Wexford, also known as Kennedy Retreat at Rattlesnake Ridge, is a 167-acre (0.67 km²) ranch amid the

Blue Ridge Mountains The Blue Ridge Mountains are a Physiographic regions of the United States, physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States and extends 550 miles southwest from southern ...

in unincorporated

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia *Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria ** Marshall railway station Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Is ...

, Virginia, located 4 miles (6 km) northwest from Middleburg (about 50 miles (80 km) from

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

). The property was acquired, designed, and named by

Jacqueline Kennedy Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American writer, book editor, and socialite who served as the first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A popular f ...

in 1962 as a weekend retreat during John F. Kennedy's

presidency A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified b ...

. Its namesake is the

ancestral home An ancestral home is the place of origin of one's extended family, particularly the home owned and preserved by the same family for several generations. The term can refer to an individual house or estate, or to a broader geographic area such as a ...

of the

Kennedy family The Kennedy family () is an American political family that has long been prominent in American politics, public service, entertainment, and business. In 1884, 35 years after the family's arrival from County Wexford, Ireland, Patrick Joseph "P ...

. Following their visit to Wexford (Ireland) in June 1963,

Éamon de Valera Éamon de Valera (; ; first registered as George de Valero; changed some time before 1901 to Edward de Valera; 14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was an American-born Irish statesman and political leader. He served as the 3rd President of Ire ...

gifted 3-year old

John F. Kennedy Jr. John Fitzgerald Kennedy Jr. (November 25, 1960 – July 16, 1999), often referred to as John-John or JFK Jr., was an American socialite, attorney, magazine publisher, and journalist. He was a son of 35th United States president John F. K ...

a pony, which was stabled at Wexford (ranch). It is the only home John and Jacqueline built together during their marriage, and was the last place they vacationed before his

assassination Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...

in November 1963. John Jr. practiced his father's iconic final salute at Wexford.

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

leased Wexford from

William Clements William Perry Clements Jr. (April 13, 1917 – May 29, 2011) was an American businessman and Republican Party politician who served two nonconsecutive terms as the governor of Texas between 1979 and 1991. His terms bookended the sole ...

for his residence and headquarters during the 1980 Presidential Campaign. It is the only private retreat used by more than one President of the United States (many presidents have used the state-owned

Camp David Camp David is a country retreat for the president of the United States. It lies in the wooded hills of Catoctin Mountain Park, in Frederick County, Maryland, near the towns of Thurmont, Maryland, Thurmont and Emmitsburg, Maryland, Emmitsburg, a ...

History

Following victory in the 1960 Presidential Campaign, John and Jacqueline Kennedy began looking for a weekend retreat to "get their children out of the governmental atmosphere". Jacqueline favored the Atoka, Virginia area because of the proximity to D.C. (25 minutes by helicopter and 1 hour by automobile) and her familiarity from childhood through

equestrianism Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding ( Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...

and staying with her

stepfather A stepfather or stepdad is a biologically unrelated male parent married to one's preexisting parent. A stepfather-in-law is a stepfather of one's spouse. Children from his spouse's previous unions are known as his stepchildren. In fiction Thou ...

Merrywood Merrywood is a historic home located in McLean, Virginia on the Palisades overlooking the Potomac River that has hosted several presidents and members of the British royal family. The Georgian Revival style brick dwelling was built in 1919 for New ...

. Atoka is also approximately 40 miles from the Kennedy's first marital home, Hickory Hill. From February 1961–1963, the Kennedy's leased Glen Ora, a 400-acre ranch in Atoka, from Gladys Byfield Tartiere. Jacqueline, Caroline, and John Jr. sheltered there during the

Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis () in Cuba, or the Caribbean Crisis (), was a 13-day confrontation between the governments of the United States and the Soviet Union, when American deployments of Nuclear weapons d ...

. Gladys turned down the Kennedy's offer to acquire Glena Ora in the spring of 1962. Shortly after, they acquired 39 acres approximately 5 miles northeast at the base of Rattlesnake Mountain from Hubert Phipps for $26,000 ($222,000 as of 2020). Throughout 1962, Jackie worked with local architect Keith Williams to design a single-story, 4-bedroom, 2-staffroom, 5,050 squarefoot house. It was equipped with a bomb shelter and communication facility. Construction was completed in the spring of 1963 totalling $110,000 ($930,000 as of 2020). While Jackie regularly visited throughout construction, John's first trip was May 25. He visited again on October 25, and finally on November 2; the last location their family vacationed. One year after John's

, Jackie sold Wexford to Quing Non Wong on November 25, 1964 for $225,000 ($1,878,000 as of 2020). In 1971, Quing sold Wexford to Dr. George Tanham for $314,000 ($2,006,000 as of 2020). In 1975, George sold Wexford to

who added a pool and tennis court. It was listed in 2013 for $10,999,000, reduced to $5,959,000 in 2016, and finally sold in 2017 to Thomas S. Price for $2,850,000.

References

{{John F. Kennedy Ranches in Virginia Kennedy family residences Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

History

See also

References