2024 Homes

Joseph Janney House & Garden

40154 Main Street

Open on Friday: 10am to 5pm

Built in the 1790s on land subdivided by Joseph Janney, whose family founded Waterford in 1733, this two-story log home reflects the post-Revolutionary growth of the village. Originally a one-and-a-half-story hewn log structure over a stone ground floor, it was soon raised to a full two stories. Though made of logs, the house was never intended as a rustic cabin; clapboard siding gave it a more refined appearance, in keeping with regional building trends.

A narrow two-room wing was added around 1835, likely as a separate dwelling. Early construction methods are evident throughout, from pegged rafter joinery to steep, space-saving staircases. The home offers a rare look at vernacular architecture adapted to meet the evolving needs of a growing commercial town.

The Joseph Janney House is open through the courtesy of owners The Samide Family.

Hillside

40108 Bond Street

Open on Saturday: 10am to 5pm

Built in 1765, Hillside House holds the distinction of being the first post office in the Village of Waterford. Perched atop a hill with sweeping views of the historic village and the Waterford Mill, this beautifully restored home blends 18th-century charm with thoughtful modern updates.

This home is surrounded by tiered gardens and peaceful landscaping, with a welcoming front porch perfect for watching the sunset. Set back from the street and offering lovely privacy, Hillside House is a fine example of preserving Waterford’s architectural legacy while adapting it for comfortable, present-day living.

Hillside is open through the courtesy of owner Patricia Montague.

Tanyard Hill

40164 Bond Street

Open on Friday: 10am to 5pm

Surprising to many who see it, Tanyard Hill is a relatively new house, built in 1995. This Greek Revival-style farm house and its bank barn were designed by architect Russell Versaci to look as if they have always belonged among Waterford’s historic homes. The summer 1997 edition of Veranda magazine described it as “a new house that blends unnoticed with its 200-year-old neighbors.”

The owners chose the name of their home, Tanyard Hill, to honor the 18^th and 19^th century tanyard it overlooks. The house sits on nearly two acres of land on Bond Street, named for Quaker Asa Moore Bond, who owned the tannery from 1830 until his death in 1877.

The Washington Chapter of the American Institute of Architecture selected the house for its Distinctive Residential Architecture award in 2000. Tanyard Hill was featured in the Jan. 25, 2014 issue of the Wall Street Journal in an article entitled, “This New Old House.” Tanyard Hill clearly demonstrates that thoughtful new buildings have a place in historic communities.

Tanyard Hill is open through the courtesy of owners Stephanie Kenyon and Bill Mayer.

Edith Walker House

Enter at 40231 Fairfax Street

Open on Friday: 10am to 5pm

Robert Walker built this lovely Victorian home for his spinster sister, Edith, in 1897. He located the house on a portion of his property, Huntley Farm, and designed it to face his house next door instead of the street. A brick walk connected the two homes and remains to this day.

The Edith Walker House is a blend of Victorian and Colonial Revival architectural features such as the wraparound porch that serves as a spacious summer living area. There are two pedimented dormers, three gables and a sleeping porch over the front entrance, each clad with a different style shingle. The main body of the house boasts German siding. The original cedar shingle roof was replaced with raised-seam metal, as was the fashion in the area after the turn of the century. The windows further unite the two styles with six or eight small panes at the top, recalling colonial sash patterns, while the single large pane at the bottom incorporates the modern glass technology of the Victorian era.

Inside the home is a fine paneled Queen Anne staircase, beautiful Colonial Revival molding with bull’s eyes in the top corners, and pocket doors from the foyer into the parlor. Of special note are the five fireplaces, each of a different design. The three on the first floor have mirrored overmantles.

Over the years, there have been few changes to the floor plan, which speaks highly of the home’s comfort and adaptability to changing life styles. The major changes to the house were the addition of first and second floor bathrooms, and an enlargement of the kitchen accomplished by removing the wall to the butler’s pantry.

The historic exterior of the house is protected from alteration in perpetuity by an easement given to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.

The Edith Walker property is open through the courtesy of its current owners, The Wood Family.

William Irish Shop

40153 Main Street

Open on Friday: 10am to 5pm

The construction date of this house is unknown but, like many in Waterford, it once served as a store. William Irish (1844-1882), a Quaker from New York, conducted a watchmaking and jewelry business here after the Civil War until a typhoid epidemic cut short his life. The Chamberlins renovated and added onto this home around 1970. Photos antedating the renovation depict a two-story facade with a shed roof instead of a gable. A porch ran along the southeast wall.

The William Irish Shop property is open through the courtesy of its current owners, Carl Scheider and Jane Williams.

Loudoun Mutual Insurance

15609 High Street

Join the celebration – 175 years!

The concept of spreading the risk of fire damage emerged after the Great Fire of London in 1666, which devastated much of old town London. Inspired by this, Benjamin Franklin established the first fire insurance enterprise in America in 1752. By that time, the community of Waterford had already been established for nearly 20 years.

Loudoun Mutual Insurance Company traces its roots back to 1849, when it was originally founded as The Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Loudoun County. The company’s first insurance policy was issued to Talbott Farm, a property that has remained insured by Loudoun Mutual for 175 years. The company’s name was changed to Loudoun Mutual Insurance Company in 1979.

Currently housed in a building constructed in 1949, this is the third office structure built for Loudoun Mutual. The previous two buildings, which predate this one, are still standing in Waterford. This building, designed to be fire-resistant, is constructed from steel, concrete, and brick, and was modeled after George Mason’s home, Gunston Hall.

Originally established to insure against fire damage, Loudoun Mutual has expanded its
offerings over the years to include various types of insurance. The company’s official logo, a hand water pumper, symbolizes its origins and enduring commitment to protection and community. To mark its 175th anniversary, a replica of an actual hand water pumper, named Endurance, was commissioned and now stands proudly in their lobby.

Loudoun Mutual’s history is a testament to the Quaker principles of integrity and
community-mindedness upon which it was founded. These principles, combined with sound business practices, have guided the company through 175 years of success and will continue to do so in the future.

This building is open through the courtesy of Loudoun Mutual Insurance.

Ephraim Schooley House

15547 Second Street

Open on Sunday: 10am to 5pm

The Ephraim Schooley House is also known as the Parker Bennett House is a Federal period home. The land was acquired in 1820 by weaver John Morrow who began building the left side, shorter portion of the house ca. 1820 using Flemish Bond brick construction. You can see that the center window of the left side of the home would have been the front door. The house was initially a weaving establishment for not only Morrow, but also later Thomas Donaldson who weaved carpet and dyed both carpet and cloth here. During the economic depression of 1819 – 1822, Morrow lost the property. It was bought at auction by Richard Henderson in 1824, who then sold it to Jesse Gover in 1830. William Mayne took over the weaving establishment in 1828 where he accepted jobs for all kinds of weaving. Ephraim Schooley, the Quaker for whom the home is named, bought the property from Gover in 1834. The taller structure on the right side of the home was likely constructed in 1851 using Common Bond brick construction and was a separate residence.

Saddler Asa Brown (1794 – 1872) lived in the home in the 1850’s and 1860’s. The Civil War split his large family down the middle. Asa, a veteran of the War of 1812, was a loyal Unionist, as was his son and two daughters. Sons Charlie and “Ab” were supporters of the confederacy, as was wife Aurena and a third daughter. All managed to survive the war, though Charlie took a Yankee bullet at the First Battle of Bull Run.

The house was used as two separate dwellings that were both sold to H.C. Bennett in 1876. From 1919 to 1959, the property was owned by the H.B. Parker family. Harvey, a blacksmith, came home from WWI and feuded with his brother Fred who had run the smithy in his absence. The two never spoke again. When Mr. and Mrs. John Lewis bought the property in 1959, they restored the home and named it “The Parker-Bennett House”. The two-level addition was added in the 1970’s and an easement was granted to the Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission. Further additions were done in the 1980’s. Although you would never know it by looking at it from the street, this is one of the largest lots in Waterford. There are four acres in the back. The house was built with “Waterford bricks,” which were fired right here on the property.

The Ephraim Schooley property is open through the courtesy of its current owners, the Manch family.

Weavers’ Cottage

40188 Water Street & 40188 Main Street

Open on Sunday: 10am to 5pm

This two-story stone and log house is the only one still standing on Water Street. It exemplifies housing for less affluent individuals in the early 19th century; many builders continued to use log and stone as a cheaper alternative to brick or frame construction. Its earliest known owner was Elizabeth Gore (c.1772-c.1848), who in 1818 bought what was probably a vacant lot. She sold the property in 1849 to a weaver from Germany. In the mid-1850s William Robinson (born c.1821), a free African-American, purchased the house; it remained in his family for close to a century. Two additional dwellings owned by African-American families stood to the right of the Weaver’s Cottage until the late 1800s.

The Weavers’ Cottage is open through the courtesy of Owners Jeff Darrah and Issac Johnson and Renter Shawn Perrine.