Long Branch, historic family seat near Millwood, Virginia
Long Branch is an early 1800s house in Virginia designed in Greek Revival style with symmetrical features and columns across its brick facade. The interior features a central hall with fine woodwork, a spiral staircase, and modern systems like plumbing and electricity added over time while maintaining its original character.
Long Branch was built around 1811 by Robert Carter Burwell, who established wheat farming on the land around 1790 with advice from architect Benjamin Latrobe. The house remained physically intact through the Civil War, though post-war economic troubles took generations for the family to overcome and stabilize the property.
Long Branch was a center for wheat farming and later horse breeding, activities that shaped daily life and work on the property for generations. These pursuits defined the rhythm and purpose of the estate's operation across different eras.
The site is free to visit from dawn to dusk across approximately 400 acres, offering open spaces for walking and exploring. The main house can be toured with guided visits, while gardens with historic and native plantings are accessible year-round for casual viewing.
The house was designed with advice from renowned architect Benjamin Latrobe, who never visited the site but described it as better built than most homes in Virginia. A spiral staircase was added in the 1840s and has since become one of the interior's most notable features.
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