Byrnside-Beirne-Johnson House, also known as "Willowbrook," is a historic home located near

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

Monroe County, West Virginia Monroe County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,376. Its county seat is Union. Monroe County was the home of Andrew Summers Rowan of Spanish–American War fame, who is immortalized in ...

. The house began as a pioneer log fort built by six families in 1770. After 1855, it was enlarged to a large 2½-story, five-bay, "T"-shaped dwelling with a two-story rear wing. It is covered with

board-and-batten A batten is most commonly a strip of solid material, historically wood but can also be of plastic, metal, or fiberglass. Battens are variously used in construction, sailing, and other fields. In the lighting industry, battens refer to linea ...

siding in the

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style. The front features a two-story gable end porch built about 1900. Also on the property is a contributing

smokehouse A smokehouse (North American) or smokery (British) is a building where meat or fish is cured with smoke Smoke is a suspension of airborne particulates and gases emitted when a material undergoes combustion or pyrolysis, together with t ...

. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1991. The eastern log structure in the home was originally known as Byrnside's (or Burnside's) Fort. James Byrnside was clearly an important person in the early settlement and defense of the area, having come into the sinks of Monroe area in the early 1760s and again in 1769 or 1770, having been burned out in 1763. He amassed considerable wealth and power in the area, for example, being taxed for 3,750 acres in 1783 (1783 Greenbrier County Land Roll). Five separate pension applicants mentioned being stationed at Byrnside's Fort (Bradshaw, Christy, Kincaid, Swope, Wincleback) between 1776 and 1781. The most commonly mentioned commander for these men was a Capt. Wright, as well as James Byrnside himself. John Stuart mentions trying to raise men under Capt. Byrnside in 1777, which adds further support for his extensive involvement (Thwaites and Kellogg 1908:240). Byrnside's Fort was probably a fairly important regional fort. The pension application of John Bradshaw suggests that spies from Byrnside's patrolled an area that butted up against the area that was covered by spies from Cook's Fort. Byrnside's Fort was used as a place of rendezvous for an expedition to

Fort Chiswell Chiswell , sometimes , is a small village at the southern end of Chesil Beach, in Underhill, on the Isle of Portland in Dorset. It is the oldest settlement on the island, having formerly been known as Chesilton. The small bay at Chiswell is ca ...

and on to Kentucky in February 1781 under Major Hamilton, Lt. Woods, Capt. Henderson, Capt. Davidson and Capt. Armstrong as well as providing the more typical protection of an immediate hinterland. In August 1782, James Byrnside was awarded damages of over £12 for "damage done him by a party of militia from this county on their march to Kentucky (Greenbrier County Court Minutes, cited from Stinson 1988:13). Virginia Militia records show that there were twelve "Indian Spies" in service from 1776 through 1779, ranging between Cook's Fort and Byrnside's Fort, both along Indian Creek in what was then Augusta County, Virginia (now Monroe County, West Virginia).Virginia Militia in the Revolution, page 19, J.T. McCallister, 1913. Willowbrook, including the original structure of Byrnside's Fort, is now in the process of restoration.

References

Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia Gothic Revival architecture in West Virginia Houses completed in 1770 Houses in Monroe County, West Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Monroe County, West Virginia 1770 establishments in Virginia Log buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia {{MonroeCountyWV-NRHP-stub