Prince William County is getting ready to put the finishing touches on its oldest building — the Rippon Lodge.
The Board of County Supervisors approved two contracts totaling over $212,000 Tuesday for final electrical, plumbing and plaster work at the lodge, which dates to 1745.
“We definitely know George Washington slept there. … We think the upstairs was a Masonic lodge,” said Board Chairman Sean Connaughton. “It survived the Revolution and the Civil War.”
The county bought the house for $1.4 million, which included more than $300,000 worth of antiques and furnishings, in 2000.
The $1.1 million-plus restoration process will return Rippon Lodge to its 1924 appearance, said Ray Goodrow, county architect. Over 50 percent of the current house would have to be torn down to restore the building to the original home, he said.
County carpenters have been replacing rotten and damaged woodwork and roofing, Goodrow said. The mechanical and electrical work will start in July and the final plaster work would begin by fall, he said.
The lodge is scheduled to open to the public during the annual Harvest Festival in October, said Brandon Hanafin, the county’s historic preservation division chief. However, the full furnishings and artifacts of the site will not be installed by then.
“In the spring we’ll open up for good. It will be restored and open with all the exhibits,” said Hanafin, who added that a full five-day slate of activities and tours will be available at that time.
The 40-acre grounds, which include trails, gardens and portions of the original King’s Highway, will be open to the public for hiking and picnicking during daylight hours, he said.
Brief History of Rippon Lodge
» Built circa 1745 by Richard Blackburn.
» Blackburn was from Yorkshire, England.
» Had its own port on Neabsco Creek.
» Former tobacco plantation.
» Blackburn’s son, Col. Thomas Blackburn, an aide to George Washington, inherited the home during the Revolutionary War.
» The Atkinson family bought the home around 1820 and lived in it for 100 years.
» Federal D.C. Judge Wade Ellis and his wife bought the property in 1924.
» After purchasing and restoring lodge, Ellis discovered he was a descendent of Richard Blackburn.
» Arctic explorer Adm. Richard Blackburn Black, another descendent, purchased the property and passed it to his daughter in 1989.
