Gap View Farm, near

Charles Town, West Virginia Charles Town is a city in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. The population was 6,534 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The city is named for its founder Charles Washington, youngest brother of Pres ...

, is a historic farm complex built in 1774. The farm was placed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

on January 9, 1997.

Origin of name

The property gets its name from its view of the gap in the Blue Ridge made by the

Potomac River The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...

at Harpers Ferry.

History

Walter Baker came to then, Berkeley County,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, in 1770 and began clearing the property. A small limestone house was built by Baker in 1750, on property that was granted to Henry Lloyd by Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron. The main house of the farm was built by Baker in 1774. At Baker's death in 1820, the property was sold by Baker's widow, Jacobina, to James L. Ranson. When Ranson fell on hard times, he sold it to Parker Strode in 1868. In 1871, the property was acquired by Charles Aglionby, who owned the adjoining Mount Pleasant estate and a portion of Media Farm. Over time the house was expanded in four phases. In 1937, the farm was again sold to a family by the name of Barlett. In 1954, the farm was purchased by

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in an job, occupation or Craft, field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in the military, armed forces. A topic o ...

Frank Buckles and his wife Audrey (who died in 1999). Their daughter Susannah was born there in 1955, and she returned to live there after her mother's death. Buckles would ultimately become the last American survivor of World War I, and lived there until his death on February 27, 2011, aged 110. On January 9, 1997, the farm and property were placed on the

Description

Gap view is a two-story three-bay brick house, with prominent stepped parapets at the gable ends. As originally built, it was arranged with a side hall plan, that was later changed to a center hall arrangement.

Conservation

Susannah Mayo Buckles, daughter of Frank Buckles,Susannah Buckles
geni.com. runs the day-to-day operations of the farm and has made the farm more eco-friendly. In May 2008, volunteers planted over 1,000 trees and shrubs on the farm. Many local agencies have worked to plant trees and shrubs, as well as wetland species of trees and shrubs, along the property's stream and wetland areas. Ms. Buckles also installed 15,000 feet of fencing as part land retirement program called the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program. The fencing separated the farm's conservation areas from the farm's other residents, 130 head of cattle. In July 2009, it was announced that the farm was in the running for the West Virginia Conservation Farmer of the Year, though it is unclear if the farm won. The farm had won Jefferson County Conservation Farmer of the Year in 2009.

References

External links

* * {{National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia Colonial Revival architecture in West Virginia Colonial architecture in West Virginia Farms on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia Georgian architecture in West Virginia Historic American Buildings Survey in West Virginia Historic districts in Jefferson County, West Virginia Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia Houses completed in 1774 Houses in Jefferson County, West Virginia Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Jefferson County, West Virginia 1774 establishments in the Colony of Virginia