When Patrick and Ann Rodgers purchased their historic home in 2014, it was half the size it is today. Several years later they doubled it in a day by buying the adjacent house – a structure that was attached to their house but was being used as a separate dwelling. Both houses have storied pasts, and both are open for this year’s Holiday House Tour sponsored by Preservation of Historic Winchester (PHW) on Sunday, Dec. 8 from noon to 4 p.m.
522 South Loudoun Street
The Dr. Cornelius Baldwin House, a timber-frame, Federal-style home, was built circa 1784 and was the first of the two homes Patrick and Ann purchased. Dr. Baldwin was a surgeon in the Revolutionary War and was the physician to Lord Fairfax. Many of Baldwin’s children and grandchildren also made names for themselves in the fields of medicine and education. Perhaps best remembered is granddaughter Mary Julia Baldwin, the founder of Mary Baldwin College.
“I’ve always liked old houses,” says Patrick.
But when Patrick and Ann first looked at photos of the listing online, they weren’t impressed. They recall that the photos “didn’t really do the house justice.” Their realtor, John Schroth, suggested they take a look anyway, so they followed his lead. Unfortunately, when they toured the property, the power was off and they had to walk around with their cell phone flashlights to see the interior. Still, they saw enough to know that very night they wanted the house.
Patrick and Ann credit the previous owners for the effort and research that went into the restoration. “It was in great shape,” says Patrick.
That transformation didn’t happen until 1977 when the then-dilapidated house was restored by Tom and Katie Rockwood – a project made possible by PHW’s Jennings Revolving Fund. This was the second property acquired by PHW. (The first was the Simon Lauck House in 1974.) Before the Rockwoods’ restoration of the property, the house had undergone many changes including creating a facade that bore little resemblance to the original.
“It’s been an inn. It’s been a house. It’s been apartments,” says Patrick. “It was derelict. It even had some kind of a car shop in the basement.”
Fortunately, many of the interior details were still intact, including pine flooring, chair rails, cornices, molding and much original hardware.
524 South Loudoun Street
In 2021 Patrick and Ann purchased the neighboring house. The adjoining properties needed to be reconnected by interior doorways.
“Tommy Beavers (Beavers Carpentry) led the project to join the properties into the single residence seen today,” says Ann.
Built circa 1800 by Isaac Wilkes, 524 South Loudoun Street began as a three-bay log house with a typical two-room floor plan. It was clad in German wood weatherboard siding and expanded by rear additions. In the mid-1800s, 522 and 524 were used as a tavern and called “The Valley Hotel.”
Like many old Virginia homes, along with the rich architectural history comes a cultural history that is fascinating but not always pleasant. Records indicate that before the Civil War the property was owned by a slave trader who bought and shipped enslaved people to southern plantation owners. According to Frederic Morton’s book “The Story of Winchester in Virginia,” published in 1925:
“At the corner of Main (now Loudoun) and Monmouth Elijah Walker had a wagon stand, his sign being a wagon and four horses. … Later landlords here were Benjamin Richards and William Harr. The place was otherwise known as the ‘Negro Trader’s Jail,’ and it seems to be referred to in an advertisement of 1856 which says that a hotel and negro jail are for sale in the south end of the city, the former containing fifteen rooms and having been in use twenty years. The notice adds that there is a ‘large and safe brick enclosure with the necessary arrangements for the safe keeping of slaves. It would consequently be a desirable property for a person dealing in slaves.’”
“It’s part of the story,” says Patrick. “It’s not our favorite part of the story, but it’s part of the story. It’s part of history and it’s good to talk about it,” says Patrick.
“Not talking about it would be disrespectful,” adds Ann.
Today, the Rodgers house is bustling with the positive energy of a modern family: Patrick, Ann, their two children and several furry four-footed friends.
Tickets to all the homes on PHW’s Holiday House Tour can be purchased at Kimberly’s and the Winchester-Frederick County Visitors Center. Tickets cost $25 in advance or $30 on the day of the tour. Tickets can also be purchased at any of the tour locations:
122 W. Cork Street (Peter Bullough Foundation Resident House)
120 W. Cork Street (Peter Bullough Foundation Collection & Offices)
124 E. Clifford Street (Joseph Hodgson House)
522 S. Loudoun Street (Dr. Cornelius Baldwin House)
524 S. Loudoun Street (Old Valley Hotel)
Tickets to the tour will also be for sale at PHW’s “Bough & Dough Shop.” The popular pop-up shop is stocked with sweets, holiday decor and fresh greenery. This year’s shop will be located in a booth at Winchester’s Winter Village at the open-air market in Old Town on Friday, Dec. 6 from 4 to 8 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 7 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 8 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
