Old Stone House - Washington, DC
N 38° 54.319 W 077° 03.624
18S E 321340 N 4308287
The Old Stone House, built in 1765, is located in the Georgetown area of Washington, D.C.
Waymark Code: WMBWMA
Location: District of Columbia, United States
Date Posted: 06/28/2011
Views: 9
"The Old Stone House, located at 3051 M Street in Georgetown, was built in 1765, making it the oldest standing building in Washington, DC. The exterior of the house is constructed of locally quarried blue granite. The house was built by Christopher Layman, a cabinetmaker by trade, as both a residence and a shop. Layman died shortly after constructing the house. It was sold to Cassandra Chew who added a wing to the rear of the house in 1767. The street (then called Bridge Street) was a main thoroughfare for road traffic from the Western frontier and paralleled the canal into Georgetown. The house has been used throughout its history as a residence or residence/shop, until it was purchased in 1953 by the U.S. Government. Although there have been attempts to prove that the Old Stone House was either George Washington's Engineering Headquarters and/or Suters Tavern, neither theory has been substantiated. The house is a good surviving example of pre-Revolutionary American vernacular architecture."
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"The Old Stone House is the oldest standing building in Washington, D.C., United States. The house is also Washington's last Pre-Revolutionary Colonial building on its original foundation. Built in 1765, Old Stone House is located at 3051 M Street, Northwest in the Georgetown neighborhood. Unlike many Colonial homes in the area, sentimental local folklore preserved the Old Stone House from being demolished.
The Old Stone House was constructed in three phases during the 18th century and is an example of vernacular architecture. During its history, the house was started as a one-story building and gradually become a used car dealership in its later life. After a renovation by the National Park Service (NPS) in the 1950s, the Old Stone House was turned into a house museum. The Old Stone House stands among the neighborhood's stores and restaurants as an example of local history for tourists, shoppers, and students. The building, valued at over $7 million, is part of the Rock Creek Parkway urban natural area and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The Old Stone House is also a contributing property to the Georgetown Historic District, a National Historic Landmark. Today, the home is 85% original to its 18th century construction."
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The Old Stone House (3051 M Street NW) was built in 1765 by Christopher and Rachel Layman. The house was sold in 1767 to a wealthy widow, Cassandra Chew, who constructed a kitchen in the rear in 1767, and a second floor between 1767 and 1775, and a third floor in the 1790s. It remained in private hands for almost two centuries, used as a home and place of business, until the federal government purchased it in 1953. An exceptionally large number of spirits, residents and visitors claim, inhabit the small house. These include: A woman in a brown dress standing near the fireplace, a heavy-set woman standing on the staircase and also in the kitchen, a man with long blond hair and wearing a blue jacket, a man wearing short pants and long stockings, a woman in a rocking chair on the third floor, a small boy who runs down the third floor hallway, a man dressed in Colonial-era clothing standing in the master bedroom, a man dressed in Colonial-era clothing seen on the second floor, a young girl with curly hair running up and down the staircase, an African American boy, and a German-looking craftsman. The laughter of invisible children and the translucent images of women cooking in the kitchen have also been observed. The Old Stone House may also contain one of Washington's only malevolent spirits, nicknamed "George," who has choked and pushed visitors and whose presence (often indicated by an extremely cold spot) leaves witnesses with an intense feeling of dread. The hauntings at the Old Stone House are so well-known that they were mentioned in Sandi Wilson's short crime story, "The Blonde in Black.""
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