This historic estate is on brink of destruction in Virginia — unless a buyer steps up
An estate in Great Falls, Virginia, with a rich history is set to be destroyed if a buyer doesn’t step up to save it.
Cornwell Farm, an estate that’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places, according to the farm’s website, is on the market for $3.7 million. The community of Great Falls has come together to attempt to save the property.
The farm’s historic roots can be traced to the 1800s when the Jackson family accumulated hundreds of acres of land in the area, GeorgetownPike.org said. John Jackson gave the land to his son John T., who built on the land and later gifted the brick manor to his daughter Julia prior to the Civil War.
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“The ‘new brick house’ first appears on county tax rolls in 1831, still listed as unfinished, but with an assessment of $1,850,” the Cornwell Farm website says. “After nearly 80 years under the care of the Jackson family, the property was finally sold in 1868 to Benjamin F. and Phoebe Cornwell for $2,500.”
According to The Washington Post, the farm was a place where Union soldiers camped and “inscribed their names on the plaster walls.”
The four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom estate is 5,102 square feet of dignified elegance and sits quietly on the rolling green hills of Great Falls. The property also has a four-stall barn and a caretaker’s cottage.
Features that stand out in the home include:
Nine wood-burning fireplaces
Four chimneys
High ceilings
New roof
Swimming pool
The Georgetown Pike Rural Preservation Trust is working to preserve the properties in the area thanks to increased traffic and noise pollution since the number of households in the area has tripled over the past two decades, the GeorgetownPike.org website says.
“As a result, our community has become a less desirable place to live in, reflected in property values that have remained stagnant during a decade when the nationwide housing market has appreciated significantly,” the website says.
This story was originally published January 18, 2022 at 12:26 PM with the headline "This historic estate is on brink of destruction in Virginia — unless a buyer steps up."