Huntley Manor House

Here follows a history of Huntley written by the Friends of Historic Huntley:

A 19th-Century Mystery

Huntley was not the Thomson F. Mason family seat as Gunston Hall had been his grandfather's and Hollin Hall his father's. It was, however, an embellishment of the federal city environs, and it represented the new, not the old, in architecture.

Evidence suggests the house may have been a summer vacation home. Its hilltop position takes advantage of cooling breezes. It boasts a subterranean domed ice house, too big for a single family but just right for parties and gatherings of an extended family.

In addition, the grounds were terraced and formally landscaped, an indication that they might have been used for outdoor entertaining. However, no one is certain how Huntley was originally used. The house and grounds are too sophisticated for a mere overseer's residence. Correspondence from Thomson's grandmother indicates that she had planned to spend a weekend at Huntley, but refused to visit the farm alone while the apparently disagreeable overseer was there.

How Huntley Came to Be

George Mason bought a large parcel of land between Dogue Run (now Dogue Creek) and Little Hunting Creek in 1757. In 1817, Mason's eldest son divided the property between his sons Thomson F. and Richard. In 1823, Thomson F. Mason augmented the 640 acres received from his father with another 180 acres on the hill overlooking the fertile valley. Huntley was built on this hill by local artisans between 1825 and 1830.

Throughout this time, Huntley was run as a farm. Thomson F. Mason raised corn, rye, wheat, and oats on land now incorporated into Huntley Meadows Park. Earth berms and ditches in the park indicate that the land had to be drained for farming.

Thomson F. Mason managed the property through an overseer. Personal property tax records indicate that he owned approximately 20 slaves in Fairfax County, where Huntley was his main property. However, he remained a resident of Alexandria, where he practiced law and held public office.

In his will, Thomson F. Mason left his extensive land holdings and his principal residence in Alexandria, the stately home Colross, to his wife Betsey. In 1859, Mrs. Mason deeded Huntley to her elder sons, John Francis and Arthur Pendleton.

The Civil War at Huntley

At the beginning of the war, Huntley was being farmed by a tenant, George Johnson, who was a Union sympathizer. There is some irony in the fact that the Mason brothers joined the Confederate army, with Arthur Pendleton serving on the staffs of Generals Lee and Johnston, while their tenant Johnson provided supplies to the Union.

During the winter of 1861, troops of the 3rd Michigan Infantry camped at Huntley, and their quartermaster and his wife lived in the house. This may be why Huntley was not burned during the war. In 1862, ownership of Huntley passed to Dr. Benjamin King, a close family friend, in payment of a debt of $13,000.

After the Civil War, Dr. King sold the property to Albert W. Harrison and Nathan W. Pierson, who were farmers from New Jersey. In 1871, they divided the property. Harrison kept the portion containing Huntley, which remained in his family's hands until 1946. Harrison Lane was named for him.


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Here follows an excerpt from the Clio history project as published by Greg Campbell-Cohen:

Constructed in 1825, Historic Huntley occupies a moment in time separate from the blustering city around it. The vacation home of Thomson Francis Mason, this federal period villa overlooks Huntley Meadows Park and beyond, providing insight into the life of the privileged elite of the early 19th century. Its gorgeous terracing and exemplary federal style will appeal to architecture buffs, and its place in local military and economic history provides a snapshot in time for fans of Alexandria's past. The mayor of Alexandria from 1827-30 and a grandson of George Mason, Thomson Francis Mason was profoundly influential as a local figure in public service, the law, and entrepreneurship. His home, located at 6918 Harrison Lane in Alexandria, had undergone nearly two centuries of transformation before its ultimate restoration, having served as a grain farm, a military encampment, a dairy farm, and a summer retreat.

Historic Huntley is on the National Register of Historic Places, the Virginia Landmarks Register and the Fairfax County Inventory of Historic Sites. Entry is $5 for adults, $4 for students and $3 for children and seniors. Children under 5 may come for free.


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Here follows an excerpt about the house from Donald Hakenson's "This Forgotten Land" tour guide:

The Huntley house was built circa 1825 by Thomson F. Mason, the grandson of George Mason. It was George Mason who wrote the Virginia Constitution of 1776. Thomson Mason was President of the Middle Turnpike Company, the Alexandria Canal Company and was also Mayor of Alexandria.

During the Civil War George W. Johnson was a tenant at Huntley. George Johnson had two nephews in the Union Army. Sergeant John W. Johnson was in Captain Samuel Means Loudoun Rangers, the only organized body of troops from the state of Virginia to fight for the Union Army, and Richard Barnhouse, an ambulance driver in the Army of the Potomac. George Johnston wrote after the war:

"I offered to shoulder any musket with others to go out and shoot the Rebels, who had been shooting at our pickets along Pike Run, just outside Alexandria ... I sat on my porch and listened to the Battle of Bull Run and we hoped we would have a great Union victory. I felt pretty badly when I found out how the battle had gone."

George Johnson also stated that he believed that a short time after the Union Army returned from the Peninsula campaign that all the corn was taken by General Sickles' men, and that many of the hogs were killed by the Garibaldi Regiment. It was also reported by neighbors that Richardson's Brigade was camped on the Huntley house grounds. The Huntley farm was occupied by Union troops in the fall of 1861 and the winter of 1862.

The Huntley house is on the National Register of Historic Places because of its architecture.