The Bower

The Bower is a historic house and estate in Jefferson County, West Virginia, rather than a commercial consumer brand. The location was associated with Major General Adam Stephen from at least 1753, when he maintained a hunting lodge known as Bower Lodge there. Stephen lived at the property until 1772, before moving to Martinsburg, the town he founded. The estate subsequently passed to his daughter Ann Stephen and her husband, Alexander Spottswood Dandridge, and later to their only grandchild, Adam Stephen Dandridge I. The principal house was built by Adam Stephen Dandridge I in 1806. It was constructed in brick with a center-hall plan and was unusually large for its period and locality, including ceilings approximately 12 feet high. The property became associated with the Dandridge family and remained in family ownership through later generations. In 1832, novelist John Pendleton Kennedy visited the estate; his observations contributed to the setting and social world of his novel Swallow Barn. The Bower also has a connection to the American Civil War. At the invitation of Adam Stephen Dandridge II, Confederate cavalry commander J. E. B. Stuart used the residence as a headquarters from September 28 to October 10, 1862. His staff included Wade Hampton, Fitzhugh Lee, and Heros von Borcke. A horse bred at the estate was later presented to Robert E. Lee for use when Lee's principal mount, Traveller, required rest. The horse, known as Lucy Long, became notable in its own right. A major fire in the late nineteenth century destroyed much of the interior. The house was subsequently rebuilt and enlarged, with Gothic Revival elements added to its earlier Federal-style design. The estate was also connected with members of the Dandridge family active in cultural and religious life. Danske Bedinger Dandridge, a poet whose work appeared in periodicals including The Century and Harper's, lived there for a time before moving to Rose Brake. Some accounts identify The Bower as the birthplace of her daughter, artist Violet Dandridge, although that attribution is not uniformly stated. In the early twentieth century, the house served as a summer residence for Edmund Pendleton Dandridge, an Episcopal bishop of Tennessee. The property remains associated with the Dandridge family.

The site known as The Bower has documented associations reaching back to 1753, when Major General Adam Stephen established a hunting lodge there under the name Bower Lodge. Stephen remained at the location until 1772, when he relocated to Martinsburg, Virginia, a settlement he had founded. The property then entered the Dandridge family through Stephen's daughter Ann Stephen and her husband, Alexander Spottswood Dandridge. Their first cousin was Martha Dandridge Custis Washington. In 1791, ownership passed to Adam Stephen Dandridge I, Stephen's only grandchild. Dandridge commissioned or built the principal brick residence in 1806. The structure followed a center-hall plan and was notably spacious for its time, with ceilings around 12 feet high. The house and estate thereafter remained closely connected to the Dandridge family. In 1833, The Bower passed to Adam Stephen Dandridge II. The estate gained a literary association through novelist John Pendleton Kennedy, who visited in 1832. His impressions of the property and the surrounding Virginia social environment influenced Swallow Barn, a novel published later in the nineteenth century. The Bower's historical importance was further reinforced during the American Civil War. Confederate cavalry commander J. E. B. Stuart established headquarters at the residence with the permission of Adam Stephen Dandridge II. Stuart and his staff occupied the site from September 28 through October 10, 1862; the staff included Generals Wade Hampton and Fitzhugh Lee and staff officer Heros von Borcke. The estate was also known for its horse breeding. One horse bred at The Bower was given to Confederate General Robert E. Lee for use when Traveller, his principal horse, needed a rest. The horse was called Lucy Long and later became a recognized part of Lee-related Civil War history. The original house suffered a serious fire in the late nineteenth century. Its interior was destroyed or heavily damaged, after which the building was rebuilt and expanded. The reconstruction introduced Gothic Revival characteristics while retaining the property's earlier Federal-style foundation and identity. The result combined an early nineteenth-century domestic plan with later Victorian-era architectural alterations. During the later nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, The Bower remained connected with several members of the extended Dandridge family. Danske Bedinger Dandridge lived at the property for a period before moving to Rose Brake and published poetry in prominent American periodicals. Some historical accounts state that her daughter, artist Violet Dandridge, was born at The Bower, though the claim is presented with qualification. In the early twentieth century, Edmund Pendleton Dandridge, an Episcopal bishop of Tennessee, used the residence as a summer home. The property has continued to remain in the Dandridge family, preserving its role as a private historic estate rather than developing into a commercial brand or public-facing business.

• 1900

  Use as a summer residence

  [1]The Boweren.wikipedia.org

  In the early twentieth century, the property becomes a summer home for Edmund Pendleton Dandridge, an Episcopal bishop of Tennessee.

• 1892

  Fire and architectural reconstruction

  [1]The Boweren.wikipedia.org

  A fire destroys the interior, after which the residence is rebuilt, enlarged, and given Gothic Revival features.

• 1862

  Civil War headquarters

  [1]The Boweren.wikipedia.org

  J. E. B. Stuart uses The Bower as a headquarters from September 28 to October 10, with senior officers and staff members present.

• 1833

  Property passes to Adam Stephen Dandridge II

  [1]The Boweren.wikipedia.org

  The Bower enters the ownership of the next Dandridge generation.

• 1832

  John Pendleton Kennedy visits

  [1]The Boweren.wikipedia.org

  The novelist visits The Bower, drawing on the estate and its setting in developing the world of Swallow Barn.

• 1806

  Main residence is built

  [1]The Boweren.wikipedia.org

  Adam Stephen Dandridge I builds the principal brick house in a Federal-style center-hall design.

• 1791

  Estate passes to Adam Stephen Dandridge I

  [1]The Boweren.wikipedia.org

  The property is inherited by Adam Stephen Dandridge I, Stephen's only grandchild.

• 1772

  Stephen leaves the property

  [1]The Boweren.wikipedia.org

  Adam Stephen moves to Martinsburg, the town he founded, and the estate passes into the family line of his daughter Ann Stephen and Alexander Spottswood Dandridge.

• 1753

  Adam Stephen establishes Bower Lodge

  [1]The Boweren.wikipedia.org

  Major General Adam Stephen is recorded as maintaining a hunting lodge at the site, providing the earliest known use of the Bower name.

A privately associated historic residence and cultural landmark, recognized for its Federal-style origins, later Gothic Revival reconstruction, Dandridge family history, literary associations, and Civil War connections.

1. 1The Boweren.wikipedia.org