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40170 Main Street

Open on Friday: 1:30pm to 5pm

Talbott House is the original portion of the Talbott’s Tavern property, which was constructed by Joseph Talbott, a disowned Quaker, in approximately 1810 when Waterford had a thriving retail environment which included several taverns.  (The red brick house immediately adjacent to Talbott House on the left was an addition to the Tavern constructed in approximately 1811 and generally referred to as Talbott’s Tavern).  Together they operated as a Tavern throughout most of the 1800’s.)

Today, Talbott House and Talbott’s Tavern are part of what is informally called “Arch House Row.” These residences have undergone considerable changes since the early 19th century: Interior partitions have been adjusted as families intermarried, sold and resold portions, or adjusted to suit their own tastes or needs. Doors, windows, porches, balconies, siding, even gables, all have changed over time.

Joseph Talbott, Jr. was born in Waterford in 1774 to a Maryland Quaker family but was dismissed in 1796 “for joining in light company, frolicking and dancing.” By 1801 he further blotted his record by marrying a non-Quaker and owning or employing a slave. He eventually sold the successful business in 1815 to Presbyterian Nathaniel Manning for $5600 and set up a new hotel in Frederick, Maryland.

Loudoun County’s earliest bank, was said to have been formed here or in the addition next door; the trustees later moved the Bank across the street to 40149 Main Street, which had a cellar vault. This has also been the site of the auctioning of some slaves in about 1820. The village was founded by Quakers, but enslaved African Americans lived in town and on surrounding farms alongside their free neighbors. The hotel/tavern went through a series of owners and businesses over the years, including a butcher shop and grocery store.

A later iteration of the property, The Loudoun Hotel, was the last commercial enterprise here in the 1920s, before being purchased by the Chamberlin brothers. Edward and Leroy Chamberlin, brothers from early Waterford families began their extensive restoration efforts in the village with this block of buildings in the 1930s.

Talbott’s Tavern is open through the courtesy of Skip Couser.

15550 High Street

Open on Friday: 10am to 5pm
**Please enter from the Old School Driveway, follow pedestrian signs and docent’s instructions.**

Robert Walker built this lovely Queen Anne style 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 elements with many distinctive 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 stairway, 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 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 the enlargement of the kitchen 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.

Talbott’s Tavern is open through the courtesy of Chris & Elyssa Wood

40188 Water Street & 40188 Main Street

Open on Saturday: 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.

15555 Second Street

Open on Friday: 10am to 5pm (Garden Only)

Mahlon Schooley (b.1788), who later helped establish a Quaker community in Iowa, built this brick house in 1817. Like many Waterford dwellings, the original portion is a three-bay brick bank building on a stone foundation, with a metal gable roof. The rain gutters almost hide a mousetooth cornice. The house was enlarged at the rear in the 1840s, and late in that century an owner reconstructed the south wall of the house, adding windows and lengthening the first story windows.

The Mahlon Schooley House Garden is open through the courtesy of Susan Honig-Rogers & Richard Rogers

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Individual and groups are invited to volunteer at the Waterford Fair.

The Waterford Fair is the premier traditional crafts fair and homes tour in the Northern Virginia area. The Fair needs many volunteers to make it a success. The Fair is fun and a great way to be involved in the community. Volunteers have fun assisting with the Fair on the day(s) they volunteer and…get complimentary entry!

A few of the ways volunteers can help:

• Homes Tour Docents
• Ticket Takers
• The Mill Photography and Art Mart
• The Corner Store
• Beer and Wine Tent

Need a community service project for your staff? Sponsor our Local Libations Tent — pour beer, have fun and help the Foundation preserve the National Historic Landmark of Waterford.

Please consider helping at the Fair this year and in years to come. The Waterford Fair is an important part of supporting the mission of the Waterford Foundation and preserving this National Historic Landmark. The help of volunteers is much appreciated!

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Please contact the Fair office at 540-882-3018, ext. 4 or email [email protected].

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