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THE RESIDENCE: The wisteria-draped home was originally a simple two room cottage built by one of Waterford’s first Quaker families just after they bought the land in 1810. Now a four-bedroom, three bath residence, its changing roofline marks successive additions, telling the story of the home’s growth through the centuries, as succeeding generations prospered here. The home retains its original hand-hewn oak beams, decorative plaster mouldings, and other wonderful historic features, but has been sensitively updated for modern convenience. Its architectural significance recognized by an easement from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the house is featured alongside such notable residences as Rokeby and Oatlands in “Old Virginia Houses of the Piedmont” by Fergus and Hines (Delmar, 1975). There are uninterrupted, protected rural vistas to the Catoctin Creek and the Blue Ridge Mountains, and access to miles of scenic walking trails rich in bird life and natural beauty. Long-established, lovingly tended gardens shelter a separate, craftsman-built studio, perfect for a writer, artist or the most romantic of home offices.
FIRST FLOOR: Enter the house through the 1820s sitting room, once divided into two separate parlors but now a charming salon featuring a wood burning fireplace and original poured glass windows. A closer look at the mullions shows the impression of a Civil War era bullet, fired during the skirmish at the nearby Baptist church. Step down to the cozy library—the oldest part of the house, with built-in-bookshelves and the original cook fireplace. During restoration, an early 1800s silver spoon was recovered from within. Beyond the library is a large country kitchen, dating to the Civil War, but lovingly renovated and modernized, using appropriate materials such as Virginia soapstone counter tops and antique wide-board chestnut flooring. A unique trap door in the ceiling once opened onto a warm loft where the children of the house would be hoisted on parents’ shoulders to sleep. The kitchen opens to a private, crab-apple shaded courtyard where the original ante-bellum era hand-dug, stone-lined well has been lovingly restored. A Union soldier’s belt buckle was unearthed from the ground nearby. Step down from the kitchen into the cathedral ceiling dining area which offers magnificent views of undulant farmland and a pretty parterre framed by espaliered apple trees, dwarf lilacs and exuberant elderberry, accessed through French doors. Another set of French doors opens to a peaceful porch from which to enjoy the spectacular sunsets. Follow the flagstone path to the tranquil garden studio, shaded by a remarkable magnolia tree. Continue through the back gate and across the protected fields to join up with the Phillips Farm nature trails. The first floor also features a North wing with a full bath and first floor bedroom or office with private access from the courtyard.
SECOND FLOOR: The main staircase leads up to a small hall, the master bedroom with built in closet, a second bedroom with craftsman-built bookshelves and a Juliet balcony with stunning views, a cozy study or nursery, also with fireplace and built in cabinets, and a full bath. A unique, low-slung “cat-door,” added to link the older cottage to the later, higher-ceiling addition, gives access to a further bedroom with original heart-pine floors, an en suite full bath and a rear staircase to the downstairs library. The silver spoon, the Union belt buckle—which was the inspiration for the 2006 Pulitzer Prize winning novel, March - -and two signed first editions of books written in the house, March and the bestselling Confederates in the Attic, will convey with the residence.
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