Existing comment:
Most Splendid Building:
"It is built in the form of an L, and is the most splendid building of any country house in the state, and the view from it is equally grand."
-- Writer Anne Royall on a visit to Shepherdstown, 1829
John Blackford's red brick mansion crowns Ferry Hill with historic and architectural significance. Constructed between 1812 and 1820, the home's rectangular shape, bright interiors, large windows, and decorative elements embody the Federal style of a nation confident after the Revolutionary War.
With many original features intact -- leaded glass, grained panel doors, plaster walls and ceilings -- the mansion offers insights about the social and economic aspects of the plantation. A prosperous gentleman farmer, Blackford hired contractors -- and possibly directed enslaved laborers -- to perform construction and refinishing work over the years. The result was a formal parlor and central stair with carved railings; a spacious pantry, dining room, and kitchen; built-in cabinetry; and faux-painted baseboards that resemble marble.
The Douglas family maintained the mansion from the 1840s through the 1880s, but the Civil War spoiled Ferry Hill's splendor. Modifications continued through the next century under the Beckenbaugh family and National Park Service ownership. |