-
NM Fan, lOm0
crq
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Sewke
yational Register of Historic Places
Inventory-Nomination Form
See instructions in How to Complete National Register
Forms
Type all entrles-complete applicable sections
/ I
1. Name
-
historic
and/orcOIImOn John Brown IIan~ingS i t e
2. Location
city, town
Charles T o m
state
West Virginia
-vicinity of
code
-
N / L not for publkatlon
s t m t & number 515 South Sa~nuelStreet
54
county
037
Jefferson
3. Classification
Ownership
public
K building(s)
private
,
,
both
nu
rt;;;:
Public Acquisition
in process
-object
being considered
Category
-district
+
Present Use
Status
-agriculture
18occupied
-unoccupied
-commercial
w o r k in progress
Accessible
yes: restricted
-yes: unrestricted
-no
-military
-educational
-entertainment
-government
-industrial
-museum
-park
2- private raddencs
-religious
-scientffic
-transportation
-other:
4. Owner o f Property
K2tional Trust for Ristoric Preservation, 1785 Massachusetts Avenue. N.W.
name
stmt
n u m b r Mid-Atlzntic Off f c e , 1600 H Street, N.W.
city, town
Vashirzgton
-vicinity of
20006
,tate
D.C.
Sfate
West Virninia
5. Location of Leqal Description
courthouse, registry of deeds, etc.
Jefferson Countv Courthous~
street & number
Washington and Georae Streets
city, town
Charles Town
6. Representation in Existing Surveys
title
N/ A
has this property been determined eligible?
f
-federal -state -county -local
date
depositow for survev records
-
.
--
city, town
-yes X no
7. Description
Condition
X excellent
good
f a i r
!
r
Chbtk one
& unaltered
altered
-deteriorated
-ruins
-unexposed
q
.
Iir
heck one
original site
m o v e d
date
Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance
-
The Gibson-Todd House s t a n d s on t h e southern p o r t i o n of a l a r g e , t r e e shaded l o t a t 515 South Samuel S t r e e t i n t h e c e n t e r of Charles Town's p r i n c i p d
r e s i d e n t i a l neighborhood. The commodious and well-preserved V i c t o r i a n r e s i dence, b u i l t i n 1891, i s approached by a paved curving walkway t h a t begins
a t t h e g a t e of a wrought i r o n fence t h a t s k i r t s t h e house l o t along t h e sidewalk on South Samuel S t r e e t t o t h e w e s t and on &st Hunter S t r e e t t o t h e north.
(The Gibson-Todd house l o t i s a t t h e southeast corner of South Samuel S t r e e t
and E a s t Hunter S t r e e t ) . The fence, w i t h two h o r i z o n t a l channel b a r s and
p i c k e t s and l i n e p o s t s of wrought i r o n follows a simple design p a t t e r n t h a t
c o p i e s t h e g e n e r a l l i n e s of a previous wooden p i c k e t fence. To t h e n o r t h e a s t
of t h e house i s a small, 2-story barn whose gables are sheathed i n imbricated .
wooden s h i n g l e s . The s u b s i d i a r y b u i l d i n g ' s roof r i d g e i s capped w i t h a small
cupola.
The Gibson-Todd House i s a n 18-room, 2%-story red b r i c k s t r u c t u r e t h a t
f o l l o w s d e s i g n precedents of l a t e -19th-century eclecticism. Dominant i n t h e
i r r e g u l a r massing and p r o j e c t i n g above t h e complex slate-covered roof of h i p s
and multiljke gables, is a c o l o s s a l 3-story round tower i n t h e Norman s t y l e .
The r i c h b r i c k c o r b e l i n g of t h e tower's c o r n i c e and f r i e z e echo t h e common
b i l l e t moldings of Norman and Romanesque a r c h i t e c t u r e
The c o n i c a l tgwer
roof i s adorned w i t h a handsome cast metal urn f i n i a l . Gable coping i s c a s t
o r pressed metal simulating stone. Ponrmel-like metal ornaments (waterboxes?)
e m b e l l i s h t h e p a r a p e t s of t h e house a t t h e j u n c t i o n of t h e v a l l e y s . Ridge
c r e s t i n g i s a n o t h e r metal f e a t u r e of t h e s t r u c t u r e ' s r o o f s . Imposing
chimneys a t g a b l e ends are deeply paneled and enriched w i t h c o r b e l i n g . With
t h e exception of g a b l e windows which a r e sometimes paired and round-topped,
t h e remaining windows a r e segmental, doublehung, and f e a t u r e upper s a s h e s
w i t h b o r d e r s of small square l i g h t s i n t h e Queen Anne s t y l e . The i n t e r i o r
s h u t t e r s (paneled b l i n d s ) a r e i n p l a c e and a r e f u l l y f u n c t i o n a l .
.
Among t h e b e s t preserved e x t e r i o r f e a t u r e s i s t h e expansive entrance
veranda. Its paired, turned columns c a r r y a roof whose eaves a r e ornamented
w i t h a d e n t i 1 rowand a s c r e e n of turned spindels. The t r i m , i n c l u d i n g t h e
e d i f i c e ' s wooden and m e t a l appointments, a r e painted i n a l i g h t o r earth-tone
brown.
-
-
8. Significance
Period
-prehistoric
) -1400-1499
-1500-1599
-1600-1699
-1700-1 799
3-1800-1899
-1900Speific data8
Areas of Significanco-Check and justify betow
community planning
landscape a r c h i t e c t u r e religion
scfence
conservation
law
economics
Iiterature
sculpture
agriculture
-education
-military
sociaV
1L architecture
humanitarian
engineering
music
art
explorat~onisetttement
philosophy
theater
commerce
tranrportation
Industry
& politics/govemmant
-communications
Invention
Other (sPecW)
-archeology-prehistoric
-archeology-historic
-
1859. 1891
-
-
-
-
-
BuiIderlArchitect
nomas
A ~
-
-
-
-
-
d
c a w r g
~ atr u
t ect
Statement of Slgnificancm (in o m paragraph)
The Gibson-Todd House, l o c a t e d a t 515 South Samuel S t r e e t i n C h a r l e s
Town, J e f f e r s o n County, West V i r g i n i a i s s i g n i f i c a n t as t h e home of
John Gibson, a n i n d f v i d u a l prominent n t h e a n n a l s of J e f f e r s o n County, and
It is e q u a l l y s i n g i f i c a n t a s t h e
o t h e r prominent members of h i s - f a m i l
s i t e of t h e hanging
the famed a b o l i t i o n i s t John Brown, an e v e n t o f . t r a n s c e n d e n t
n a t i o n a l s i g n i f i c a n c e , and s a s i g n i f i c a n t example of V i c t o r i a n r e s i d e n t i a l
a r c h i t e c t u r e i n C h a r l e s Town4
,
3.
03
.
FXPLANATORY NOTES
)
'
1.
John Thomas Gibson (1825-1904) who b u i l t t h e f i n e V i c t o r i a n r e s i d e n c e
on South Samuel S t r e e t i n Charles Town, was a n i n d i v i d u a l who played a n imp o r t a n t p a r t i n J e f f e r s o n County and Virginia/West V i r g i n i a a f f a i r s throughout
h i s e n t i r e a d u l t l i f e . Gibson f i r s t e n t e r e d p u b l i c l i f e i n 1851 when h e w a s
e l e c t e d t o r e p r e s e n t J e f f e r s o n County i n t h e V i r g i n i a House of Delegates,
s e r v i n g from 1851 t o 1853. I n t h e c r i t i c a l e l e c t i o n of 1859, t h e l a s t one
b e f o r e t h e opening of t h e C i v i l War, h e was z g z i n e l e c t e d t o t h e V i r g i n i a House
of Delegates, s e r v i n g i n t h e s e s s i o n t h a t took V i r g i n i a o u t of t h e Union i n 1861.
I n t h e y e a r of h i s second e l e c t i o n t o t h e l e g i s l a t u r e , Janes T. Gibson played
a prominent r o l e i n one o f , i f n o t t h e most, profound e v e n t s i n J e f f e r s o n County
a n n a l s ; t h e r a i d of a b o l i t i o n i s t John Brown upon t h e F e d e r d a m q r ~ a f E a r p e r s
F e r r y . Gibson w a s t h e commanding c o l o n e l of t h e county"s c o n t i n g e n t of t h e
V i r g i n i a H i l i t f a . The " J e f f e r s o n Guards of Charles Town", under Gibson's
command, w e r e t h e f i r s t t r o o p s t o a r r i v e on t h e scene a t Harpers F e r r y and
Gibson l e d t h e f i r s t armed c l a s h w i t h Brown and his men. A t Brown's hanging
i n December of 1859, Colonel Gibson l e d t h e f o r c e of V i r g i n i a M i l i t i a p r e s e n t
t o keep o r d e r . I n r e c o g n i t i o n of t h e s e s e r v i c e s , Gibson r e c e i v e d a n o r i g i n a l
copy of John Brown's "Chatham Constitution1' ( h i s p l a n of government i f t h e r a i d
had been s u c c e s s f u l ) a s w e l l a s t h e t a b l e upon which Brown's d e a t h w a r r a n t was
signed. Both of t h e s e items a r e i n t h e Gibson-Todd House.
Gibson served a s a n o f f i c e r i n t h e Army of Northern V i r g i n i a , C.S.A.,
throughout t h e C i v i l War, f i g h t i n g t o t h e b i t t e r end. H e was paroled a t
Appomattox Court House a f t e r General ~ e e ' ss u r r e n d e r . A f t e r t h e w a r , Gibson
r e t u r n e d t o J e f f e r s o n County where he subsequently served a s mayor of Charles
Town and as a member of t h e J e f f e r s o n County Commission. H e b u i l t h i s f i n e
r e s i d e n c e i n 1891 on t h e s i t e of John ~ r o w n ' s hanging over t h i r t y y e a r s before.
John T. Gibson d i e d a t t h i s home i n 1904. His son, Braxton D. Gibson, served
i n t h e West V ' i r g i n i a ~
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Na'rional Register of W i s t o r i ~Places
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9 . .
G,ibson-Todd House, Charles Town, J e f f e r s o n Co , West ~ i r g i n i a
Con!Irua,:cn s?,-t
ltsm n c i i t e 8
'
'--
mP
2
married William Bainbridge P a c k e t t e , a great-grand nephew of President
George Washington. Their o n l y c h i l d , Frances P a c k e t t e , was m a r r i e d i n 1925t o Augustine J. Todd and t h e r e c e p t i o n was h e l d a t t h e house, which t h e Todd's
e v e n t u a l l y i n h e r i t e d and used as a weekend home f o r many y e a r s . R e c e n t l y ,
Mrs. Todd, a widow, donated t h e b u i l d i n g t o t h e National T r u s t for H i s t o r i c
Preservation i n order t o insure its future.
2.
The s i t e on which t h e Gibson-Todd House was c o n s t r u c t e d in 1891 is
t h e same s i t e where, on December 2, 1859, famed a b o l i t i o n i s t John Brown was
hanged f o r murder and t r e a s o n . This overwhelmingly h i s t o r i c eveat is extremely w e l l documented i n many o t h e r s o u r c e s , so s u f f i c e i t ta say t h a t this
event, along w i t h t h e e v e n t s that l e d up t o Brown's t r a g i c ending, are
considered t o b e a d i r e c t c a u s e of t h e o u t b r e a k of t h e C i v i l War. Among .
t h o s e p r e s e n t a t t h e hanging were a number of i n d i v i d u a l s who t h e coming war
was t o r a i s e t o fame o r n o t o r i e t y ; f u t u r e Confederate g e n e r a l s Thomas J.
"Stonewall" Jackson, John McCausland and J.E .B. S t u a r t , and t h e a s s a s s i n 6f
Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth. When t h e o l d J e f f e r s o n County J a i l where Brown
had been i n c a r c e r a t e d was demolished, John Gibson obtained s t o n e s from t h e
s
b u i l d i n g and used them t o b u i l d a monument, s t i l l t o be seen,to ~ r o w n ~hanging
on t h e grounds of t h e property.
3.
The Gibson-Todd House i s s i g n i f i c a n t as a n i n t a c t example of l a t e
1 9 t h c e n t u r y a r c h i t e c t u r e following e c l e c t i c d e s i g n princippfl$Yfavored by
many a r c h i t e c t s and b u i l d e r s of t h e p e r i o d . A s a s m a l l town r e s i d e n c e i t
s t a n d s a p a r t i n i t s q u i e t neighborhood s e t t i n g from t h e frame house t y p e s of
o t h e r p e r i o d s . S t y l i s t i c a l l y , t h e r e d b r i c k house i n c o r p o r a t e s s t y l e elements
from t h e Norman, Romanesque and Queen Anne modes. Dominant i n t h i s r e p e r t o i r
i s t h e 3-story tower w i t h i t s slate-covered c o n i c a l cap and m e d i e v a l i s t i c
corbded b r i c k c o r n i c e and f r i e z e . E x t e r i o r turned millwork and cast o r
p r e s s e d m e t a l ornaments blend w i t h unpainted r e d b r i c k f a c a d e s b e h i n d c o a t s of
earth-tone brown p a i n t .
A r c h i t e c t Thomas A. M u l l e t t (1862-1935), t h e son of famed a r c h i t e c t
A l f r e d B, M u l l e t t , designed t h e Gibson-Tood House. M u l l e t t was a c t i v e i n the-.
Charles Town community i n t h e l a t e 1 9 t h c e n t u r y where his p l a n s w e r e used f o r
t h e Charles Town Opera House and t h e Charles Town J a i l .
9. Major Bibiioqraphical References
Bushong, M i l l a r d K., H i s t o r i c J e f f e r s o n County, Boyce, Va., Carr Publishing Co., 1973.
Charleston Daily Mail, "Bygone Era Endures i n V i c t o r i a n Charles Town Bouse" by
Grif f i t h , Charleston, W.Va., November 25, 1982.
)
Martinsburg J o u r n a l , ''Where H e Hanged" by Cindy Decker, Martinsburg, W.Va., October 1 9 ,
I YX/.
10. Geosra~hicalData
parcel at the
Of
( i n t e r s e c t i o n o f ) S. Samuel St., and E. Hunter St., bounded t o the w e s t by S. S
d St.,
t o t h e n o r t h by E. Hunter St., t o t h e east by a c i t y a l l e y and t o t h e south'by a 'chain
l i n k fence. Verbal boundary description and Justification A
List all states and counties tor proporties overlapping state or county boundarks
N/A
state
.
-.
code
county
-.
coda
countv
code
c
15:
\ state
-
1I. Form Prenared BY
.
--
Rodriey S. C o l l i n s , A r c h i t e c t u r a l H i s t o r i a n and Michael J.-aP
' H i s t o r i c P r e s e r v a t i o n Unit
organization
W.Va. Dept. of C u l t u r e and H i s t o r y
d*
J
~ 8.
P 1983
. .
The C u l t u r a l Center
..
...--.
street & number C a p i t o l Complex
telephone 304/348-0240
,
,
. ,..
.. .
city or town
Charleston
state
West ~ i r g i x i i a'25305"
nameltitfe
.
9 2. State Historic Preservation Officer Certification
The evaluated significance of this property within the state Is:
national
state
-local
- $ , .
As the designated State Historic Preservation Officer for the National Historic Preservation Act of-1966 (PUblk Law 84665), 1 hereby nominate this prowrty tor inclusion in the National Register and certify that it has been eWuat%ct
according tothe criteria andVproce&res set forth by the
State Historic Preservation Officer signature
/
Utte
S t a t e H i s t o r i c P r e s e r v a t i o n Off ice*
/
/
/
t
d
d Jvlv 10. 1983
#9
Major Bibliographical References
Norris, J.E., ed., H i s t o q of the Lower Shenandoah Valley,
Chicago, I l l . , A. Warner & Co.., 1890.
Oates, Stephen B., 2 Purge ---his-tand With Blood: A Biography
o
f
John
Brown
New
York,
Harper
&
Row,
1970.
.
9West Virginia: ---A Guide t o the Mountain S t a t e , Ndw York, Oxford
University Press, (Writers Project, W.P.A.), 1941.
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