The History of Our Historic House
Our house is located in the national historic district of the
village of Waterford Virginia. The house was built in 1861 by
Robert W. Thomas a Waterford blacksmith who also ran the Waterford
Hotel. He and his wife had eight children. Unfortunately his
luck was bad, and his house was confiscated by the Confederacy
and used as a hospital with household members caring for the
sick. Waterford
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The property was sold after the war for $700. The new owner,
Samuel Steer, had rented the house during the war, when he moved
his family from the country for safety. During the war, his daughter,
Sarah, co-editied the fervently pro-Union Waterford
News with
her young neighbors, Lida and Lizzie Dutton. Later, Sarah Ann
Steer was the first teacher at the new
school for black children just down Second Street.
The house has its original metal roof as well as its original
wood siding. It uses balloon
framing which was the new way of constructing homes starting
in the 1830's.
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