![]() As part of preservation efforts, parts of the second-floor wall, featuring graffiti and signatures of the passers-through, is preserved behind plexiglass, with some markings dating back as early as 1939. The FEHAA said a lieutenant and a sergeant lived in the house between 19, and the home served as officer's quarters during WWII.įollowing the war, the home sat vacant, save for trespassers who frequented the abandoned building, McDaid said. However, when the post experienced a housing shortage, the Army modified the home slightly in order to use it as post housing. Eustis following World War II, it promised community leaders the house would not be razed or otherwise disturbed. Army purchased Mulberry Island and the surrounding land for $538,000 from Edward Milstead to establish Camp Abraham Eustis, named for the first commanding general of nearby Fort Monroe. The Brick House Farm came into federal possession March 15, 1918, when the U.S. These methods were used to identify the different periods of renovation to the home's design. The house features several methods of brick construction, including English bond, Flemish bond and American common bond. ![]() The evolution of the building is visible in the variations in brickwork, McDaid said. In 1893, the building was purchased by Williams Webb, who expanded it to include a second story, and removed the dependencies. Known as Brick House Farm at that time, it was next acquired by Bennett Wood. Eustis Historical and Archaeological Association, the Jones family owned the farm building and the surrounding land until 1848. "It was about status, saying 'Hey, I have a nice brick house, too!'" McDaid added.Īccording to research by the Ft. ![]() The design included two dependencies, or small exterior buildings, used for laundry and kitchens on the property. McDaid explained that Jones felt the need to compete with wealthier planters up the James River coastline, who constructed palatial, plantation homes, and therefore opted for brickwork expansion on his house on the hill. "For that reason, this type of home was very popular in colonial Virginia." "As tobacco farmers in the region were trying to grow and ship their goods back to England as fast as possible, the idea was that by the time the home needed significant repair, the planter would've already left," McDaid continued. "This sort of construction allowed the owner to easily repair the timbers by just pulling old ones out and replacing them. "The Jones house was originally built as a wooden earthfast home, where timbers were inserted into holes in the ground, and the home built around," McDaid said. ![]() The main body of the T-shaped house was likely built in 1727 for Jones, with its original, wooden frame used to build brickwork around. According to Christopher McDaid, the 733rd Civil Engineer Division's Cultural Resources Manager, most of the original, wooden building was removed, save for the two large chimneys on each end. Matthew Jones, a Virginia planter for whom the home is named, is thought to be its original owner. The house rests 25 feet above sea level on a knoll 700 feet east of the James River. Eustis.Įstimates say the original foundation and parts of the building date back to 1700, with several additions and changes to the home since. The small brick home capping the hill off Harrison Road near Eustis Lake is the Matthew Jones House, the oldest structure on Ft. However, a short drive down Harrison Road on post reveals one facet of the installation that has withstood the test of time - a lot of time. From its early days as a coastal-artillery, replacement center and balloon-training grounds, to serving as a prison, its heyday of train tracks during the Transportation School-era, and now modernization as a joint base, the landscape of the post along the James River has certainly evolved. Since its establishment as an Army camp in 1918, Fort Eustis has experienced waves of change.
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