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Cedar Lawn was built in 1825 by John Thornton Augustine Washington, grandson of Samuel Washington. The brick house is located on land that was once part of Samuel’s original plantation. The original house on the property was built of log and plank by John’s father, Thornton Washington, Samuel’s oldest son. It was named Berry Hill in honor of Thornton’s wife, Mildred Berry, whose childhood home on the Rappahanock River was called Berry Plain.
John Thornton Augustine Washington and his wife, Elizabeth Conrad Bedinger, had thirteen children, three of whom are buried beside their parents at Harewood. Their son, Benjamin Franklin Washington, was intrigued by the news of gold discovered near San Francisco. In June 1849 he organized 80 young “Forty-niners” who left the area for the Gold Rush. B. F. Washington became the first editor of the San Francisco Examiner.
In the 1940s Cedar Lawn was bought by industrialist R. J. Funkhouser who owned several Washington homes. It is still owned by Funkhouser heirs and is a private residence. Cedar Lawn is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Location: Earl Road - 3 miles west of Charles Town, off WV51
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