HARPERS FERRY, West Virginia–JUNE 2025–A special tour of homes will be happening in Charles Town, West Virginia on October 18, 2025. Charles Town is in Jefferson County, located in the Eastern Panhandle of the state and just an hour from Washington, DC.
Jefferson County, West Virginia, is home to a number of homes built by the Washington family. George Washington surveyed the area as a young man, and encouraged his siblings and step-siblings to acquire land in the region. This is a rare opportunity to see inside the ground levels of four of the homes owned by his relatives and learn about the histories of these homes, their occupants and their restorations.
The homes include:
Happy Retreat: The home of Charles Washington, brother of George Washington, who Charles Town, West Virginia, is named for.
Harewood: Home of George Washington’s brother, Samuel Washington. It is today a private residence, still occupied by a Washington descendant.
Claymont: Home of Bushrod Corbin Washington, great-grand-nephew of George Washington. It was later occupied by R.J. Funkhouser, an industrialist and politician.
Beallair: The first Washington to occupy the house was George Corbin Washington, but the most famous episode in its history occurred when Lewis Washington, George Washington’s great grand-nephew, was taken hostage by John Brown’s men in 1859.
Tickets ($35) and more information can be found at https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/2025-washington-homes-tour.
The event is sponsored by The Friends of Happy Retreat and the Jefferson County Museum.
Please note that tickets are not refundable. The homes are not ADA accessible, and contain stairs and uneven surfaces. This tour is not advisable to people with mobility issues and is not accessible by whee-chair or stroller.