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| Stone House as it stands today |
The Stone House in Manassas, Virginia stands on the fields within
Manassas Battlefield National Park. The structure had served in many capacities
since its original build. It also lived to tell the tale of two major Civil War battles.
Today the property is open to the public.
Run by the U.S. National Park Service (NPS), visitors can
take a step back into the past and learn about the property and the roles it
served during the 19th century.
In its lifetime, the building had been a rest stop, farm
house, tavern, and eventually a Civil War field hospital ─ twice, before being
restored back to a private residence. The home survived both the First and Second Battles of Bull Run (also known as the First and Second Battles of Manassas).
Once it was returned to serving as a private residence,
it remained a home until the 1940s. Today Stone House still stands, largely
fully intact, perhaps a testament to its resilience and historical roots.
The federal government took ownership of the property in the
late 1940s. In the 1960s, the NPS began restoring the structure back to its
earlier appearance. It is my understanding the exterior of the house you see
today is pretty intact to the original structure.
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Credit: Unknown/photo courtesy of National Park Service
The Stone House, Prince William County, Va, as it appeared
in the early twentieth century from the rear view.
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Much of the home as it exists today is original, but some modifications have
been made. Everything has been restored to the way it would have looked during
the 19th Century.
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Several homes in Virginia have cannonballs
embedded in outside walls, having been caught in the crossfire in the U.S.
Civil War. To my understanding, the cannonball in this image was added after the war. It has been
said a later owner of the house placed cannonballs on the house where damage
had actually been done during the Civil War.
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There are two primary floors to the building and a basement.
Visitors are welcomed to tour the main level; the top floor and basement are
typically closed to visitors. However, the top floor has been opened on rare
occasion. Unfortunately, I do not have any second floor images.
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This room is set up as a space where families would have
taken their meals. It is set away across the hall from where the main section
of the tavern was located during these years.
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The property surrounding Stone House is also a popular
destination for hikers. There are many trails throughout Manassas Battlefield
Park. Several times a year I head over there to go walking in different seasons.
Manassas
Battlefield Park is open daily, year-round (except Thanksgiving and
Christmas). Visitors can take both walking and driving tours. There are also
frequent interpretive programs scheduled and a small museum inside the visitors
center with several Civil War artifacts.
Stone House (and the Manassas Battlefield Park's Visitor's Center) are located about 25 miles west of Washington, D.C.
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| Stone House at Sunset |
