Harewood

Harewood is a historic house in the vicinity of Charles Town, Jefferson County, West Virginia. It was designed by architect John Ariss for Samuel Washington, a younger brother of George Washington, and constructed beginning in 1770. The property is associated with the extended Washington family and is notable for its architecture, family history, and connections to several prominent figures of the early United States. The house was built after Samuel Washington moved from his farm on Chotank Creek in Stafford County, Virginia. During his ownership, he accumulated approximately 3,800 acres surrounding Harewood. The main structure follows a center-hall, single-pile plan, a form common in the colonial Chesapeake and Tidewater regions. It is a two-story limestone building with a raised basement and stone wings on either side. The exterior is relatively restrained, featuring a shallow hipped roof and a modillioned cornice, while the interior contains more elaborate late-eighteenth-century detailing, including Doric pilasters in the principal downstairs rooms. Harewood's historical importance extends beyond its architecture. George Washington visited the property several times. A marble fireplace in the house was reportedly presented to George Washington by the Marquis de Lafayette, although the account is generally treated as part of the site's historical tradition rather than as a separately documented commercial provenance. After Samuel Washington died in 1781, the property passed to his son George Steptoe Washington. The house is also associated with the marriage of Dolley Payne Todd, later Dolley Madison, to James Madison. The couple married at Harewood on September 15, 1794, when Dolley was the sister-in-law of George Steptoe Washington. The property remained part of a wider Washington family landscape. Samuel Washington's son Thornton Washington established Cedar Lawn nearby, creating another related historic site in the Charles Town area. During the American Civil War, James Taylor, who accompanied Union troops in the region, made a sketch of Harewood and commented on the contrast between its richly finished interior and its comparatively plain late-Georgian exterior. In the 1930s, the Historic American Buildings Survey documented the building through photographs, measured drawings, and written records. Harewood is described as the oldest surviving Washington family house in Jefferson County and the only one in the county that remains owned by members of the extended Washington family. Archaeological work at the property's graveyard has also contributed to knowledge of the Washington family's local history. Some burials were moved to the Zion Episcopal Churchyard in Charles Town in 1882, and investigations have identified remains associated with Lucy Payne, the wife of George Steptoe Washington, and two grandsons of Samuel Washington. Harewood is not a commercial consumer brand, operating company, or product line. Its relevance in an encyclopedia-style brand database is instead as a named historic property and cultural heritage site. The supplied industry classification has therefore been retained at the broad other/uncategorized level, while commercial fields such as products, executives, campaigns, financial performance, and listed-market information are not applicable or unavailable.

Harewood was designed by John Ariss for Samuel Washington and construction began in 1770. Samuel Washington had relocated from Chotank Creek in Stafford County, Virginia, and gradually assembled an estate of about 3,800 acres by the time of his death in 1781. The house was built in limestone according to a center-hall, single-pile plan, with two stories, a raised basement, and flanking stone wings. Its simple exterior reflects late Georgian practice, while the interior uses more elaborate Tidewater-influenced detailing, including Doric pilasters in the principal rooms. The property formed part of the extended Washington family's network in the Charles Town area. George Washington visited Harewood on multiple occasions. A marble fireplace at the property is traditionally said to have been given to him by the Marquis de Lafayette. After Samuel Washington's death, Harewood passed to his son George Steptoe Washington. The house gained an additional national association when Dolley Payne Todd married James Madison there on September 15, 1794. Dolley was George Steptoe Washington's sister-in-law at the time. Another of Samuel Washington's sons, Thornton Washington, established Cedar Lawn nearby. Harewood therefore belongs to a group of interconnected Washington-family properties in and around Charles Town. During the American Civil War, James Taylor, who traveled with Union forces in the area, sketched the house and remarked on the contrast between the elaborate interior and the relatively austere exterior. The Historic American Buildings Survey photographed and measured the property during the 1930s, preserving important architectural documentation. The house remains significant as the oldest surviving Washington family house in Jefferson County. It is also identified as the only surviving Washington-family residence in the county still owned by members of the extended Washington family. Archaeological investigations of the associated graveyard have shown that some remains were transferred to the Zion Episcopal Churchyard in Charles Town in 1882. The work has identified remains attributed to Lucy Payne, wife of George Steptoe Washington, and two grandsons of Samuel Washington. Harewood's continuing importance is consequently architectural, genealogical, and historical rather than commercial.

• 1930

  Historic American Buildings Survey documentation

  [1]Harewood (West Virginia)en.wikipedia.org

  The Historic American Buildings Survey documented Harewood through photographs, measured drawings, and descriptive records during the 1930s.

• 1882

  Graveyard remains transferred

  [1]Harewood (West Virginia)en.wikipedia.org

  Some remains from Harewood's graveyard were moved to the Zion Episcopal Churchyard in Charles Town.

• 1794

  Marriage of Dolley Payne Todd and James Madison

  [1]Harewood (West Virginia)en.wikipedia.org

  Dolley Payne Todd married James Madison at Harewood on September 15, linking the house to the future president and first lady.

• 1781

  Samuel Washington dies

  [1]Harewood (West Virginia)en.wikipedia.org

  Samuel Washington died after expanding the Harewood estate to approximately 3,800 acres; the property subsequently passed to his son George Steptoe Washington.

• 1770

  Construction begins

  [1]Harewood (West Virginia)en.wikipedia.org

  John Ariss designed Harewood for Samuel Washington, and construction began on the limestone residence near Charles Town.

Historic Washington family residence and cultural heritage property.

1. 1Harewood (West Virginia)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Historic American Buildings Survey: Harewood, Charles Town vicinity, Jefferson County, West Virginialoc.gov