Huntley (plantation)
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Huntley, also known as Historic Huntley or Huntley Hall is an early 19th-century
Federal-style Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the newly founded United States between 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815, which was heavily based on the works of Andrea Palladio with several inn ...
villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became s ...
and farm in the
Hybla Valley Hybla Valley is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of Alexandria. The population was 15,801 at the 2010 census, down from 16,721 in 2000 due to a reduction in area, resulting from some of the eastward ...
area of
Fairfax County Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is part of Northern Virginia and borders both the city of Alexandria and Arlington County and forms part of the suburban ring of Washington, D.C. ...
,
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
. The house sits on a hill overlooking
Huntley Meadows Park Huntley Meadows Park, the largest park operated by the Fairfax County Park Authority (), is located in the Hybla Valley area of Fairfax County, Virginia, south of the city of Alexandria. The park features a visitor center, a beaver-created wet ...
to the south. The estate is best known as the country residence of
Thomson Francis Mason Thomson Francis Mason (1785 – 21 December 1838) was an American lawyer, planter and politician who served as the mayor of Alexandria (then in the District of Columbia, but now Virginia) between 1827 and 1830, and as a justice of the peace for ...
(1785–21 December 1838), grandson of
George Mason George Mason (October 7, 1792) was an American planter, politician, Founding Father, and delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787, one of the three delegates present who refused to sign the Constitution. His writings, including s ...
of nearby
Gunston Hall Gunston Hall is an 18th-century Georgian mansion near the Potomac River in Mason Neck, Virginia, United States. Built between 1755 and 1759 as the main residence and headquarters of a plantation, the house was the home of the United State ...
. It is 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 ...
(NRHP), the
Virginia Landmarks Register The Virginia Landmarks Register (VLR) is a list of historic properties in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The state's official list of important historic sites, it was created in 1966. The Register serves the same purpose as the National Registe ...
(VLR), and the Fairfax County Inventory of Historic Sites.


History

Upon the death of Mason's grandfather
George Mason George Mason (October 7, 1792) was an American planter, politician, Founding Father, and delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787, one of the three delegates present who refused to sign the Constitution. His writings, including s ...
on 7 October 1792, his father
Thomson Thomson may refer to: Names * Thomson (surname), a list of people with this name and a description of its origin * Thomson baronets, four baronetcies created for persons with the surname Thomson Businesses and organizations * SGS-Thomson Mic ...
inherited a portion of the Gunston Hall estate. Around 1817, Mason's father Thomson divided the property into two farms: Dogue Run farm for Mason's younger brother
Richard Chichester Mason Richard Chichester Mason (7 May 1793 – 22 July 1869) was an American planter, physician and politician in Fairfax County, Virginia, which he twice represented in the Virginia House of Delegates. Mason also practiced medicine in Alexandria, Vir ...
(1793–1869) and Hunting Creek farm adjacent to
Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is an American landmark and former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. The estate is on ...
for Mason. After Mason's marriage in 1817 to Elizabeth "Betsey" Clapham Price of Leesburg, Virginia, he began building Huntley as a secondary home against a hillside overlooking
Hybla Valley Hybla Valley is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of Alexandria. The population was 15,801 at the 2010 census, down from 16,721 in 2000 due to a reduction in area, resulting from some of the eastward ...
and the
Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augus ...
on his Hunting Creek tract between 1820 and 1825. Consistent with its counterpart Mason residences like
Gunston Hall Gunston Hall is an 18th-century Georgian mansion near the Potomac River in Mason Neck, Virginia, United States. Built between 1755 and 1759 as the main residence and headquarters of a plantation, the house was the home of the United State ...
and Hollin Hall, Huntley was most likely named for
Huntly Castle Huntly Castle is a ruined castle north of Huntly in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, where the rivers Deveron and Bogie meet. It was the ancestral home of the chief of Clan Gordon, Earl of Huntly. There have been four castles built on the site that ...
, an ancestral home in
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
from Mason's mother's side. Huntley never served as a permanent residence for Mason, who owned a number of houses in
Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
including
Colross Colross (also historically known as Belle Air and Grasshopper Hall) is a Georgian style mansion built around 1800 as the center of a large plantation in what is now the Old Town neighborhood of Alexandria, Virginia, and moved circa 1930 to Pr ...
, his chief homestead. Huntley was conveniently located along a gravel road from Alexandria. By 1834, Mason's brother Richard built Okeley Manor on neighboring Dogue Run farm. Twenty years after Mason's death, his widow Betsey attempted to sell Huntley and its accompanying Hunting Creek farm in 1859. When she was unable to sell the property, Betsey transferred ownership on 7 November 1859 to her sons John "Frank" Francis Mason and Arthur "Pen" Pendleton Mason. Once the property was transferred to Mason's sons, Huntley was held as security on a debt to a family friend, Dr. Benjamin King. On 7 December, they obtained a $13,000 loan, due for repayment on 1 January 1862, from Dr. King. Frank Mason rented Huntley to George W. Johnson, a
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 ...
sympathizer, for two years beginning on 1 August 1860. Under their agreement with Johnson, the Masons promised him $1,000 to put the farm in order. At the onset of the war, Pen Mason enlisted in the
Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...
. During the American Civil War from December 1861 through February 1862, the 3rd Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment camped at Huntley, with their
quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In m ...
and his wife residing in the mansion. Also during the war, the Masons defaulted on their loan, and Dr. King eventually acquired Huntley at a public
auction An auction is usually a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from the lowest bidder. Some exceptions to this definition ex ...
on 12 June 1862. Despite Dr. King's ownership, Johnson continued to reside at Huntley and worked the farm until February 1863. After 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 th ...
, Johnson reported to the Southern Claims Commission that when Frank Mason and his mother Betsey traveled south before the war, the Masons left all of their servants and their servants' children in Johnson's care without compensation. Six years after Dr. King purchased the estate, Albert W. Harrison and Nathan W. Pierson from
New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
assumed Huntley's title on 21 November 1868 and divided their claim in 1871. Harrison took ownership of the mansion and its supporting structures and Pierson acquired the rest. Following Harrison's death in 1911, Huntley came into the possession of his heirs. Richard Chichester Mason's descendants sold nearby Okeley Manor in 1916, ending Mason family ownership of any of the original Gunston Hall property. During the 1930s, Huntley's property, along with other former Mason properties, was partially reassembled by entrepreneur Henry Woodhouse for the proposed
George Washington Air Junction George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...
. The airport was intended to serve as a regional landing site for Graf Zeppelin
airship An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air. In early ...
s, but the plans never came to fruition and Woodhouse lost the land by default. The last of the Harrisons died in 1946 and Huntley's mansion was sold to August W. and Eleanor S. Nagel. During the Nagels' brief period of ownership, the couple commissioned Arlington architect Edward M. Pitt to make drawings of the mansion. Three years later, Huntley was sold to Colonel and Mrs. Ransom G. Amlong. Huntley 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 ...
on 3 November 1972. In 1989, Huntley was acquired by the
Fairfax County Park Authority The Fairfax County Park Authority is a department of the Fairfax County, Virginia county government responsible for developing and maintaining the various parks, historical sites, and recreational areas owned or administered by Fairfax County. Figu ...
. Due to vandalism, it was boarded and fenced until restoration funds were secured. In May 2010 a contract was made for restoration and the work begun that fall. The exterior of the house was restored to its appearance in the early 19th century. A $100,000 grant through the National Park Service's
Save America's Treasures Save America's Treasures is a United States federal government initiative to preserve and protect historic buildings, arts, and published works. It is a public–private partnership between the U.S. National Park Service and the National Trust fo ...
program was awarded to help with the renovation. The Fairfax County Park Authority also provided several million dollars towards preservation and redevelopment of the site. The restored Huntley officially opened on May 19, 2012.


Architecture

Huntley's mansion and its surrounding farm complex were constructed between 1820 and 1825 in the early
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style. Originally built in the shape of an "H", the mansion's central section rises three stories on the south and two on the north. For unknown reasons the east and west sides were built first and later joined in the center. Its
brickwork Brickwork is masonry produced by a bricklayer, using bricks and mortar. Typically, rows of bricks called '' courses'' are laid on top of one another to build up a structure such as a brick wall. Bricks may be differentiated from blocks by s ...
is laid in a common bond. The mansion's flanking wings, which are one story lower than the one-room central section, each consist of two rooms. The central
gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...
is crowned by two rectangular interior
chimney A chimney is an architectural ventilation structure made of masonry, clay or metal that isolates hot toxic exhaust gases or smoke produced by a boiler, stove, furnace, incinerator, or fireplace from human living areas. Chimneys are typic ...
s which run parallel to the mansion's roofline. The central gable also contains three bays with casements of nine panes each. The second story of the central section is crowned by a mousetooth brick
cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...
that once marked the edge of the mansion's clipped roof. The first floor central section is sheltered by a three-bay porch addition that links the
pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedimen ...
ed wings. The mansion's front entrance is framed by three-paned sidelights separated by slender reeded
pilaster In classical architecture Classical architecture usually denotes architecture which is more or less consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or sometimes even more specifically, from the ...
s and surmounted by a
fanlight A fanlight is a form of lunette window, often semicircular or semi-elliptical in shape, with glazing bars or tracery sets radiating out like an open fan. It is placed over another window or a doorway, and is sometimes hinged to a transom. Th ...
with wooden tracery. The two bays which flank this entrance on the first floor porch have a four-over-four sash. The remaining windows on the ground and first floors consist of a six-over-six double hung sash. Set slightly into the brick of the house, the windows still consist mostly of their early glass, and single panel shutters vented by fixed
louver A louver (American English) or louvre (British English British English (BrE, en-GB, or BE) is, according to Lexico, Oxford Dictionaries, "English language, English as used in Great Britain, as distinct from that used elsewhere". Mor ...
s. The mansion's most notable architectural features are its one-bay pedimented wings. The wing elevation on the south includes a simple ground floor bay surmounted by the first floor windows which are set into recessed rectangular frames. The side wings are topped by pediments enhanced by a molded cornice and enclosing louvered
lunette A lunette (French ''lunette'', "little moon") is a half-moon shaped architectural space, variously filled with sculpture, painted, glazed, filled with recessed masonry, or void. A lunette may also be segmental, and the arch may be an arc take ...
s. Windows on the east and west sides of the mansion's wings are spaced irregularly. On the east side, two bays light the ground level and three bays break the wall of the first story.


References


External links


Historic Huntley
- official site at Fairfax County Park Authority {{DEFAULTSORT:Huntley (Plantation) Fairfax County in the American Civil War Federal architecture in Virginia Greek Revival houses in Virginia Historic house museums in Virginia Houses completed in 1825 Houses in Fairfax County, Virginia Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Mason family residences National Register of Historic Places in Fairfax County, Virginia Parks in Fairfax County, Virginia Museums in Fairfax County, Virginia