Rion Hall is a late

Federal style Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the newly founded United States between 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815, which was heavily based on the works of Andrea Palladio with several in ...

house near

Halltown, West Virginia Halltown is an unincorporated community on land that was originally owned by William Hall along Flowing Springs Run in Jefferson County, West Virginia. Halltown is located off U.S. Route 340 on West Virginia Route 230 between Charles Town an ...

. Built in 1836, it consists of a three-story brick house with a two-story kitchen wing connected by a wood hyphen. The house was used as a headquarters for General Philip H. Sheridan during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

. The house was built in 1836 by William Lucas. Lucas was the son of Robert and Sarah Rion Lucas, and was born at Cold Spring. In 1838, Lucas was elected to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together the ...

, serving a total of three terms. At William Lucas' death, the property passed to his son,

Daniel Bedinger Lucas Daniel Bedinger Lucas (March 16, 1836 in Rion Hall near Charles Town, Virginia – June 24, 1909 in Charles Town, West Virginia), was a Confederate officer, poet, lawyer and ultimately justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court. He was the son o ...

, a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solici ...

and a

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wr ...

, who was briefly appointed to the

US Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and p ...

by the Governor of West Virginia, but not seated. With Daniel Lucas' death the property passed to Virginia Lucas, whose accidental death in 1929 left the house vacant for ten years. In 1938 the house changed hands and underwent renovation.

References

Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia Houses in Jefferson County, West Virginia Houses completed in 1836 Federal architecture in West Virginia Greek Revival houses in West Virginia Robert Lucas family National Register of Historic Places in Jefferson County, West Virginia {{AmericanCivilWar-stub

See also

References