Thomas Brown House

aunt minerva collection
paperclipped to this document is:
Mr. Larry Crawley-Woods
Route 1
MArtinsburg W Va. 25401


United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form


name: Thomas Brown house
location: on the west side of Berkeley County Route #30, 2.2 miles north of the intersection with W.Va. State Route #51.
city Inwood in the vicinity of
State West Virginia code 54 county Berkeley code 003
classification: building
ownership: private
status: occupied
accessible: yes, unrestricted.
present use: private residence

owner of property Mr and Mrs David C Butler
Route #1 Box 388
Inwood West Virginia 25401

location of legal description
Berkeley County Courthouse
100 West King Street
Martinsburg West Virginia

representation in existing surveys
T-77 Berkeley County Historic Landmarks Commission Survey
has this property been determined eligible yes
date July 1984
county
depository for survey records Berkeley County Courthouse
MArtinsburg West Virginia

description
condition: excellent
altered
original site
period 1700-1799, 1800-1899
areas of significance: agriculture, architecture, exploration/settlement
specific dates: 1741
builder/architect Thomas Brown
Major Bibligraphical References: Bucks county courthouse records, Doylestown, Pa.; Berkeley county courthouse records, Martinsburg, W.V, including Original Survey and Land Grants, Richmond Va. (copies in Martinsburg courthouse); Frederick County, Va. Records, microfilm, courthouse, Martinsburg, W.V.; Henshaw, American Quaker Genealogy of N.C. Gen. Pub. Co. , Baltimore Md.
acreage of nominated property 1 acre
Quadrangel name Tablers Station
zone 17
easting 754160
northing 4364490
verbal boundary description and justification : nominated area is the entire property, bounded on the north by a fence, east by the road, south by the south side of the driveway, and west by Middle Creek. see map.
form prepared by Frances D Ruth, Administrator
Berkeley county Historic Landmarks commission
Route 2 Box 320
Martinsburg West Virginia
date September 30 1984

The Thomas Brown House is located on Berkeley County Route #30, 2.2 miles north of the intersection with West Virginia State Route #51. It is situtated on the west side of the road on Middle Creek nestled in tall trees and shrubbery. The house faces south, with the gable end toward the road.
Built of large sixteen and seventten inch logs hewn on two sides wiht "V" notching, the one-and-a-half story dwelling house consists of a three bay central block with two bay symmetrical wings of lower elevation. Measurements are central block twenty-three by twenty-nine feet, original log west wing sixteen feet by twenty-one feet, and new frame east wing sixteen feet by twenty feet. The central block has two large stone chimneys, one single flue interior across the southeast corner and another centered on the west gable that serves three fireplaces, one in the west wing and two in the central part. The windows are 6/6 early pegged double hung sash with eyebrow casement sash on the second floor and in the fram wing. The second floor windows were installed in 1825. The date is cut into the sill and is well worn.
Purchased by the Butlers in 1983, the house was in ruinous condition. The late 19th century novelty siding had termites and because of a poor roof, moisture had rotted some of the logs. THe siding was removed and replaced with plain weatherboard with corner boards, and the few rotted logs were replaced with old ones from another log outbuilding that had fallen down. Across the front is a three bay, one story shed roofed porch and a one story recessed porch with panty on the west wing. These are restorations; the old porches were in very poor condition. The house has a newish appearance because of the new weatherboarding. It is to be painted next year, after a year's seasoning.
The entrance doors to the central block are original and are Indian doors, raised six panel on the exterior side reinforced with beaded boards on the interior. Hardware includes decorative early iron Suffolk latches, HL hinges, strap hinges on pintles, and butt hinges. Doors to the wing are board-and-batten. The south entrance door has its original wooden lift latch and cannot be opened outside without a string, an exceptional feature.
The wings both have one room down and one room up. The original wing has only a hole cut in the floor that probably had a trap door and access is by ladder only. The central section has two rooms down, each with a stone fireplace, and all interior partition walls are made of vertical, hand planed, beaded boards. The interior doors are all board-and-batten.
The Thomas Brown House is historically significant for its associations with the Brown family, an early, 1741 pioneer family who settled in Berkeley County. It is architecturally significant for being a rare survivor of a true, one-and-a-half story log pioneer home. It is the earliest known dwelling house in Berkeley County in good condition. However, it predates the GerrardHouse Museum by only two years. It is basically unchanged except for new siding and the addition of a wing on the east side.
In 1722, according to the Buckingham Township, Pennsylvania, Poor Tax List, Thomas Brown was a bachelor and lived with Jacob Holcome. Thomas was married in 1723 and moved to present Berkeley County in 1741. The Browns were Quakers and so had to transfer their membership from the Buckingham Friends Society to the Hopewell Friends Society, here in (then) Virginia. Approval for this was given in February 1741. One of Brown's contributions to Berkeley County was in his early developments of orchards and fruit tree nurseries in an area later to become known as "Apple Pie Ridge." Orchardry today is one of the leading industries of the area.
Thomas Brown acquired approximately 1,200 acres on Mill Creek, and according to his will, probated in 1750, left, among other provisions, his log dwelling house to his wife Ruth, who was to dispose of the orchard crop and nursery trees as she saw fit, which provided for her very well. Brown had not acquired final title to the land. A survey by John Baylis was made August 29 1752, for 1,056 acres in the names of Samuel, Thomas, and Joseph Brow. (all sons) This was granted in November. Brown also owned a separate two hundred acre parcel which he bequeathed to his son William, who lived there. Ruth Brown with her sons Thomas and Samuel sold their final share of the estate, 628 acres, in 1753 and moved to Cane Creek, North Carolina. Joseph Brown had kept 428 acres which included the log house. He sold to Thomas Ellis in 1766. Ruth Brown became a member of Cane Creek Quaker Meeting House in 1753 and died in 1763.
There were other prominent owners of this farm, among them Ellis Rees who lived here from 1790-1820, although he owned it longer.

Rees also owned the stone built Bunker Hill Mill. He farmed this farm, the David Rees Farm (National Register 1983) and others with his brothers who had a co-op arrangement and the family became very wealthy. Ellis Rees, in later years, became a philanthropist who was very well known in the county for helping poor people through charitable gifts of money, food, and grain. His lengthy obituary in the Martinsburg Gazette, 1845, describes him in saintly terms.
For nearly a hundred years, this small dwelling house was used as the tenant house on the 400+acre farm and thereby escaped Victoriam remuddling. Vacant for many years, it was purchased by the Butlers in 1983 who recognized its log cabin distinctions. The building had termites and several rotted logs were replaced. The novelty siding was removed and replaced with weatherboarding.
Built in 1741, the Thomas Brown House is an important example of an early (1730-1760) permanent settler dwelling in Berkeley county. The earliest, Morgan Morgan Cabin, was constructed ca. 1730 but is now a reconstructin and must be termed an historical building instead of an historic one. The Thomas Brown House has survived, two hundred and forty-three years, virtually intact. The log wing may have been a later addition, but is none-the-less an early attachment. The new wing, of like size to the other was necessary to preserve the old house. There is no basement, so furnace, water heater, etc. are hidden in a large closet in the new wing. None of the rooms in the old house were repartitioned so the early floor plan survives. The two large stone chimneys and four stone fireboxes are all here. This is an interesting house wtih chamfered ceiling joists, all exposed, some early hardware, and marvelous original doors. Hand work is obvious everywhere. Also, the house is built like a fort, of huge hewn logs, on a stream for availablility of water, and has gun ports placed high in both the north and south walls for shooting down. There were known Indian raids in the area.
The Thomas Brown House is significant for being the earliest known dwelling house in Berkeley county. It stands intact, with little alteration, and represents that era of special and brave people who risked their lives to settle and make their homes on the frontier.


Thomas Brown House T-77
Tablers Station Quadrangle Berkeley County, West Virginia
Area 1 Acre
Arden 1.6 mile
To Route 51 2.5 miles
scale 1:1,2000
copied September 1984 from photo AGS-43-89, 25 Nov 1937 & plat in D.Bk. 368, p.502, by Galtjo L. Geertsema
noted on this are Middle Creek, spring house, fence, wing, log house, new wing, lane, log outbuilding, privy, lane.

(notice how far the privy is from the house....probably necessary for odor, insects, etc, but not very convenient! deb)