The Danforth Brown Residence is a nearly Brooke County home along Washington Pike one mile east of Wellsburg, West Virginia. The home was built just as the turnpike from Washington, PA, to Wellsburg was laidout in 1822. The house is of frame and brick construction with some details from the later part of the nineteenth century, postdating a fire in the 1870's. Today the home would be considered Italianate in character. The original springhouse contributes to the property and rests at the southeast corner of the property.
The Brown home sits on a high bluff on the north side of Washington Pike. There is fieldsone wall, constructed in the dry-wall method, acting as a retaining wall across the front property line with a center set of concrete steps. The original land grant once had over 300 acres but the plat for the Brown House has been reduced to one acre around the farmhouse. The driveway to the property is along the west property line until it bends to the east to the rear garge bays.
The front or south facade has five bays and is beveled clapboard. The house is an I-house form with two stories, a center hall with a room to each side and end chimneys on the gable roof. The rear ell is of brick with a tan mortar. The center door has a large pane of glass with panels below. All window openings on the frame section of the house have a pedimented window hoods and a 2/2/ double-hung opening. There is a center shed roof porch with four turned support posts and two back pilasters. There is scrollwork in the corners made by the supports. The porch has a wooden deck with sandstone pier supports...
The Brown residence is recognized locally as an early Brooke County farmhouse built at the time when the new Washington Pike was opening the area for development. While the main core of the house and foundation is the early 1823 home, later additions after the fire in the 1870's changed the appearance of the home to Italianate. This is mainly reflected on the exterior by the segmental and Italianate window hoods and door openings.
The house appears to be in good condition and continues to serve as a private residence.