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 or Mordington. This historic property was first owned by Charles Washington, who was the youngest brother of America's first president, George Washington. Charles Washington was also the person who founded the town of Charles Town.
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About Happy Retreat
Happy Retreat is a large, white brick house with two and a half stories. It has two smaller, two-story sections on each side, called wings. The front of the house has a special triangular part at the top, called a pediment. In the middle of this triangle is a round window.
A porch with columns stands in front of the main entrance. The side wings were actually built before the main part of the house. Over time, the house has been changed to look like older styles.
History of Happy Retreat
Charles Washington's Home
Charles Washington received land in the Shenandoah Valley when his older brother, Lawrence, passed away in 1752. Charles was only 14 years old at that time.
In 1780, Charles and his wife, Mildred, moved to this land from Fredericksburg, Virginia. By then, he had already built two one-story buildings on the property. These buildings were separated by an open walkway. He named his new home "Happy Retreat."
Founding Charles Town
In October 1786, the state of Virginia officially created Charles Town. This new town was built on about 80 acres of Charles Washington's land, right next to Happy Retreat. Charles played a big part in planning the streets and helping with the construction of the new town.
Older Parts of the Property
Even though Happy Retreat is usually said to have started in 1780, some parts might be even older. A date from 1768 is found on a stone at the old kitchen. This date has not been fully proven, but the kitchen and an old brick smokehouse look like they were built before the American Revolution.
There was also a small stone building that might have been even older. An eight-sided wooden building, similar to one at Mount Vernon, still stands today. It is thought to have stored gunpowder during the Revolution. Later, it was used as a schoolhouse for Charles and Mildred's children.
George Washington's Visits
George Washington visited his brother Charles at Happy Retreat several times. On June 1, 1788, George Washington was checking on a canal project. He visited Great Falls and Seneca Falls. He then traveled to what is now Harper's Ferry.
On June 3, 1788, George Washington arrived at Happy Retreat. He had dinner there and spent the night. His diaries show that he made other visits to Charles during this time.
Changes to Ownership
A few months before Charles Washington passed away in April 1799, he gave all his property to his son, Samuel Washington. This is why his will did not list any property.
On February 23, 1800, Samuel Washington sold Happy Retreat. The sale included the main house and about 100 acres of land. It was bought by Thomas Hammond. The property stayed with the Hammond family until 1837.
Becoming Mordington
In 1837, George Washington Hammond sold the house to Judge Isaac R. Douglass. Judge Douglass was a circuit court judge and invested in real estate. After buying Happy Retreat, Judge Douglass finished the plans for the middle part of the house. He built a three-story brick section that connected the two old wings that Charles Washington had built.
Judge Douglass renamed the completed house "Mordington." This new name came from his family's old estate in Scotland. The house was owned by several different people after that. At some point, it went back to its original name, Happy Retreat. Mr. and Mrs. William Gavin bought the property in the 1960s.
How the House Was Built
Experts have studied Happy Retreat and found that it was built in three main stages:
- Phase 1: The oldest stone kitchen and part of the west wing were built first.
- Phase 2: The brick part of the kitchen and the one-story east wing were added next.
- Phase 3: This phase happened in 1837, after Judge Douglass bought the house. He added second stories to both wings and completed the large, two-and-a-half-story central part that connects the two wings.
In September 2014, the city of Charles Town started working to buy Happy Retreat. They plan to make it part of their parks system.
