Beall-Air
Encyclopedia
Beall-Air, also known as the Colonel Lewis William Washington House, is a two-story stucco
ed brick house in classical revival style near Halltown, West Virginia
. It was the home of Colonel Lewis William Washington, great-great nephew of George Washington
and hostage in John Brown
's raid on Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
.
The original house, now the rear portion of the house, is believed to have been built by Thomas Beall prior to 1800. Beall's daughter Elizabeth married George Corbin Washington
in 1807. George Corbin was the grandson of Augustine Washington
, half-brother of George Washington. George and Elizabeth's son, Colonel William Lewis Jr., was born in 1812. The present front of the house was added in 1820.
Colonel William Lewis Washington Jr. married in 1897 Barbara Gibb, a Canadian nurse, who was the daughter of James Gibb . Col Washington served in the Confederate service during the American Civil War. He claimed to be a grandnephew of General George Washington
, the first President of the United States of America. He died in January, 1902, and was buried at Nashville.
-faced brick structure on a stone foundation. The corners of the three-bay house are thickened by pilasters, with a similar freize-like thickening extending horizontally above the second floor windows. The front, or south elevation has a small portico with a flat roof and four Ionic
columns. The front door has sidelights and an overlight, echoed by the second floor window immediately above the portico. The eat and west ends have stepped gables with central chimneys and the "shadow" of a porch. A small 2½ story structure to the north of the main house connects to the main house with a two story link. This structure has a gabled roof with dormers and is also stuccoed. Its windows are late 18th century in detail.
, where more hostages were taken. All survived their captivity, and Washington identified Brown to the Marine rescue party. During the assault on John Brown's Fort
, a saber thrust by Marine Lieutenant Green at Brown was allegedly deflected by the belt buckle securing the Washington sword.
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
ed brick house in classical revival style near Halltown, West Virginia
Halltown, West Virginia
Halltown is an unincorporated community along Flowing Springs Run in Jefferson County, West Virginia, USA. Halltown is located off of US 340 on West Virginia Route 230 between Charles Town and Bolivar. A few houses, a fork in the road, a tiny post office, and the large Halltown Paper Plant are the...
. It was the home of Colonel Lewis William Washington, great-great nephew of George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
and hostage in John Brown
John Brown (abolitionist)
John Brown was an American revolutionary abolitionist, who in the 1850s advocated and practiced armed insurrection as a means to abolish slavery in the United States. He led the Pottawatomie Massacre during which five men were killed, in 1856 in Bleeding Kansas, and made his name in the...
's raid on Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States. In many books the town is called "Harper's Ferry" with an apostrophe....
.
The original house, now the rear portion of the house, is believed to have been built by Thomas Beall prior to 1800. Beall's daughter Elizabeth married George Corbin Washington
George Corbin Washington
George Corbin Washington was a United States Congressman from the third and fifth districts of Maryland, serving four terms from 1827 to 1833, and 1835 to 1837. He was also a grandnephew of U.S. President George Washington.Washington was born at Haywood Farms near Oak Grove of Westmoreland County,...
in 1807. George Corbin was the grandson of Augustine Washington
Augustine Washington
Augustine Washington was the father of general and president George Washington. He belonged to the Colony of Virginia's landed gentry and was a planter and slaveholder.-Family:...
, half-brother of George Washington. George and Elizabeth's son, Colonel William Lewis Jr., was born in 1812. The present front of the house was added in 1820.
Colonel William Lewis Washington Jr. married in 1897 Barbara Gibb, a Canadian nurse, who was the daughter of James Gibb . Col Washington served in the Confederate service during the American Civil War. He claimed to be a grandnephew of General George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
, the first President of the United States of America. He died in January, 1902, and was buried at Nashville.
Description
The main (1820) portion of the house is a two story stuccoStucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
-faced brick structure on a stone foundation. The corners of the three-bay house are thickened by pilasters, with a similar freize-like thickening extending horizontally above the second floor windows. The front, or south elevation has a small portico with a flat roof and four Ionic
Ionic order
The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...
columns. The front door has sidelights and an overlight, echoed by the second floor window immediately above the portico. The eat and west ends have stepped gables with central chimneys and the "shadow" of a porch. A small 2½ story structure to the north of the main house connects to the main house with a two story link. This structure has a gabled roof with dormers and is also stuccoed. Its windows are late 18th century in detail.
The Harpers Ferry Raid
Lewis William inherited several relics of George Washington, including a sword allegedly given by Frederick the Great to Washington and a pair of pistols given by Lafayette. John Cook, who served as John Brown's advance party at Harpers Ferry, befriended Washington and noted the relics, as well as the slave population at Beall-Air. Brown was fascinated with the Washington relics. During Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry a detachment from his force led by Cook seized the sword and pistols along with Washington at Beall-Air, taking along three of Washington's slaves. The hostages were taken to Harpers Ferry by way of the Allstadt House and OrdinaryAllstadt House and Ordinary
The Allstadt House and Ordinary was built about 1790 on land owned by the Lee family near Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, including Phillip Ludwell Lee, Richard Bland Lee and Henry Lee III. The house at the crossroads was sold to the Jacob Allstadt family of Berks County, Pennsylvania in 1811...
, where more hostages were taken. All survived their captivity, and Washington identified Brown to the Marine rescue party. During the assault on John Brown's Fort
John Brown's Fort
John Brown's Fort was the building built in 1848 that was originally constructed for use as a guard and fire engine house for the federal Harpers Ferry Armory in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, then a part of Virginia....
, a saber thrust by Marine Lieutenant Green at Brown was allegedly deflected by the belt buckle securing the Washington sword.