutchins Library, Berea College]. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Welles, Albert (1879). The Pedigree and History of the Washington Family: Derived from Odin, the Founder of Scandinavia, B.C. 70, Involving a Period of Eighteen Centuries, and Including Fifty-five Generations, Down to General George Washington, First President of the United States. Society Library.
- ^ ISBN 0-9715738-2-4.
- ^ a b c d Thomas, Clarence (1907). General Turner Ashby: The Centaur of the South. Eddy Press Corporation.
- ^ ISBN 0-299-13264-1.
- ^ a b c d McDonald, William; Bushrod Corbin Washington (1907). A History of the Laurel Brigade: Originally the Ashby Cavalry of the Army of Northern Virginia and Chew's Battery. Sun Job Printing Office.
- ^ a b c Maxwell, Hu; Howard Llewellyn Swisher (1897). History of Hampshire County, West Virginia. Morgantown, West Virginia: A. B. Boughner.