Belmont Manor House - History

History

The plantation has been visited by many notable figures in history including President James Madison in 1812. The President was said to use the plantation as a safe haven throughout the War of 1812 after the British attacked Washington, D.C. Another figure who visited the plantation was General and diplomat La Fayette, who came to the Manor home to visit Ludwell Lee in 1825.

The Manor home is located at the highest point in eastern Loudoun County, with views of the surrounding hills and mountain ranges of the approaches to the nearby town of Leesburg, Virginia and the Blue Ridge Mountains.

In 1836 Margaret Mercer purchased the Belmont home from Lee; she intended to adapt it as a women's Christian school. Afterward the home was bought by Kansas governor Frederick Staunton and the McLean family. The McLean family is notable as the owners of the Hope Diamond.

In 1915, Edward B. McLean, son of the publisher of the Washington Post. acquired the property and built a horse stable and training track for Thoroughbreds. McLean dispersed his bloodstock in June 1931 and in December the estate was sold to Patrick J. Hurley and his wife. Hurley is notable as the Secretary of War under President Herbert Hoover. In 1963, the IBM Corporation bought the property and adapted it as their management retreat center. By the late 1980s, the house had fallen into grave disrepair and required major renovation, with extensive damage to the inside.

In 1995, Toll Brothers, Inc. purchased the property to build a golf community gated community around it, while using the renovated Manor home as a clubhouse. It received an extensive addition to incorporate restaurants and the club house, all within the overall architectural theme and style of the original home. Within the original home, despite the damage sustained from neglect, various bas relief artworks and plasterwork remained in place. The house was restored to its original quality.