Rockland, also known as Verdier Plantation, Schley Farm and Knode House, was built by James Verdier between 1771 and 1785 near

Shepherdstown, West Virginia Shepherdstown is a town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States, located in the lower Shenandoah Valley along the Potomac River. Home to Shepherd University, the town's population was 1,531 at the time of the 2020 census. The town wa ...

. Verdier was a

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

, the son of a French silk weaver, who married Lady Susanna Monei and came to

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

to escape religious persecution. In America he became a tanner, with

tanneries Tanning may refer to: *Tanning (leather), treating animal skins to produce leather *Sun tanning, using the sun to darken pale skin **Indoor tanning, the use of artificial light in place of the sun **Sunless tanning, application of a stain or dye t ...

Martinsburg, West Virginia Martinsburg is a city in Berkeley County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. The population was 18,773 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making Martinsburg the largest city in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia a ...

Sharpsburg, Maryland Sharpsburg is a town in Washington County, Maryland. The town is approximately south of Hagerstown. Its population was 560 at the 2020 census. During the American Civil War, the Battle of Antietam, referred to as the Battle of Sharpsburg by th ...

and Shepherdstown. His children founded Verdiersville, Virginia after his death. The older portion of the house is stone masonry. A brick Victorian style addition was built in 1897. Built largely of limestone, the two-story, five-bay center hall house has sandstone accents. A basement kitchen is accessed by a door in the gable end. The interior was remodeled with Greek Revival detailing in the nineteenth century.

References

French-American culture in West Virginia Historic districts in Jefferson County, West Virginia Houses completed in 1785 Houses completed in 1897 Houses in Jefferson County, West Virginia Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia Huguenot history in the United States National Register of Historic Places in Jefferson County, West Virginia Stone houses in West Virginia Vernacular architecture in West Virginia Victorian architecture in West Virginia Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia 1785 establishments in Virginia 1897 establishments in West Virginia {{JeffersonCountyWV-NRHP-stub