Historic Homes on Tour

Friday

James Moore (c.1757-1826), Asa's brother, built the brick portion of this dwelling between 1808 and 1815. By the time Daniel Webster Minor (c.1836-c.1905), a free black who helped out the Loudoun Rangers during the Civil War, purchased it at auction in 1873, the house was in a very deteriorated condition. "Web" fixed it up and his family owned the house until 1948. A recent frame addition to the west complements the early brick dwelling.

Hough Brothers House

Isaac Hough—a Quaker until they disowned him in 1794 for "frequenting places of diversion"—purchased this vacant lot from Mahlon Janney in 1801. He sold it to Thomas Lacey in 1813. Lacey, a local builder, probably constructed the dwelling you see today as two joined but separate houses, using them as rentals. Lacey's heirs sold the property to John Hough in 1837. Two years later John sold the northwest half of the dwelling to his brother Samuel, keeping the southeast half. Samuel sold his half of the house in 1855 to yet another brother, George (1820-1861), a veteran of the Mexican War. George's widow Mary sold it back to John Hough in 1866. No wonder this is the Hough House! It exhibits an atypical four-bay facade, reflecting its original two-family use.

Braden House

Robert Braden (1765-1827) probably built this house between 1816 and 1820. It clearly fits into the local vernacular: brick on a stone foundation, Flemish bond and closers on the front façade, five-course common bond on all other sides. Elbert Divine reportedly added the bay window on the south side and the front porch in 1913.

Hague Hough House

Francis Hague built a small one-room stone dwelling around 1744, which is now the easternmost portion of the Hague-Hough House and probably the oldest house in the village. In 1788, William Hough (1744-1815)-son of "Old John"-purchased the house and land from Hague's son Thomas. Shortly thereafter, Hough erected the impressive two-and-a-half-story brick section to the west. A later brick addition links the two dwellings. The architectural elements and substantial size of Hough's brick dwelling attest to the high social status and wealth of this Quaker family, as does the full-Georgian plan interior. The present owners purchased the house after it had been vacant for nearly thirty years; they faithfully and painstakingly restored the home to its original state.

Francis Pierpoint House

Samuel Pierpoint and his family lived here while operating a dry goods store in an adjacent building (remnants are visible to the right) from 1809 until Pierpoint's death in 1812. His wife remarried and her new husband continued the store. In 1844 Ann Taylor Ratcliffe, a widow, purchased the property at auction; it remained in her family until 1909. During the 1840s many local children attended a school here run by Ann's daughters, Mary and Sarah. The appearance of two front doors may seem unusual, but it was common in the Pennsylvania German community, where many Waterford families had their roots. Also know as the Francis Pierpoint House. Also know as the The Ratcliffe House.

Saturday

Jacob Mendenhall House

Jacob Mendenhall (1788-1822), an enterprising Quaker merchant, banker and schoolteacher, constructed this dwelling between 1814 and 1820. His daughter Hannah inherited the house in 1822 and also operated a school here. Methodist Church trustees used the house as a parsonage from 1886 to 1941. The two front doors reflect a Pennsylvania German building trend. Quaker families often constructed dwellings with three rooms on the principal floor; one door opened into a large room extending the depth of the house, while the other door opened into a smaller room about half of the house's depth.

Shawen House

Although it appears on an 1853 map of the village, the earliest known transaction involving this building is an 1879 sale from William Nettle's heirs to Milton Schooley (1833-1908), a Quaker miller who owned The Dormers next door. This may be another house constructed by Nettle. In later years it was the home of the Shawen family, relatives of the Schooleys.

Marshall Claggett House

This small house was constructed circa 1760 at Corby Hall, the Hough homestead about two miles north of Waterford. About 1870, Marshall Claggett, an African American, bought the house, dismantled the logs, and moved it to Waterford. The cement block addition at the rear was built in the mid-20th century. This dwelling exemplifies typical log house construction: one-story, one room, V notches linking the logs, a stone foundation and chimney. In 17th and 18th century Virginia, more people lived in log houses than in any other type of structure. Many had no windows-glass was prohibitively expensive, and the government taxed each pane in a house.

Trouble Enough Indeed

Believe it or not, this dwelling did not appear in Waterford until the early 1970s. Its owners moved two 19th century log houses from Lewisdale, Maryland, to this site and reassembled them into the home seen here.

The Sugar Shack

This V-notched log home replaces two buildings that burned in 1965, when a resident lit a fire in his attic in a misguided attempt to keep his bee hives from freezing. The logs came from a building near Dulles Airport.

The house has since been covered with wood siding.

Sunday

Jacob Mendenhall House

Jacob Mendenhall (1788-1822), an enterprising Quaker merchant, banker and schoolteacher, constructed this dwelling between 1814 and 1820. His daughter Hannah inherited the house in 1822 and also operated a school here. Methodist Church trustees used the house as a parsonage from 1886 to 1941. The two front doors reflect a Pennsylvania German building trend. Quaker families often constructed dwellings with three rooms on the principal floor; one door opened into a large room extending the depth of the house, while the other door opened into a smaller room about half of the house's depth.

The Dormers

Mahlon Janney's nephew and heir, Mahlon II (b.1773), is credited with constructing this house sometime after 1803. John Schooley and his son Milton lived here and operated the mill until the latter's death in 1908. The wings to either side of the house, a rear addition, the roof dormers, and the Colonial Revival door surround are not original to the house. The off-center door placement is rare in a 19th-century five-bay dwelling.

View the Dormers before its restoration.

Asa Moore House

The brick portion of this house was built before 1803, when Asa Moore insured it for $660. Moore rented out this house, then sold it to Thomas Lacey, a joiner, in 1810. The house had a series of owners and deteriorated over time. A fire damaged the downhill side of the house and that brick wall was replaced with a frame one, now covered with stucco. The frame addition on the uphill side, clad in German siding, was added around the turn of the century. Notice the precision of the mortar joints bonding the bricks; few houses in the village, if any, can the match the caliber of this mortar. Although small, this dwelling is of very high quality construction.

Marshall Claggett House

This small house was constructed circa 1760 at Corby Hall, the Hough homestead about two miles north of Waterford. About 1870, Marshall Claggett, an African American, bought the house, dismantled the logs, and moved it to Waterford. The cement block addition at the rear was built in the mid-20th century. This dwelling exemplifies typical log house construction: one-story, one room, V notches linking the logs, a stone foundation and chimney. In 17th and 18th century Virginia, more people lived in log houses than in any other type of structure. Many had no windows-glass was prohibitively expensive, and the government taxed each pane in a house.

The Sugar Shack

This V-notched log home replaces two buildings that burned in 1965, when a resident lit a fire in his attic in a misguided attempt to keep his bee hives from freezing. The logs came from a building near Dulles Airport.

The house has since been covered with wood siding.