Claymont Court - Owners After The Washington Family

Owners After The Washington Family

After the Washingtons vacated, there were a number of successive owners of Claymont:

• 1871-1886: Clement March
• 1886-1889: Charles Dawson

Dawson hired William A. Bates, an architect from New York to redesign the mansion, enlarging it significantly. Both the ballroom wing and the dining room wings were enlarged to their current size of 32x36 feet. A second story was added to both wings, which included bedrooms and bathrooms.

• 1889-1906: Frank R. Stockton

Stockton was a popular author at the time and wrote three books while residing at Claymont. He is best known for his short story The Lady, or the Tiger?

• 1906-1943: Col. S.J. Murphy

Murphy rebuilt and refined Claymont's old gardens with the help of Conklyn Brothers Landscape Architects and Hydraulic Engineers of Charles Town. The gardens gained a 235-foot (72 m) pergola and large fountain.

• 1943-1972: Raymond J. Funkhouser

Funkhouser was a West Virginia industrialist who was interested in purchasing and restoring the old Washington homes of Jefferson County. He bought Cedar Lawn, Blakeley, and Claymont and combined them into one 7,000-acre (28 km2) property (the estates are all contiguous). Claymont became the private residence of Mr. Funkhouser. The grounds and gardens were meticulously tended during this period.

• 1972-1975: J. Glenn Brown

Brown was the owner of Blakeley Mansion and the son of DuPont executive J. Thompson Brown. He and his family lived at Blakeley from 1954-1979. He sold Claymont along with 418 acres to the Claymont Society in 1975. The deed of sale included easement restrictions that preserved the property from development.

• 1975–present: The Claymont Society for Continuous Education

Led by John G. Bennett, an English philosopher and scientist, Claymont was purchased by Bennett's non profit. Today, The Claymont Society for Continuous Education continues as a non-profit focused on lifelong learning and principles of sustainability.