Rion Hall is a late Federal style house near

Halltown, West Virginia Halltown is an unincorporated community on land that was originally owned by William Hall along Flowing Springs Run in Jefferson County, West Virginia. Halltown is located off U.S. Route 340 on West Virginia Route 230 West Virginia Route 230 is ...

. Built in 1836, it consists of a three-story brick house with a two-story kitchen wing connected by a wood hyphen. The house was used as a headquarters for General

Philip H. Sheridan Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. The house was built in 1836 by William Lucas. Lucas was the son of Robert and Sarah Rion Lucas, and was born at Cold Spring. In 1838, Lucas was elected to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, serving a total of three terms. At William Lucas' death, the property passed to his son,

Daniel Bedinger Lucas Daniel Bedinger Lucas (March 16, 1836 in Rion Hall near Charles Town, Virginia – June 24, 1909 in Charles Town, West Virginia), was a Confederate officer, poet, lawyer and ultimately justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court. He was the son of ...

, a lawyer and a

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...

, who was briefly appointed to the

US Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

by the Governor of West Virginia, but not seated. With Daniel Lucas' death the property passed to Virginia Lucas, whose accidental death in 1929 left the house vacant for ten years. In 1938 the house changed hands and underwent renovation.

References

Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia Houses in Jefferson County, West Virginia Houses completed in 1836 Federal architecture in West Virginia Greek Revival houses in West Virginia Robert Lucas family National Register of Historic Places in Jefferson County, West Virginia {{AmericanCivilWar-stub

See also

References