Hawthorne and Old Town Spring, historic house in Virginia, United States
Hawthorne and Old Town Spring is a five-acre property with a stone house built around 1811 that blends late Georgian and Federal style elements. The grounds also include a springhouse built around 1816, old stone walls, gateposts, and a garage from 1915, all distributed across the site.
The main house was built around 1811 on top of an older 18th-century foundation and expanded with a rear wing around 1840. The spring and springhouse were purchased by Winchester in 1840, making it one of Virginia's earliest municipal water systems.
The name Old Town Spring refers to the historic water source that shaped early community life. The well-maintained stone structures show how people created practical solutions and designed their homes to last.
The property sits on quiet Winchester streets and is visible from outside, but the buildings are private and should be viewed respectfully from a distance. The best way to visit is by walking the nearby streets to observe the stone architecture and historical layout of the grounds.
Cornelia Peake McDonald, who once lived at Hawthorne, kept diaries during the Civil War that offer insights into the daily life of women in the Shenandoah Valley. These personal writings are now considered important historical sources for understanding how the war affected ordinary people.
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