When a homeowner makes the effort to match their carriage house practically brick-for-brick to George Washington’s at Mount Vernon, you can bet that the main house will be something really special.
Such is the case at Corban, William and Peggy Wyatt’s property on the Clay Bank area of Gloucester. Corban, an operational farm, is located on Jones Creek with easy access to the York River. As early as the 19th century, the creek was used as a shipping point for merchants to trade their locally farmed produce for goods brought in by steamboat from larger cities.
The Wyatts acquired the historic 52 acres on the Peninsula in 1970 and began building their dream house. It started as a more modestly sized home, and over many years and many seamless additions, the couple ended up constructing a stunning 8,114 square foot, six bedroom, six bathroom Colonial, set up for privacy and comfort.
The house isn’t like any you’d find built today. “We are trying to blend the past into the present,” William said. They researched historic homes to help guide their decisions, which is evident the moment you walk through the front door.
“In Washington’s house at Mount Vernon, visitors didn’t go straight into the home, they stopped in a receiving room,” William said. They incorporated the same type of receiving room into the Wyatt home’s design.
They also emulated their kitchen fireplace, one of eight fireplaces in the house, after the one in Patrick Henry’s last home before he passed away. Artwork of Patrick Henry’s home hangs next to the fireplace as an homage.
The real show-stopper is the carriage house outside, built to look identical to George Washington’s at Mount Vernon, complete with an antique carriage parked out front.
History-rich materials were integrated into the space. The wood floor on the first level, which features unique walnut pegs instead of nails, was sourced from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Much of the lighting was purchased at antique shops, and brick was salvaged from around the Peninsula for flooring.
Since the goal was to blend the old and new, they incorporated all the modern comforts of home – plus a few extras. An outdoor kitchen contains refrigeration, a sink, grill, fireplace, and even a remote-controlled electric sun shade. The fireplaces upstairs were fitted with gas, to spare the occupant from hauling logs up and down the stairs. Six HVAC zones keep every square inch comfy year-round.
As one would expect, the décor was just as thoughtful as the architecture. The Wyatts worked with two designers over the years and filled the home with unique finds, period pieces, and nods to America’s history, like a mahogany tea table and artwork of some of the country’s Founding Fathers. A vintage steamer trunk in one of the guest rooms came from an old hotel in Gloucester and a bar in a living space was salvaged from The Jefferson in Richmond.
“A lot of it has no meaning to everyone else,” William said. “But it means something to me.”
To learn more about the home, click here.
Where We Live is a weekly feature looking at homes in the Historic Triangle. Do you have a home, on or off the market, that our readers may be interested in seeing? Let us know at [email protected].
