Huntley: A Mason Family Country House

FAIRFAX COUNTY VIRGINIA HUNTLEY SITE LOCATION

By Tony P. Wrenn
Published by the Fairfax County Division of Planning under the direction of the County Board of Supervisors in cooperation with the County History Commission Fairfax, Virginia November 1971

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 76-183058 Typography by ARVA Printers, Inc. Printing by ARVA Printers, Inc. Additional copies available for $1.50 from Administrative Services, Massey Building




I first visited Huntley in May, 1969 in the company of Edith Sprouse, Joyce Wilkinson, and Tony Wrenn. Neither I nor anyone else on the staff of the Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission had ever seen or heard of the house, and my Fairfax guides were anxious that their discovery be brought to our attention. Having assumed that anything of interest in that section of Fairfax County had long been swept away for housing developments, I was in no way prepared when suddenly we rounded a corner and looked up to see a curious geometric structure sitting placidly among its outbuildings against a wooded hillside, aloof from its plebian neighbors. A quick scanning of composition and details dissipated any skepticism I may have had: here, on the outskirts of the capital city was a genuine Federal villa!
After being graciously escorted throughout the house by the owners, we all agreed that Huntley was, without question, one of Virginia's undiscovered architectural treasures. Since next to nothing was known either of its history or the development of its design, we concluded that the house deserved the most detailed study. All assumed that a house of such intriguing individuality had to have a story behind it.