The Historic House: Frequently Asked Questions, Part 2
by Debbie Waugh, Green Spring Historian
Visitors to the Historic House ask many questions about the house and the people who lived here. Here’s a selection of FAQs that we have received over the years. Perhaps you’ll find the answers to one or two of yours!
In the last issue I shared some of the most-asked questions by visitors to the 1784 Historic House. But wait, there are more!
Present-day Historic House. Photo by Laura Strecker, 2021.The entrance hallway is very narrow. Was that typical for the time?
Not really. Several years ago, Dr. Dennis Pogue, then architectural historian at Mount Vernon, suggested that the front section of wall to the right of the front door was built later and that the door originally opened onto a large vestibule area on that side that also served as an informal day room for the family.
What were the rooms originally used for?
We have no records of this, so it’s a matter of conjecture. Originally there were four downstairs rooms, and the direction of the front door swing would typically allow the less important front room to be seen first. This bolsters the theory that the front room to the right was an informal family room. The front room to the left of the door may have been a more formal “parlor” for entertaining visitors. One of the two rear rooms may have been a study. And, since food would have been brought into the house from the outside kitchen through the back door, it’s possible that the other was a dining room.
What did the house look like when it was first built?
Historic House as it likely looked in 1784. Drawing by Caroline Hottenstein
It would have looked very much like this. The first floor windows were lengthened in the late 1800s to install French doors that opened onto a front porch. At the same time the third floor – originally just a garret – was partitioned for bedrooms and the dormer windows were built. The two 2-story wings and sunporch were added in 1942.
Why was the downstairs staircase moved?
Access to the staircase from the first to the second floor is now from the central room, our shop and exhibit space, but prior to 1942, the access was from the hall. Along with other structural changes made to the house in 1942, the staircase was rotated 180 degrees. The reason for this is unknown.
Can we go upstairs? What’s up there?
In the interest of our visitors’ safety, we don’t provide access to the second and third floors, where the bedchambers now serve as offices and archival storage areas. The steps of the historic staircase are steep and there’s no continuous handrail.
Can we rent the house for a private function?
The house presents an attractive potential venue for rentals, but this would have a detrimental impact on the preservation of its historic woodwork and other features. However, we host public educational teas and tasting programs year-round, and these events are available to private groups too. Call us at 703-941-7987 for more information.
More questions? Please come and see us! The house is open Wednesday-Sunday, noon to 4:30 pm. Historic House staff members are eager to provide the answers.
