Happy Retreat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Charles Washington House
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Front of the house
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 Location in West Virginia
Location in the United States
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| Location | Blakeley Plaza, Charles Town, West Virginia |
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| Area | 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) |
| Built | 1780 |
| Architectural style | Early Republic, Classical Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 73001912 |
| Added to NRHP | July 2, 1973 |
Happy Retreat is a very old and important house in Charles Town, West Virginia. It is also known as the Charles Washington House and was once called Mordington. This historic property was first owned by Charles Washington, who was the youngest brother of the famous George Washington. Charles Washington also founded the town of Charles Town.
Contents
What Happy Retreat Looks Like
Happy Retreat is a large, white brick house with two and a half stories. It has two smaller sections, called wings, on each side that are two stories tall. The front of the main house has a special triangular shape at the top, called a pediment. In the middle of this pediment, there's a round window shaped like half an oval.
Below the pediment, the front of the house has a porch with a flat roof. This porch is held up by strong columns. The wings on the sides are connected to the main house by short hallways. These side wings were actually built before the main part of the house! Over the years, the outside of the house has been changed a lot to look like older styles.
The Story of Happy Retreat
Charles Washington's Early Life
Charles Washington was only 14 years old when he inherited land in the Shenandoah Valley in 1752. This happened after his older brother, Lawrence, passed away. At that time, Charles lived at a place called Ferry Farm in Virginia.
Building Happy Retreat
In 1780, Charles and his wife, Mildred, moved to his land from Fredericksburg. By then, he had already built two one-story buildings on the property. These buildings were separated by an open walkway. Charles named his new home "Happy Retreat."
Founding Charles Town
Just six years later, in October 1786, Charles Town was officially created. The state of Virginia decided to establish the town on 80 acres (about 32 hectares) of Charles's land. This land was right next to Happy Retreat. Charles played a big part in planning the streets and buildings for the new town.
Some people think that farming might have started on Charles's land even earlier, around 1768. This date is on a cornerstone of the old kitchen at Happy Retreat. The kitchen and an old brick smokehouse look like they were built before the American Revolution. There was also a small stone building behind the kitchen that might have been even older. An octagonal (eight-sided) wooden building, similar to one at Mount Vernon, still exists today. It was likely used to store gunpowder during the Revolution and later became a school for Charles and Mildred's children.
Before 1780, when Charles visited his property from Fredericksburg, he is said to have lived in a small house near a stream called Evitts Run. From there, he could watch the work of making bricks, as there were clay beds nearby. He could also supervise the cutting of stone and timber from the surrounding land.
George Washington's Visits
General George Washington, Charles's famous brother, visited Happy Retreat several times. For example, on June 3, 1788, he came to Happy Retreat. He had been checking on work for a canal on the Potomac River. He dined and spent the night at his brother's home. His diaries show other visits to Charles during this time.
Changes Over Time
Before Charles Washington passed away in April 1799, he gave all his property to his son, Samuel Washington. This is why his will didn't mention any property. On February 23, 1800, Samuel Washington sold Happy Retreat, including the main house and 100 acres (about 40 hectares) of land, to Thomas Hammond.
The Hammond family owned the property until 1837. Then, George Washington Hammond sold it to Judge Isaac R. Douglass. Judge Douglass was a circuit court judge and invested in real estate. After buying Happy Retreat, he finished the plans for the middle part of the house. He built a three-story brick section that connected the two older Washington wings. He then renamed the house "Mordington," after his family's estate in Scotland.
Over the years, the house had several different owners. Eventually, its name went back to Happy Retreat. Mr. and Mrs. William Gavin bought the property in the 1960s.
How the House Grew
Experts have studied Happy Retreat and found that it was built in three main stages. The first stage included the old stone kitchen and part of the west wing. The second stage added the brick part of the kitchen and the one-story east wing. The third and biggest stage happened in 1837, after Judge Douglass bought the house. He added second stories to both wings and built the large, two-and-a-half-story central part that connects them.
In September 2014, the city of Charles Town started working to buy Happy Retreat. They wanted to include it in their city parks system for everyone to enjoy.
See also
- Harewood (West Virginia)
- Claymont Court
- Blakeley (West Virginia)
- Cedar Lawn
