My Loudoun County Home: Egypt Farm

                                 

Above: The Farmhouse in 2014 

I lived in this house from 1995-1998 as a teenager

Me on the Farm in 1997 

UPDATE: I have retracted information regarding a certain situation with the previous owners of this dwelling, Mr. Hottel.  As far as the original date of the house, it is unknown, but I believe it to be 1904, because it was verified by a descendant of the original builder.

If there ever was a place that would be the perfect setting for a movie, this would be it. I spent most of my teen aged years on this old farmhouse located near the small village of Philomont, Virginia, just 7 miles north of Middleburg. You'll notice that I keep a picture of this farmhouse on the title of this blog. That's because it holds a very special memory  to me. The farmhouse was built in 1904 by a Mr Luck , as a wedding present for his wife. The sprawling Victorian farmhouse included 5 bedrooms (with servants quarters),  as well as a dining room, a large foyer and living room area, an office space on the first floor, a large Attic, and a grand kitchen. It also had several porches which swept the facade and sides of the house. There were several outbuildings as well. We kept our horses down at the old dairy barn and Silo across the meadow. The encroaching "D.C. suburbs" have not yet reached this place, but I was saddened to learn that the land was divided and sold up into parcels. My biggest fear is that the house will soon be torn down. The house now sits on 56 acres. Originally it was over 500 acres of pristine farmland, which included crops such as wheat, barley, and soy beans. I remember as a young teenager riding my mare up through  goose creek and around the vast countryside towards J.E.B Stuart road. Some times I would pass by farmers on their tractors, and they would wave to me. My horse wasn't afraid of tractors, but she hated umbrellas and thunderstorms.

I used to sing into this Silo 


The farm was once owned by the Hottel family.   They were a farm family with deep roots in the Purcellville area. They lived there for a few generations.  The youngest Mister Joseph  Hottel ran the farm in the area  until 1989 when moved north to Frederick, Maryland.  His brother owned a farm across the street on Watermill Rd. Egypt Farm was vacant for a few years. The farm was later sold to a Dr Gable, and we rented out the property during the mid to late 1990s.  One day, a huge hot air balloon landed in our front yard. It belonged to the other  Mister Hottel. He let us have a bottle of champagne afterwards.  There used to be a handyman who lived on the property. His name was Wayne Hammans. He died tragically  in a bush hogging accident in 1997. I remember going to his funeral. His dog "Max" had died just two weeks earlier, after getting into some anti freeze. Mr Wayne Hammans was a very nice older man. But the new neighbors that moved into his old trailer afterwards were the epitome of peckerwoods. We used to talk to "Wanda" at the Philomont General Store. She would always tell us stories about actor Robert Duvall and when he lived in the area. In 1998, I had finished high school and the Northern Virginia area was getting too expensive. Since the lease was up, we moved shortly after that and headed to the bright lights of Richmond.

The house is located at the foot of the Catoctin mountains to one side, and blue ridge mountains on the other. It sits high on a hill. I could see the mountains from my bedroom window. It was really a beautiful place. During the winter months, I remember the wind rattling through the kitchen . We had a coal furnace, and it was hard to keep such a large place warm, I used to  shovel coal into the basement. In the winter time I could see clear  across the meadow to the Dairy Barn and Silo where I kept the horses. Some times our horses would escape and come up to the front of the house to graze on the front lawn. We would pick up our mail at the General Store, and chat with the locals. . I miss the old place. I hope they do not tear it down and turn it into a bedroom community for D.C. transplants. The last time I visited the property was back in 2008. Then it was being rented out .  I have no idea what will happen to the house, but I am hoping to get it registered as a national historical landmark!