Abram's Delight facts for kids
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Abram's Delight
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Abram's Delight, February 2022
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 Location in Virginia
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1340 S. Pleasant Valley Road Winchester, Virginia |
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| Area | 9 acres (3.6 ha) |
| Built | 1754 |
| Built by | Simon Taylor |
| Architectural style | Colonial vernacular |
| NRHP reference No. | 73002230 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | April 11, 1973 |
Abram's Delight is a very old house in Winchester, Virginia. It was built in 1754, making it the oldest house in the city! The Hollingsworth family lived here for nearly 200 years.
The house shows how Scotch-Irish settlers built homes in the Shenandoah Valley. Abram's Delight was added to the Virginia Landmarks Register in 1972. It was also added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Today, Abram's Delight is a museum where you can learn about history.
Contents
The Story of Abram's Delight
How Abram's Delight Began
In 1728, a man named Abraham Hollingsworth came to the Shenandoah Valley. He was the grandson of a Quaker immigrant from Ireland. Abraham settled in what is now Winchester.
Around 1732, he received a large piece of land, about 582 acres. He had to work out the land deal with Lord Fairfax. Lord Fairfax owned all the land between the Potomac River and Rappahannock Rivers.
Some people believe Abraham also paid local Shawnee people for the land. He gave them a cow, a calf, and a piece of red cloth. Abraham Hollingsworth is known as the founder of Winchester.
He said his land was a "delight to behold," which is where the house gets its name. He built a log cabin near a natural spring. The cabin is gone, but its old well can still be seen.
Historians think a wooden fence, called a stockade, once surrounded his home. Abraham started building the main house before he died in 1748. His wife, Ann Robinson, inherited the property but passed away the next year.
A Quaker Meeting Place
Their son, Isaac Hollingsworth, inherited the house next. Isaac was a Quaker minister. He planned for the house to be a place where Quakers could hold their meetings.
Simon Taylor was chosen to build the home. He had just finished building Springdale, another old house nearby. Both homes have similar stonework.
Quakers would meet in the Hollingsworth house. The men would sit in the parlor, and the women would sit in the dining room.
Growing the House and Family
Isaac's son, Jonah Hollingsworth, later inherited the property. Jonah and his wife, Hannah, had thirteen children! They needed more space for their big family.
Around 1800, they added a new section, called a west wing, to the house. The stone used for this new part looked very much like the original stone.
In 1830, one of their sons, David Hollingsworth, took over the home. David was a successful businessman and a leader in the community. He made many improvements to the house and the land around it.
He built a lake on the south side of the property. He even built a small summer house on one of the islands in the lake.
The Civil War and Later Years
David's three children inherited the property in 1863. This was two years after the American Civil War began. Many homes in Winchester were damaged during the war.
The Hollingsworth home also suffered. Most of the trees on the property were cut down. Their farm animals were taken, and the farmland was left uncared for.
The three children never married and continued to live in the house. Annie, the youngest, was the last one left. In the 1910s, Annie made a deal with two cousins. They could own the house if they cared for her in her old age.
Annie moved out, taking only her clothes. The house then sat empty for almost 30 years.
Abram's Delight as a Museum
In 1943, the city of Winchester bought the home and 35 acres of land. The city wanted to save the oldest house in Winchester. They also wanted to use the natural water supply on the property.
The remaining items in the house were sold at an auction in 1945. These included old furniture from the 1600s and paintings by Annie's older sister, Mary.
The Winchester-Frederick County Historical Society worked for nine years to fix up the house. In 1961, Abram's Delight opened as a museum.
In 1967, a log cabin built in 1780 was moved to the property. This cabin was similar to the one Abraham Hollingsworth first built.
Abram's Delight was added to the Virginia Landmarks Register on November 9, 1972. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 11, 1973.
The property is said to have several ghosts! You can take tours of Abram's Delight from April to October. During Christmas, you can visit during the annual Candlelight Tour. Besides the house and log cabin, there is a garden and an old gristmill. The gristmill is now a gift shop and exhibit space.
How Abram's Delight Was Built
Abram's Delight is a great example of a large farmhouse from the 1700s. It has a classic design with a central hallway and two rooms on each side, both upstairs and downstairs. This was a common way for early settlers to build their homes.
The outside of the house is made of rough limestone rocks. It sits on a strong stone foundation. The sloping roof is covered with slate tiles.
The original part of the house is about 39 feet wide. It has three sections, called bays, across its front. The wing added in 1800 is also three bays wide and about 20 feet long.
Both parts of the house have two stories. However, the newer wing is not as tall as the original part. There are three chimneys built inside the walls. One is at the end of the wing, and one is at each end of the original house.
The house has five doorways. Two are on the north side, two on the south side, and one on the east side.
See also
