Raspberry Plain
Raspberry Plain is a historic Mason-family estate in Loudoun County, Virginia, now operated as an events venue.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Raspberry Plain is a historic estate near Leesburg in Loudoun County, Virginia. Although supplied as a brand subject, it is more accurately understood as a historic property and hospitality venue rather than a conventional consumer brand. The estate is associated with the Mason family, one of the prominent families of colonial and early national Northern Virginia, and forms part of the region’s network of historic country estates. The property’s documented history begins in 1731, when Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, granted title to a 322-acre tract known as Raspberry Plain to Joseph Dixon, a blacksmith. In 1754, Aeneas Campbell, Loudoun County’s first sheriff, acquired the property. During Campbell’s ownership, Raspberry Plain became associated with one of the county’s earliest law-enforcement institutions: a jailhouse was established on the property. Campbell’s holdings also included the neighboring tract later known as Strawberry Plain. Thomson Mason, the younger brother of George Mason of Gunston Hall, purchased Raspberry Plain in 1760. Mason developed the estate as an agricultural property, cultivating crops including corn, rye, oats, and buckwheat. In 1771 he constructed a Georgian-style mansion on the site. After his death, the estate passed to his eldest son, Stevens Thomson Mason, who later served as a United States senator from Virginia and had served as a colonel during the American Revolutionary period. Other portions of the wider Mason family landholding were divided into separate estates, including Selma, Temple Hall, and Locust Hill. The original Georgian mansion was expanded during the nineteenth century but was demolished around 1910. A replacement residence in the Colonial Revival style was built in the early twentieth century. The present house is a large brick structure with Flemish-bond masonry, a two-story Roman Doric portico, a Palladian window, pedimented dormers, a slate roof, and detailed classical trim. The surrounding property includes farm buildings, barns, tenant houses, stables, and other features associated with a historic agricultural estate. Ownership changed several times. The Hoffman family acquired the estate in the nineteenth century, and John Guthrie Hopkins, a copper-mining millionaire, later became associated with the property and rebuilt the principal residence. William H. Lipscomb and his wife purchased Raspberry Plain in 1931; Lipscomb was Master of the Loudoun Hunt and used the estate for hunt breakfasts and related country-life events. Brian and Maria Guerra Meehan acquired the property in 1994. Antonio and Bobbi Jo Cecchi later assembled significant portions of the historic holdings, purchasing 24 acres in 1998 and the remaining 50 acres of the Mason estate in 2016. Raspberry Plain now operates as a private event destination. Its uses include weddings, receptions, corporate gatherings, and other special occasions. The Grand Conservatory, added to the Mansion House in 1998, provides indoor event capacity for approximately 200 guests. Visits are generally arranged by appointment. The estate is also connected to the broader Catoctin Rural Historic District, a large historic landscape that was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. A Mason family burial ground on the property contains the graves of Thomson Mason, Mary King Barnes Mason, Stevens Thomson Mason, and Armistead Thomson Mason.
History
Raspberry Plain is a historic property in Loudoun County, Virginia, near Leesburg. Its history reflects the development of Northern Virginia from colonial landholding and agriculture into a landscape of inherited estates, country residences, historic preservation, and private hospitality. The property was established as a titled tract in 1731, when Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, granted 322 acres to Joseph Dixon, a blacksmith. In 1754, Aeneas Campbell purchased the property. Campbell was Loudoun County’s first sheriff, and the estate became the site of an early county jailhouse. The neighboring Strawberry Plain tract was later separated from the larger property and retained its own association with Campbell and his family. In 1760, Thomson Mason purchased Raspberry Plain. Mason was the younger brother of George Mason, the Virginia statesman and owner of Gunston Hall. Thomson Mason farmed the estate and built its principal mansion in 1771. The original house was a Georgian-style brick building with gambrel-roofed wings. After Thomson Mason died in 1785, the estate passed to his eldest son, Stevens Thomson Mason. Stevens later became a United States senator from Virginia. Other members of the Mason family received or developed neighboring sections of the original landholding. Armistead Thomson Mason established Selma on part of the tract, while other Mason-associated properties included Temple Hall and Locust Hill. The estate also figured in the turbulent social history of the early republic. Armistead Thomson Mason was killed in a duel in February 1819 by his cousin John Mason McCarty at the Bladensburg dueling grounds in Maryland. McCarty was associated with nearby Strawberry Plain. The episode illustrates the close familial and geographic relationships that linked the Mason properties around Loudoun County. The Raspberry Plain mansion was enlarged during the nineteenth century, but the original structure was demolished around 1910. John Guthrie Hopkins, a copper millionaire, rebuilt the property in the Colonial Revival style during the early twentieth century. The present mansion is a substantial brick residence featuring Flemish-bond masonry, a Roman Doric portico, a lunette, a Palladian window, pedimented dormers, and a slate gable roof with classical dentil trim. Farm buildings, barns, stables, tenant houses, and other structures remain distributed across the estate landscape. In 1830, the estate, then reduced to approximately 250 acres, was purchased by George, John, Peter, and Samuel Hoffman of Baltimore for $8,500. It remained in the Hoffman family until the property passed to Hopkins. In 1931, William H. Lipscomb and his wife acquired Raspberry Plain. Lipscomb served as Master of the Loudoun Hunt and hosted hunt breakfasts at the estate, reinforcing its role in the region’s equestrian and rural social culture. Brian and Maria Guerra Meehan purchased Raspberry Plain in 1994. Antonio and Bobbi Jo Cecchi acquired 24 acres of the original estate and Rose Hill Manor in 1998. In 2016, they purchased Raspberry Plain and the remaining approximately 50 acres of the Mason estate. The Cecchis subsequently acquired Poplar Springs Manor and its original 173-acre estate in 2018, further linking Raspberry Plain with a wider group of Virginia historic properties. Raspberry Plain is now operated as an event venue for weddings, receptions, corporate gatherings, and other special occasions. The Grand Conservatory, added in 1998, accommodates approximately 200 guests. The property is open for visits by appointment. Its historic importance is reinforced by its inclusion as a contributing property in the 25,000-acre Catoctin Rural Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 31, 1989. A Mason family burial ground on the estate contains the remains of Thomson Mason, his first wife Mary King Barnes Mason, Stevens Thomson Mason, and Armistead Thomson Mason. The burial ground, mansion, agricultural structures, and surrounding landscape together preserve the property’s links to colonial Virginia, the Mason family, nineteenth-century estate life, and contemporary heritage tourism.
- 2018
Cecchis expand their historic-property holdings
[1]Antonio and Bobbi Jo Cecchi purchased Poplar Springs Manor and its original 173-acre estate.
- 2016
Cecchi family acquires Raspberry Plain
[1]Antonio and Bobbi Jo Cecchi purchased Raspberry Plain and the remaining approximately 50 acres of the Mason estate.
- 1998
Grand Conservatory added
[1]The Grand Conservatory was added to the Mansion House, supporting the property’s later events business.
- 1994
Meehan ownership begins
[1]Brian and Maria Guerra Meehan purchased Raspberry Plain.
- 1989
Historic district recognition
[1]Raspberry Plain became a contributing property in the Catoctin Rural Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1931
Lipscomb ownership begins
[1]William H. Lipscomb and his wife purchased Raspberry Plain; Lipscomb later hosted Loudoun Hunt breakfasts at the property.
- 1916
Colonial Revival mansion built
[1]John Guthrie Hopkins purchased the estate and built the present Colonial Revival-style mansion.
- 1910
Original mansion demolished
[1]The eighteenth-century Georgian mansion was demolished around 1910.
- 1830
Hoffman family acquires the estate
[1]George, John, Peter, and Samuel Hoffman purchased the approximately 250-acre estate, which remained with the family until the twentieth century.
- 1819
Armistead Thomson Mason killed in a duel
[1]Armistead Thomson Mason, associated with the family’s Selma property, was killed by his cousin John Mason McCarty in a duel in Maryland.
Products and positioning
A heritage-oriented Virginia estate and private events venue combining Mason-family history, Colonial Revival architecture, rural landscape, and hospitality services.
Historic residence and event setting · 1916
Mansion House
The principal building is an early twentieth-century Colonial Revival brick mansion replacing the original 1771 Georgian house. Its architectural features include a two-story Roman Doric portico, Palladian window, pedimented dormers, Flemish-bond brickwork, slate roofing, classical dentils, and six-over-six sash windows. It serves as the central setting for private events and estate visits.
Event space · 1998
Grand Conservatory
Added to the Mansion House in 1998, the Grand Conservatory provides a large indoor setting for weddings, receptions, corporate functions, and other special occasions. Published descriptions indicate that it can seat approximately 200 guests.
Heritage and event venue
Historic estate grounds
The Raspberry Plain grounds include the mansion setting, rural landscape, agricultural structures, barns, stables, tenant houses, and the Mason family burial ground. These features provide a heritage backdrop for private events and connect the venue to Loudoun County’s historic estate network.
Brand decisions
2016
Acquisition of Raspberry Plain by the CecchisM&ABackground
The property had changed hands several times since the colonial period and was part of a fragmented Mason-family estate landscape.
Action taken
Antonio and Bobbi Jo Cecchi purchased Raspberry Plain together with the remaining approximately 50 acres of the Mason estate.
Aftermath
The property remained in private ownership and continued to operate as a historic events venue.
1998
Expansion into private eventsStrategyBackground
The estate added the Grand Conservatory during a period when Raspberry Plain was developing its role as a weddings and special-events venue.
Action taken
A dedicated conservatory was added to the Mansion House, creating additional event capacity of approximately 200 seated guests.
Aftermath
Raspberry Plain continued operating as a venue for weddings, receptions, corporate events, and other private functions.
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