Cool Spring Farm (Charles Town, West Virginia) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Cool Spring Farm
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 Location in West Virginia
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Charles Town, West Virginia |
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| Area | 68 acres (28 ha) |
| Built | 1813 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival, Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 07000239 |
| Added to NRHP | March 27, 2007 |
Cool Spring Farm is a historic place near Charles Town, West Virginia. It was first started around 1750. The farm is located along a stream called Bullskin Run.
Two old houses are still standing on the property. One house was built in 1813. It is in the Federal style. Another house was built in 1832. This one shows the Greek Revival style. The farm is important because it shows how farms grew in the Bullskin Run area. It also shows examples of these two cool architectural styles.
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What Cool Spring Farm Looks Like
The farm buildings are located south of Bullskin Run stream. The main buildings are the stone house from 1813 and the wooden house from 1832. There are also several smaller buildings. Part of an old barn is still there too.
=The Main House (1832)
The 1832 house is the main home on the farm. It sits on a hill. From here, you can see the stream and other farm buildings. Inside, there are rooms on both sides of a central hallway. A staircase goes up from this hall. The house has a back part that was used for services. This part has been made bigger over time. The upstairs rooms are similar to the downstairs ones.
The outside of the house is covered with wooden boards called clapboard. It sits on a foundation made of limestone. Brick chimneys are at each end of the house. The front porch was added later, around the 1890s.
=The Stone House (1813)
The 1813 stone house is a smaller building. It has one story and is made of large blocks of local limestone. Inside, it currently has two rooms. It might have had more rooms in the past.
Other Buildings
The spring house is also made of stone. It was built around the same time as the 1813 house. Other buildings on the farm were built later, in the early 1900s.
History of Cool Spring Farm
The land around Cool Spring Farm was first measured in 1734. In 1750, a man named Joshua Haines bought about 700 acres (280 ha) of this land. He was a Quaker from New Jersey. His brother Abraham bought more land nearby in 1752.
Early Owners
In 1750, George Washington bought a piece of land next to the Haines property. The boundary between their lands was adjusted a year later. The Haines property later went to Mary Haines Collett and her husband Daniel. George Washington's land became the Rock Hall estate.
The Colletts sold their farm in 1812 or 1813. It was bought by the Myers brothers, John and Jacob. The stone Federal style house was built around this time. In 1830, John and Susannah Myers sold the land again. Thomas Griggs, Jr. bought it. He then built the Greek Revival style house.
Later Owners
In 1857, Thomas Griggs sold the farm. It was about 146 acres (59 ha) at that time. Ambrose Timberlake bought it. The farm was not greatly damaged during the American Civil War. In 1869, Adam Young took over the farm. The Young family owned the property for almost 100 years. By 1925, they had named it Cool Spring Farm.
In 1944, the Young family sold the farm. It was bought by the Blakely Corporation. Three months later, the property was sold again. It was then about 124 acres (50 ha). The new owner was the Victor Product Corporation. This company belonged to Raymond Funkhouser. He enjoyed buying and fixing up properties that had been owned by the Washington family. Funkhouser also leased the nearby Rock Hall farm. The farm was sold again in 1951. Since then, it has had several owners. The farm is now about 68 acres (28 ha).
Cool Spring Farm was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 27, 2007. This means it is recognized as an important historical site.
