Stoneybrooke House

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

Stoneybrooke, formerly known as Retirement, was originally a two-story frame structure with a high gable roof. Stoneybrooke was the home of Commodore Walter Brooke, first cousin of George Mason and commander of the Virginia naval forces in 1777. General Irvin McDowell's map of Northeastern Virginia shows Commodore Brooke's plantation as "Collard's Place."

Union buttons from the Twenty-First Michigan were found near the Stoneybrooke Plantation House. It is possible that Camp Michigan was located somewhere in this general area.

The outside stone was added to the house in the 1940's. Also the house is reported to be haunted.


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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:

Stoneybrooke:
Retirement was the home of Commodore Walter Brooke, commander of the Virginia naval forces in April 1777. One of three commodores in the Virginia navy, he was commissioned captain in 1775, served as captain of the sloop Liberty (formerly the Independence) in August 1776, and received land warrants for 10,000 acres for three years' service. Brooke retired in 1778, suffering from gout, and was replaced by Commodore Barron.

A first cousin of George Mason of Gunston Hall, Walter Brooke was born in 1740 in Charles County, Maryland; became a midshipman in the British navy at the age of eight, and was later master of the merchant ship Martha. In 1774, he married Ann Darrell. In the 1780's, he settled on a 400-acre plantation on Kings Highway south of Alexandria, often dined at Mount Vernon with Washington, and fathered five children. When his son Taliaferro died in 1788, family tradition states that the tombstone was sent by Lafayette from France. Walter Brooke died before 1798, but his family kept Retirement until the 1840's, when it was sold to Samuel Collard. In 1925, Collard's heirs deeded it to Elias Beadle, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps. Later residents included Senator Cutting of New Mexico. Senator Robert Lafollette of Wisconsin owned but never lived at Retirement.

In the 1936 HABS survey, the house was listed as a two-story frame with high gable roof, outside end chimneys, and center door. In 1945, Benjamin Cohen, the owner, added wings and pillars, and encased the whole in stone. During remodeling, part of the paneling was removed to Mount Erin, a house nearby. A ghostly team of white horses flying above the driveway was reportedly seen by Mr. Cohen.


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Here follows an excerpt from the Clio history project as published by Benjamin Woodard:

Known today as Stone Mansion, this estate was built around 1780 by Walter Brooke, a cousin of George Mason. Brooke was a Commodore in the Virginia Naval Forces during the Revolutionary War and a friend of George Washington. The estate was originally known as Retirement and the property passed among Brooke's relatives for nearly a century and a half before it was sold to Marine Lieutenant Colonel Elias R. Beadle, a recipient of the Navy Cross and the first commander of the Parris Island recruit depot. The mansion was then purchased by Senator Robert M. La Follette, Jr., of Wisconsin, in 1931. La Follette never actually lived in the home, and it was sold to Benjamin Cohen in 1938. Cohen practically rebuilt it in the early 1940s. The home, now surrounded by the Stoneybrooke subdivision, is currently owned by the Fairfax County Park Authority and used as a banquet and wedding venue.

Walter Brooke was born to Thomas and Sarah (Taliaferro) Brooke in 1740. Legend has it that Brooke joined the British navy as a cabin boy at age eight, eventually rising to the rank of midshipman. He left the navy and became master of the “Martha”, a merchant ship based in Belle Haven (now Alexandria), Virginia. In 1772, he purchased and shipped an order from London for George Washington, which resulted in a lifelong friendship and many visits to Mount Vernon.

Brooke joined the Virginia Naval Forces in 1775 and was commissioned as Captain of the sloop “Independence”, later known as the “Liberty”, which was ordered by Governor Patrick Henry to protect Virginia’s eastern shore. Brooke was selected to be one of three Commodores in the Virginia Navy in 1777 and, later that year, was appointed Commander-in-Chief. However, a severe case of gout forced him to retire in 1778. Brooke settled on an estate near Mount Vernon, supposedly upon the recommendation of George Washington. He built his mansion and christened his 400-acre plantation “Retirement”.

Tragedy struck in 1778, when Brooke’s five-year-old son, Robert Taliaferro Brooke, died. According to legend, Washington, via Lafayette, ordered an ornate headstone from Paris to mark the young Brooke’s grave, which was located on the Retirement estate. The grave and headstone were moved a century later to the Zion Episcopal Church cemetery in Charles Town, West Virginia, where they rest today.

Brooke died in 1798 and was buried in an unmarked grave on the property that has yet to be located. The estate was passed among his relatives, including members of the Brooke, Rooker, Collard, and Kerby families, before it was sold to Lieutenant Colonel Elias R. Beadle, of the US Marine Corps. Beadle was the first commander of the Parris Island recruit depot and was known as the Marine Corps’ top recruit trainer. He also received the Navy Cross and was stationed at the Headquarters Marine Corps.

In 1931, the house was purchased by Wisconsin Senator Robert M. La Follette, Jr. La Follette had been elected in 1925 to replace his father, who had died while in office. The younger La Follette served until 1947. However, he and his family never actually lived in the home, which was maintained by tenants and caretakers.

Retirement was purchased by Alexandria jeweler Benjamin Cohen in 1938. He intended to tear down the house, which was described as “badly run down” and “a large shack” at the time. (It had also suffered a damaging roof fire that same year.) However, he could not receive permission to do so due to material shortages occurring as a result of the Second World War. Cohen was instead allowed to “restore” the property. For all intents and purposes, he rebuilt it: the floor plan was completely revamped, a two-story colonnaded porch was added to the front, wings were built onto each side, and the entire structure was wrapped in a stone façade. He even changed the name, to “Benmae Farm”. The only visible remnant of the original are the basement walls and cooking ovens.

The estate was purchased as part of the site for the 250-home Stoneybrooke subdivision, which was built between 1969 and 1970. The house and a surrounding 14-acre lot were donated to the Fairfax County Park Authority, which now uses the land as a park and the home, renamed Stone Mansion, as a banquet and wedding venue.


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Here follows a history of the home as written by Barbara Preston and published on the website for the Stoneybrooke of Fairfax County Citizens Association:

The History Behind Stoneybrooke
by Barbara Preston

While millions of Americans pour into the DC area to visit the historical meccas that abound, Stoneybrooke residents can take note that there is plenty of history to be found right here in our own community – quite possibly in your own backyard!

Historians have survey records and documents that identify the farm or plantation called Retirement Farm located south of Alexandria, consisting of 553 acres as early as 1879. More revealing is the coinciding description from the Book of Surveys 1742-1757, which records the almost identical parcel deeded to a Sarah Brooks.

However, the first ownership of the so-called Retirement Farm, including a main house, is credited to Walter Brooke, who is believed to have acquired the estate in 1778 after his close friend George Washington suggested he buy some retirement property in the proximity of Mount Vernon.

Walter Brooke, born in 1740, came from a family of large landholders in Maryland, having ties on his mother’s side with the Mason family of the famous Gunston Hall Plantation. He began his career as a midshipman in the British Navy, later taking command of a British merchant ship. In 1775, he received a commission as a Captain in the Virginia Navy to aid the cause of the American Revolution. His tour on the Independence, later christened the Liberty, advanced him to the selection as one of the three Commodores of the Virginia Navy. In 1777, he was named commander-in-chief of the Virginia Naval Forces, though his career was to be brief. Due to a severe case of gout, he retired the next year.

His first year of residence at Retirement was earmarked by tragedy with the death of his eight-year-old son, Robert Taliaferro Brooke. Buried at Retirement, the young boy’s grave was marked with a tombstone elaborately designed and cut in France and presented by Lafayette as a memorial to Commodore Brooke’s son. One hundred years later this grave and stone were transported to the Zion Episcopal churchyard in Charles Town, West Virginia, at the request of the Commodore’s granddaughter. It remains there to this day.

Little evidence comes to light regarding Brooke’s life at Retirement and his remaining years from 1788 to 1798. His associates and friends and the accounts of social life recorded of other nearby estates indicate there was much visiting, festivities and community participation. Perhaps we can assume Retirement also played an active role in early American life. The mystery of some once-discovered letters written by George Washington to Commodore Brooke have now become obscured, but leaves historians with hope that more evidence will appear. Commodore Brooke was buried at Retirement; this is a fact. No one has been able to mark the spot now, nor was a gravestone ever identified as his. This second mystery gives the residents an opportunity to speculate what hidden historical "find" his own lot in Stoneybrooke may contain.

The success of a historical research project hinges on the discovery of material that can be authenticated by facts. The history of Stoneybrooke’s past would come to an abrupt end were it not for the "hearsay" material that continues to be passed down through the years.

Some of the gaps in history can be attributed to fires and lost records in the County Courthouse Deeds and Records office. Equally frustrating is the system used by this area to record deeds. Rather than listing land by parcel or geographic location, the deed is recorded under the owner’s name. Thus, one must know the name of the owner for whom he is searching.

The Hopkins Atlas of 1879 is the first map survey which records the parcel of land, including Stoneybrooke, knows as Retirement Farm. Owned by Commodore Walter Brooke in 1788, we find one hundred years later it is owned jointly by Sam Collard and Y. Owen Kerby & Brothers. It is shown on the Mount Vernon District No. 3 map as being directly off Gravel Road. The map shows Gravel Road to be almost identical to the present day South King’s Highway, joining Telegraph Road in the direction of Hayfield Farm. The Hopkin’s Atlas of 1879 also credits Y. Owen Kerby with 550 acres of land in the Alexandria sector. He is listed as a farmer with origins in Prince George’s County, Maryland, dating back to 1862. Oddly enough, it is Sam Collard who is the recipient of the present-day historical mention. The name of Collard Street to the Groveton community is in memory of him.

Records appear to be missing until the 1940s when U.S. Senator Robert LaFollette of Wisconsin was titled owner. LaFollette’s wife was a descendent of a prominent Virginia family. However, Retirement Farm was left unoccupied by the LaFollette’s with the exception of tenants and caretakers.

A senior citizen of this area recalls the appearance of Retirement Farm prior to 1945 as being "badly run down and looking more like a large shack than a plantation home." However, Joseph H. Oredorf, a well-known Virginia architect, viewed it in more historical terms. It was a "large gracious house…basically, it was clapboard with beaded siding, and had a quite nice entrance with little pediment and simple square posts. At its right side was a tremendous chimney similar to that of Colchester and like some of those in Williamsburg."

Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Cohen, the new owners in 1945, were responsible for the vast remodeling of the house almost to its present appearance. The addition of a fieldstone façade, two largely symmetrical wings at each end and an elaborate portico changes the exterior drastically. Rumors still persist that during the remodeling, letters from George Washington to Commodore Brooke were found in torn-down walls. They were reported to have been given away to local residents. Historians are still searching for this "find." A portion of the original mantle and paneling were give to a nearby historical home. Curiously, when Retirement Farm became Benmae Manor in 1945, a stone gatepost sported a sign with the dates 1710-1945.

This leaves historians with the speculation that perhaps more evidence was unearthed regarding the owner of Retirement Farm prior to Commodore Brooke. Could it be that the first recorded owner listed as Sarah Brooks (1742-1757) was in reality Sarah Brooke, the mother of Commodore Brooke?

Traditionally, Stoneybrooke is not left without its legend of superstitions. Retirement Farm was reported to have had occasional visits from "ghostly white horses racing across the lawns in the early morning mists that were driven by strong winds." Mr. Cohen reported to Merigold Orr that he had only seen them once. You will have to ask the present occupants whether or not the legend continues!

Research credits and special acknowledgement to: Mrs. Edith Sprouse, Mrs. Viola Merigold Orr (Historical Society of Fairfax County, Virginia, Inc., Vol. 9, 1964-65); and the Research Division Librarian, Fairfax County Main Branch Library.

Special Note: For those who are interested in a historical map of this area, the Hopkin’s Atlas of 1879 is available for public use at the Fairfax County Main Branch Library. This book is kept in the Virginia Room, but you may photostat copies of the Mt. Vernon No. 3 map upon request.

NOTE: The foregoing article was researched and written by Barbara Preston, a neighbor here in Stoneybrooke. It is reprinted from time to time in the Sentinel for our newcomers with Barbara’s kind permission. It was originally published in the Stoneybrooke Sentinel in September, 1972


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Here follows an excerpt from the Atlas Obscura website:

Stone Mansion
Alexandria, Virginia
Originally dubbed "Retirement" by the Navy Commodore who built it in 1780, this beautiful mansion is now the centerpiece of a suburban community park.

Walter Brooke was born in Charles County, Maryland in 1740 to a family of landowners with ties to the Mason family (George Mason was his first cousin). He began his career as a midshipman with the British Navy before receiving his commission as captain with the Virginia Navy in 1775. Within two years, he was selected as one of three commodores before being named commander-in-chief.

Sadly, his career was cut short due to severe gout, and on the advice of his close friend George Washington, he purchased retirement land in the vicinity of Mount Vernon in northern Virginia.

Brooke’s tranquility was shattered within the first year with the tragic death of his eight-year-old son, Robert. Brooke lived on the property until his passing in 1798, and while it is known that he was buried on the property, the exact spot remains a mystery.

Also shrouded in mystery is much of the history of the property and house between 1800 and the 1940s. In 1945, Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Cohen took ownership of the property and conducted major renovations to restore and update the house. These included a fieldstone façade, symmetrical wings on either side of the main house, and a beautiful portico. The home was renamed Benmae Manor at that time.

Cohen once claimed to have seen “ghostly white horses that race across the lawn in the early morning mist, driven by the wind,” keeping alive a legend that has lived with the property since its early days.

Local historians are still working to untie the roots of the property and its history.

Know Before You Go
The property is now called Stoneybrooke Park and is owned and managed by the Fairfax County Park Authority. The grounds feature basketball courts, hiking trails, a playground, and a picnic pavilion.


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Here follows an excerpt from the Fall 2007 edition of the "Franconia Legacies" newsletter published by the Franconia Museum:

The Headless Horseman of Telegraph Road and Other Ghost Stories

“While doing research for the museum at the Virginia Room of the Fairfax County Library I read three slender books entitled “Snake Hill to Spring Bank”, Volume I-III. The books were local histories compiled by Groveton High School students during the 1970’s. Some of the stories involved ghosts and spooky happenings on Telegraph Road, Kings Highway, Stoneybrooke, and Hayfield. I thought that since this newsletter would be published sometime around Halloween it might be appropriate to include them. The following information was written by Edith Sprouse in 1975:” Researched by Jim Cox.

The closest one is at Stoneybrook on Telegraph Road (actually Kings Highway). The man who was the resident caretaker there has said they hear doors that won’t stay closed or open and they’ve heard lots of strange noises. Before Stoneybrooke was turned into a community center, the people who lived there said that they saw a coach and a team of white horses going around the driveway when it was foggy. (I’ve found there are certain conditions that have to be met before you see them, because more than once people have said, “Well you only see them when it’s foggy.”) The man who lived at Stoneybrooke was Commodore Walter Brooke, In the Virginia Navy during the Revolution. I don’t know whether he was the man in the coach and white horse who was going around the driveway or not, but the park employees still say there are some kind of strange, ghostly noises going on at night at Stoneybrooke.

These Ghost Stories were extracted from an interview with Edith Sprouse. She was a famous local historian, former Chairman of the Fairfax History Commission, and a Founding Director of the Franconia Museum. Edith passed away on January 30, 2004. The stories were extracted from “Snake Hill to Spring Bank”, Volume I, 1975. I think Edith would be pleased to know that her ghost stories reached us from beyond the grave, but even after knowing her for only short time I am sure she would be a friendly spirit.

Spirits of Stoneybrooke
You remember when Jeanie Beard was here? About three years ago, she put on a program for the civic group. She is head of the Isis Center over in Silver Spring. When she came to the front door she said the first thing she saw, the first thing that struck her, were three spirits on the stairway. Needless to say I was already getting packed to leave. But she said not to worry about it because if they put up with you this long, they evidently like you, or they would really make it rough for you.

But strange things do happen here occasionally. Rose and I were sitting up in the living room one night about two months ago. The dog has this little rubber elephant she plays with all the time. Rose was sitting on the couch. I was sitting on the chair. Both of us were reading. The dog was laying over in the far corner sleeping, and this elephant was lying right below the coffee table. Nobody else was in the room. Cats were out. All at once this elephant just took off. It went from the living room, just like somebody had thrown it, clean out through the hallway, and bounced off the dining room wall. Of course it startled us. Various little things like that.

Seem to have the strangest things happen up on the third floor, those bedroom areas where the kids sleep. Things fall off the dresser, pick ‘em up, and put ‘em back on, and ten minutes later they’re back on the floor again. It’s really strange. But as far as the ghosts riding around the house on horses, I haven’t seen nothing like that. Course, I haven’t looked too often either. Little strange things like that, nothing really to scare you.

Summer interns and one full landscaping crew stayed here about a year before the county remodeled this place. I guess they had a rough time of it really. Mr. Queary, the foreman who was staying here, was using the library as a bedroom. The interns were staying in the basement where the big stone fireplace is located. Well I understood that the interns after a while wouldn’t stay here, it spooked them too bad. Also, I guess these spirits or ghosts, whatever they may be, really gave Mr. Queary a hard time, because he finally had to give it up. He couldn’t stay here any longer.

And of course you know about the ghost that is supposed to be at Stoneybrooke. Even today there are supposed to be queer noises in the mansion. Doors will open unexpectedly and close unexpectedly. And from time to time they have trouble keeping a caretaker because of the strange noises.

These events were extracted from an interview with Ed Eichelberger, Fairfax County Park Authority Employee, and resident caretaker at Stoneybrooke Park in the 1970’s. The interview was published in “Snake Hill to Spring Bank”, Volume II, 1977.