Collingwood House (Site)

These coordinates mark the exact spot where the home once stood until it was demolished in 2019. When Stacey Snowden purchased Collingwood in 1868, it was a farmhouse.


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Here follows an excerpt from the 1970 Fairfax County Master Inventory of Historic Sites which contained entries from the Historic American Buildings Survey Inventory:

Collingwood, now a restaurant, stands on land which was once part of George Washington's River Farm, one of the five farms which made up the Mount Vernon complex. Washington purchased the land about 1760 from a William Clifton, and a 1937 W.P.A. report on the structure states that property was first called Clifton's Terrace. The name Collingwood was not connected with the property until sometime during the nineteenth century, and there are two theories as to its origin. One is that the place was named in honor of Admiral Collingwood of the British Navy; the other is that Stacy Snowden, a Quaker who owned the place in the latter half of the nineteenth century, named it in honor of the Quaker meeting in his home town, Collingwood, New Jersey.

The original house was built about 1785 and probably served as an overseer's house. It was a small, seven room, two-story structure. Not until 1932 was the house enlarged to its present size by the addition of two 2-story wings and a colonnaded portico.

On the property is a spring called by the Indians the "Great Fountain" and which George Washington refers to in his diary as the "Johnson Spring." Local tradition holds that the first European to drink the water was John Smith, who visited the area in 1608. This spring is famed for the clarity of its water and was used by colonial sea captains to fill their water butts for the long trip to England. Water from this spring is still served at the restaurant.

It is said that this place was a famous duelling ground in colonial days, the last duel reportedly taking place on August 7, 1805 (Alexandria Daily Advertiser, August 8, 1805.)

The restaurant has many old maps and engravings on display as well as the original "Battle of Bunker Hill" by John Trumbull and the original Brumidi painting which served as a model for the dome of the U.S. Capitol.


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Here follows an excerpt from the "Backyard Mount Vernon" blog written by Tammy Mannarino:

Wellington, Riverview, Andalusia, Arcturus and Collingwood: The Snowden Brothers and their Homes
Posted on January 9, 2019 by Tammy Mannarino:

Once upon a time, there were three brothers: Isaac, William and Stacey Snowden. They lived on a farm in New Jersey with their Mother, Rhoda Hazelton Snowden, brother John, and two sisters, Abigail and Mary Jane. The Snowdens were Quakers and likely heard about opportunities in the Mount Vernon area through the Mullica Hill Friends Meeting where they were members. In the late 1840’s, Quaker families from New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia migrated to Virginia to purchase inexpensive farm and timber lands and to work with the free black community that existed in the area around Mount Vernon. They wanted to show that slavery was not necessary for financial success. In 1859, two years before the Civil War started, the brothers left home. While it is unclear whether Isaac, William and Stacey were previously acquainted with others that moved into the Mount Vernon area, they certainly worked in concert once they were neighbors.

As they left the Quaker enclave in Harrison Township, they couldn’t have imagined the lasting impact they would have on their new home. They purchased large tracts of land that had previously been part of George Washington’s River Farm and helped forge a community that would, for a time, carry their name (Snowden, VA). Their homes would be central to the development of roads, schools, churches, postal delivery, social and business organizations, recreation, and rail and steamboat travel between Washington DC and Mount Vernon. While there are no known Snowden descendants still living in the area, evidence of their residence in our community from 1859-1949, is easily seen. Communities, roads and properties still bear their names or the names of their homes.

The Snowdens lived in at least five homes along the Potomac. Isaac and his wife Anna lived at Wellington, now the home of the American Horticultural Society. They later moved to an adjacent home, Riverview. William and his wife Elizabeth lived at Arcturus which became the guest house for a larger home, Andalusia. Stacey and his wife Sarah lived at Collingwood, which current residents of the community probably remember for its library, museum and sledding hill, open to the public until 2016. While Riverview, Andalusia and Arcturus were demolished in the later part of the twentieth century to make room for more modern homes, Wellington and Collingwood still stand. These two homes were built before the Snowdens arrived and have rich histories before and after brothers’ ownership. While both homes are listed on the Fairfax County Inventory of Historic Sites, that distinction does not limit or restrict what a homeowner can do with their property. The current owners of Collingwood have applied for a permit to regrade the property which would involve demolition of the mansion.


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Here follows an excerpt from the "Backyard Mount Vernon" blog written by Tammy Mannarino:

Who Built Collingwood in Alexandria, VA?
Posted on July 23, 2019 by Tammy Mannarino

Local tradition, a 1937 Works Progress Administration report on the structure, and the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) hold that

” The original house was built about 1785 and probably served as an overseer’s house. It was a small, seven room, two-story structure. Not until 1932 was the house enlarged to its present size by the addition of two 2-story wings and a colonnaded portico.” -- HABS, 1970

However, recent historians, using deeds, tax records, newspaper articles have given credit for building Collingwood to Henry Allen Taylor, a young lawyer-turned-farmer from a prominent Alexandria family, who purchased the land from the Washington’s relatives in 1852. His untimely death brought about the sale of the home in 1856.

In 2015, historical architect and preservation consultant C. Richard Bierce examined the home including accessible joists in the larger part of Collingwood and determined “the construction of this wing as post ca. 1840″. A photograph taken at some point in the 19th century shows the farmhouse that was enlarged to become the mansion as we know it today.

Bierce points to the 2-story, 3 bay section on the right of the old photo as the oldest part Collingwood. In the recent photo, this corresponds to the section on the left side of the newer wing with the exposed chimney. He theorizes that the one story block on the far left of the recent photo is either the damaged 2 story addition in the old photo or a replacement that preceded the extensive 20th century work that externally obscures the remaining original structural elements of the building.

It is possible that Henry Allen Taylor’s Collingwood home was built slightly before his purchase of the property or was constructed on the site of an earlier home. Bierce’s inspection of the home used visual rather than destructive analysis and my own documentary research is ongoing. In any case, the historic value of Collingwood does not hinge on its builder or exact date of construction. Its connection over the last 160 years to the Taylor family, Washington’s descendants, the Snowden family and modern uses as a World War II training facility, landmark restaurant and Library on Americanism give it remarkable significance.


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Here follows an excerpt from the "Backyard Mount Vernon" blog written by Tammy Mannarino:

Stacy H. Snowden: Mount Vernon Supervisor
Posted on February 1, 2019 by Tammy Mannarino

Before there was Dan Storck, before there was Gerry Hyland….a long time before these men, there was Stacy H. Snowden. The Quaker farmer, the inventor, the owner of Collingwood was the Mount Vernon Representative on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors from 1883-1885.

Just a couple of years after his arrival from New Jersey in 1859, Snowden went to the village of Accotink to vote with his Mount Vernon neighbors on the issue of secession. It was May 23, 1861. Their precinct defeated the measure 76-19, one of only 3 areas to do so in Fairfax County which, as a whole, overwhelmingly approved the Ordinance of Secession 1231-289. More than a decade after the Civil War ended, Stacy Snowden would represent his neighbors, the citizens of Mount Vernon, in a structure of local government inspired, in part, by his home state.

At the time of Snowden’s election, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors was a relatively new institution. Its existence was mandated by Virginia’s new Constitution developed during the Convention of 1868. This document, sometimes referred to as the “Underwood Constitution” was a prerequisite, along with ratification of the 14th and 15th amendments, for readmission of the state of Virginia into the Union after the Civil War. In addition to establishing free public education and enfranchisement of all male citizens, black and white, over the age of 21, the Underwood Constitution sought to reform local governments based on the model found in New England civil townships.

When first constituted in December 1870, the Board of Supervisors had 6 members, one each from the townships of Centreville, Lee, Mount Vernon, Falls Church, Providence and Dranesville. The duties included setting tax rates, promoting the county’s agricultural development, appropriating funds for the care of the county’s less fortunate residents, building and operating a network of public roads and setting up and maintaining the required system for public education.

Stacy Snowden was well-qualified as the Mount Vernon Supervisor. At the time of his election, he had been farming in the area for 15 years. He was an active participant in and frequently hosted the Woodlawn Agricultural Society at his home. In the early 1870s he had donated some of his land for the building of a school to serve neighborhood children: The Snowden School.

Transportation was also on Snowden’s mind as he promoted steamboat travel on the Potomac to supply produce to Washington, DC and deliver tourists to Mount Vernon. The wharf at Collingwood was a popular stop for both. He applied to the county for roads connecting riverside farms to the Accotink Turnpike. Current area residents know a portion of that Turnpike as Sherwood Hall Lane. The road connecting his home, Collingwood, to this thoroughfare was for a long time known as Snowden Lane. It is currently referred to as Collingwood Road and as it nears the intersection with Sherwood Hall, it is Parkers Lane. It seems fitting that the office of the Mount Vernon Supervisor is now located there, on the path from Stacy’s place.


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Here follows an excerpt from the Collingwood webpage on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

Collingwood was a historic mansion in Fort Hunt, Virginia listed on the Fairfax County Inventory of Historic Sites. The mansion was first built in 1859 on a subdivision of George Washington's former River Farm, and significantly altered and expanded in the early 20th century. In July 2019, it was reported that the mansion would be demolished later that year.

Background:
The property was part of the larger 1,800-acre (730 ha) Piscataway Neck estate established by Giles Brent in 1653 or 1654. Giles Brent was the brother of Margaret Brent. Upon his death in 1679, it passed to his cousin George Brent, and then to William Clifton in 1739.

The property was purchased by George Washington in 1760 and formed an outlying part of his Mount Vernon estate known as River Farm. A small residence is believed to have been built on the property around 1785 for Washington's overseer, Sam Johnson, and during this time the property became notorious as a site for duels. During Washington's lifetime, the property was leased to Tobias Lear, who lived there until he died in 1816. It is believed that the name Collingwood came from Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, an associate of Lear's during time he spent in Algiers. Upon Washington's death in 1799, the land passed to his nephew's descendants, George Fayette Washington and Charles Augustine Washington.

Mansion:
In 1859, a 652-acre (264 ha) part of River Farm was sold to brothers Stacey, Isaac, and William Snowden, who subdivided the property further. Isaac and his wife Anna lived at the Wellington mansion, currently headquarters of the American Horticultural Society, while Stacey and his wife Sarah lived at the present Collingwood estate. Snowden used the land as a dairy farm. The current house was constructed in 1852 by Henry Allen Taylor.

The property was sold in 1894 to LeRoy Delaney, and then to Clayton Emig, and then in 1922 to Mark Reid Yates. At this point, the land west of the George Washington Memorial Parkway was sold to developers. In the 1930s, the house was described as "a seven room, one-and one-half story building without wings." The house was then remodeled as a two-story Colonial Revival by Natalie Yates, who added the portico and columns, and operated it as a tea room and restaurant. During World War II it was used as a school for military intelligence. In 1968, the land was sold to Daniel Cohen and William Eacho. Collingwood is listed on the Fairfax County Inventory of Historic Sites.

Collingwood Library and Museum:
The mansion was purchased by the National Sojourners for use as their headquarters in 1977, and they inaugurated the Collingwood Library and Museum on Americanism on the site. The organization renovated the mansion, which had been vacant and was in disrepair. The library contained about 7000 books on military history and had copies of the US constitution and a "near complete set of the writings of George Washington". It had numerous artifacts of presidential china and American Indian culture such as a Sioux chief's headdress.

The National Sojourners sold the property in 2015 after falling into debt. It was purchased by Tyler Murrell, one of the family that owns the Five Guys restaurant chain. In July 2019, it was reported that a permit to demolish the mansion and replace it with a new home had been granted.