Hazelfield

Hazelfield is a historic farm near Shenandoah Junction in Jefferson County, West Virginia. It is not documented as a commercial consumer brand or operating company; rather, the name identifies a historic agricultural estate and its principal residence. The surviving house was built in 1815 for Ann Stephen Dandridge Hunter, whose family history connected the property to prominent Virginia figures and to the early development of Jefferson County. Hazelfield is therefore best understood as a heritage property rather than a marketed product or corporate identity. The estate originally covered approximately 600 acres. Ann Stephen received the property from her father, Adam Stephen, when she married Alexander Spotswood Dandridge in 1780. After Dandridge’s death, she married Colonel Moses Hunter in 1787. Following the death of her son David during the War of 1812, Ann moved from Martinsburg to Hazelfield and commissioned the residence that remains the property’s defining feature. She died in 1834, after which the property passed to her grandson, David Hunter Tucker. In the 1840s, it was associated with Tucker’s brother Nathaniel Beverly Tucker and his wife. The residence is an important example of early Federal-period domestic architecture in the region. Constructed principally from limestone and covered with brown stucco, it has wood-weatherboarded gables, a metal roof, and a main block rising two and a half stories. A large lunette illuminates the attic, while a smaller one-and-a-half-story wing extends from the north side. The east entrance has a centered, pedimented porch. Inside, the house uses a transverse-hall plan, with a wide, well-lit hall extending across the front of both principal floors and rooms arranged behind it. The ground floor historically included a parlor and dining room in the main block, along with a kitchen and pantry in the wing; most of these rooms had fireplaces. Hazelfield has architectural significance beyond its individual fabric. It has been described as the first transverse-hall house in Jefferson County and as an early local example of a plan that later appeared in houses built by the Washington family elsewhere in the county. Its gable-entry arrangement was also unusual for a private residence because similar forms were more commonly associated with public buildings. Historian William Howard Adams believed the design may have been adapted from the plan of Milton House in Edinburgh, Scotland, designed by William Adam, although the available reference material presents this as an interpretation rather than an established attribution. By the early 1970s, the house had been abandoned. Historian William Howard Adams and his wife, Janet, subsequently acquired it and undertook repairs, using Hazelfield as a summer residence. The property was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 12, 1976. Later public interest included a 2004 New York Times account of a visit to William Howard Adams at Hazelfield and documentation through the Historic American Buildings Survey. No reliable source in the supplied material identifies a current commercial owner, operating business, product line, or public market activity.

Hazelfield is a historic farm near Shenandoah Junction in Jefferson County, West Virginia. The property’s documented history begins with its transfer to Ann Stephen, daughter of Adam Stephen, at the time of her 1780 marriage to Alexander Spotswood Dandridge. Dandridge was the grandson of Alexander Spotswood, a colonial lieutenant governor of Virginia, and the brother-in-law of Patrick Henry. After Dandridge died, Ann married Colonel Moses Hunter in 1787, and they had three children. Following the death of her son David during the War of 1812, Ann moved from Martinsburg to the Hazelfield estate. She built the principal residence in 1815. The property then remained connected to her family. After Ann’s death in 1834, Hazelfield passed to her grandson, David Hunter Tucker. During the 1840s, it was used by Tucker’s brother, Nathaniel Beverly Tucker, and his wife. The 1815 house is architecturally significant within Jefferson County. It is a Federal-style limestone structure covered with brown stucco, with wood-weatherboarded gables and a painted metal roof. The principal block is two and a half stories high and includes a large attic lunette. A smaller side wing, one and a half stories in height, is attached to the north. The east-facing entrance is marked by a centered, pedimented porch. Its interior follows a transverse-hall plan. The hall extends across the width of the front elevation on both main floors and receives substantial natural light. Two rooms are positioned toward the rear, while a U-shaped stairway occupies the southeast corner of the hall. The ground floor historically contained a parlor and dining room in the principal block and a kitchen and pantry in the side wing. Fireplaces served the principal rooms and the kitchen, though not the pantry. Hazelfield is regarded as an early and influential example of the transverse-hall arrangement in Jefferson County. It has been described as the county’s first house using this plan, which later became more common in houses associated with the Washington family elsewhere in the area. The building’s gable-entry configuration was unusual for a domestic structure because comparable arrangements were more often used in public buildings. William Howard Adams, who later owned the property, proposed that the design may have been adapted from the plan of Milton House in Edinburgh, Scotland, associated with architect William Adam. By the early 1970s, Hazelfield had been abandoned. Historian William Howard Adams and his wife, Janet, purchased the property and repaired the house for summer use. Their stewardship helped preserve the building’s architectural character. Hazelfield was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 12, 1976. The property has also been recorded by the Historic American Buildings Survey, which produced three measured drawings. A 2004 New York Times account of a visit to William Howard Adams at Hazelfield provides an additional published reference to the site and its preservation history. The supplied references do not establish Hazelfield as a commercial brand, company, product maker, or operating enterprise. Its significance rests on its agricultural history, association with early Virginia and West Virginia families, architectural form, and place in the preservation record.

• 1976

  Listed on the National Register of Historic Places

  [1]Hazelfielden.wikipedia.org

  Hazelfield received National Register recognition on December 12, 1976, for its historical and architectural importance.

• 1834

  Property passed to David Hunter Tucker

  [1]Hazelfielden.wikipedia.org

  After Ann’s death, Hazelfield passed to her grandson, David Hunter Tucker.

• 1815

  Principal residence constructed

  [1]Hazelfielden.wikipedia.org

  Ann Stephen Dandridge Hunter built the Federal-style limestone residence after moving to the Hazelfield property following her son’s death during the War of 1812.

• 1787

  Ann Stephen married Colonel Moses Hunter

  [1]Hazelfielden.wikipedia.org

  After Alexander Spotswood Dandridge’s death, Ann Stephen married Colonel Moses Hunter.

• 1780

  Hazelfield estate given to Ann Stephen

  [1]Hazelfielden.wikipedia.org

  Adam Stephen gave the approximately 600-acre estate to his daughter, Ann Stephen, upon her marriage to Alexander Spotswood Dandridge.

A privately associated historic farm and architectural heritage property, rather than a conventional commercial brand.

1. 1Hazelfielden.wikipedia.org