Boidstones Place

Boidstones Place is a historic farmstead near Shepherdstown, West Virginia, also known by the names Greenbrakes and Fountain Rock. The property was established in 1766 by Thomas Boydston on land that had been granted to him by Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron. Its early history was shaped by disputes over land along the Terrapin Neck of the Potomac River involving Boydston, Fairfax, and Joist Hite. Boydston ultimately lost most of the land he had acquired, and the holdings were purchased by Abraham Shepherd, an early member of the family that gave Shepherdstown its name. The property subsequently became part of the Shepherd family's extensive agricultural holdings along Shepherd Grade. Those holdings were associated particularly with the breeding of race horses. A portion of Boidstones was later incorporated into the adjoining Wild Goose property, which was owned by R. D. Shepherd and included a racetrack. In 1851, R. D. Shepherd transferred Boidstones to his nephew and namesake, R. D. Shepherd Jr. The younger Shepherd built the principal Greek Revival section of the house, creating the major nineteenth-century architectural expansion of the site. Boidstones was sold outside the Shepherd family in 1886, but the property returned to the family in 1916 for use as a summer residence. The house developed in several phases. The original dwelling is described as one of the oldest framed buildings in West Virginia, alongside the Peter Burr House. The Greek Revival wing added in the 1850s was also constructed using wood framing, while a further addition in the 1920s introduced Colonial Revival elements. The wider farm complex preserves a range of agricultural and domestic outbuildings. These include a log cabin dating from approximately 1850, a log cottage from the 1850s that was altered in 1938, a tenant house from around 1890, a springhouse from the 1850s, a 1920s garage, a main barn from about 1850, a machine shed from approximately 1910, a spray shed from around 1920, and a bull shed from about 1910. The property also contains a cemetery for enslaved people that was in use from approximately 1776 through 1865, providing evidence of the labor system that supported the farm during its early and antebellum history. A large spring on the property became known as Stillhouse Spring. According to the historical account, Boydston used the spring in connection with whiskey production, and the whiskey was transported down the Potomac River from a local dock. Boidstones Place is therefore best understood not as a commercial consumer brand but as a named historic property whose significance derives from its architecture, landholding history, agricultural use, association with the Shepherd family, and surviving cultural landscape.

Boidstones Place was established in 1766 by Thomas Boydston near present-day Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Boydston built the property on land granted to him by Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron. The early ownership history was contested. A dispute involving Boydston, Fairfax, and Joist Hite concerned land Boydston had acquired along the Terrapin Neck of the Potomac River. The dispute ended with Boydston losing most of the land, which was acquired by Abraham Shepherd. The property then became part of the Shepherd family's landholdings along Shepherd Grade. These holdings were used principally for agricultural purposes and the breeding of race horses. Some of Boidstones was eventually annexed to the adjoining Wild Goose property, owned by R. D. Shepherd. Wild Goose included a racetrack, linking the surrounding estate landscape to the Shepherd family's equestrian interests. A major transition occurred in 1851, when R. D. Shepherd gave Boidstones to his nephew and namesake, R. D. Shepherd Jr. The younger Shepherd added the principal Greek Revival portion of the house. This expansion created a two-period architectural complex in which the original eighteenth-century frame dwelling was joined by a substantial nineteenth-century frame wing. The original house is regarded as one of the oldest framed buildings in West Virginia, together with the Peter Burr House. Boidstones left the Shepherd family's ownership in 1886. It returned to the family in 1916, when it was used as a summer place. A later addition made during the 1920s introduced Colonial Revival design elements and further enlarged the residence. The property's surviving buildings reflect changing patterns of domestic life and farm management from the colonial period through the twentieth century. The farm included numerous secondary structures. Among them were a log cabin dating to about 1850, a log cottage from the 1850s that was modified in 1938, a tenant house built around 1890, and a springhouse from the 1850s. Agricultural and service buildings included a garage from the 1920s, a main barn from approximately 1850, a machine shed from about 1910, a spray shed from around 1920, and a bull shed from roughly 1910. Together, these buildings indicate that Boidstones functioned as a working agricultural property rather than solely as a country residence. The site also includes a cemetery for enslaved people, used from approximately 1776 to 1865. Its presence documents the enslaved labor and social history connected with the estate during the colonial and antebellum eras. The property therefore has significance beyond its surviving architecture, encompassing the people and labor systems that sustained its agricultural operations. Water resources were also important to the site's history. A large spring became known as Stillhouse Spring. The historical account associates the spring with Boydston's whiskey production, with the finished product shipped down the Potomac River from a nearby dock. This activity illustrates the property's connection to river transportation and to small-scale agricultural manufacturing in the eighteenth-century Potomac Valley. Boidstones Place is now documented as a historic settlement and estate associated with Shepherdstown and the surrounding eastern West Virginia landscape. The available reference material does not establish its current ownership, public-access arrangements, preservation status, or active commercial operation.

• 1920

  Colonial Revival addition

  [1]Boidstones Placeen.wikipedia.org

  An additional section was constructed in the 1920s in the Colonial Revival style.

• 1916

  Return to the Shepherd family

  [1]Boidstones Placeen.wikipedia.org

  The property returned to the Shepherd family for use as a summer residence.

• 1886

  Sale outside the Shepherd family

  [1]Boidstones Placeen.wikipedia.org

  Boidstones Place was sold out of the Shepherd family.

• 1851

  Greek Revival expansion

  [1]Boidstones Placeen.wikipedia.org

  R. D. Shepherd transferred the property to his nephew, R. D. Shepherd Jr., who constructed the principal Greek Revival section of the house.

• 1766

  Establishment of Boidstones Place

  [1]Boidstones Placeen.wikipedia.org

  Thomas Boydston established the property near Shepherdstown on land granted by Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron.

Historic residence and agricultural estate with architectural, local-history, and cultural-landscape significance.

1. 1Boidstones Placeen.wikipedia.org