The Peter Burr House is the oldest standing wood frame structure in the state of West Virginia. It
was the home of a prominent early settler in this region and it a rare surviving example of an early
settlement period family homestead.
The housewas constructed by Peter Burr I in what was then Frederick County, Virginia, between
1751 and 1755. This is only 20 years after Morgan Morgan, the first white settler in what is now
West, arrived and built his house in what is now Berkeley County, West Virginia. The Peter Burr
House is one of a small number of structures, fewer than a dozen, that survive from the pre-1760
settlement period.
In Jefferson County, West Virginia, there are only five structures extant that pre-date the Peter
Burr House. One of those does so by only a year, and nearly all five are stone structures rather
than wood.
The older section of the Peter Burr House was constructed by Peter Burr I (1699-1777), who
arrived in the area in the late 1740's and obtained two land grants in 1751. His original intentions
are not know, but he built the house, probably using craftsmen from Connecticut who were
experienced in sophisticated post and beam construction.
According to family tradition, Peter Burr II (1727-1793) had been left in Connecticut to find a
wife. As months went by, the father became frustrated and set off for Connecticut to find his son,
meeting him at Packlhorse Ford, near Shepherdstown, with his new bride.
Peter Burr I did not settle in present day Jefferson County. He returned to Connecticut where he
died in 1777. The head of a large household, Peter Burr I may have decided not to risk migration
to this area. At the time, Jefferson County was still considered to be frontier and was subject to
Indian attacks during the French and Indian War. By the time of Peter Burr I's death, ownership
of the land had passed to Peter II.
The Burrs were a prominent family of the time. Peter Burr I was the only brother of Aaron Burr,
Sr., who was the first president of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) and
father of Aaron Burr, Jr., U.S. Senator and 3rd Vice President of the United States
(1801-1805). Peter Burr II was, then, a first cousin of Vice President Aaron Burr.
The Burr family and the house provide an interesting counterpoint to the more familiar events in
Jefferson County's early history. The Burrs were Presbyterian, not Church of England, and Peter
II did not hold any local offices, possibly because his religion made him ineligible. He was a
yeoman farmer who owned no slaves, while many of his neighbors owned large plantations and
the slaves needed to work them.
Burr's house is located near Traveler's Rest, the home of General Horatio Gates; Prato Rio, the
home of General Charles Lee, is just a few miles away. General Adam Stephen owned property
adjacent to one of Burr's grants. Gates, Lee, and Aaron Burr were all involved in efforts to
remove General George Washington from command during the American Revolution.
Washington relieved Gates, Stephen, and Lee of their commands. The son of one of Burr's
neighbors represented Aaron Burr at his treason trial. Although no specific evidence has yet been
found, these associations suggest that Peter Burr and his neighbors may have been at odds
Washington family members who dominated the political, economic, and social arena of the time.
Peter Burr II was twice married. By his first wife, Mary Stewart, he had six daughters and one
son, Peter Burr. By his second wife, Jane Calhoun of Pennsylvania, he had three daughters and
three sons, James, Moses and William. His descendants, many of whom still live in the region,
have consistently played prominent roles in Jefferson County political, economic, and social life.
After Peter Burr II's death in 1793 the house was inherited by his son Peter Burr III, who
emigrated to Ohio in 1798. The son became Clerk of the Supreme Court of Ohio. Peter Burr III
sold the house to William Lyne, Jr. Lyne (who was the maternal grandfather of U.S. Congressman
and Postmaster General William Lyne Wilson). Lyne sold the property in 1804 to David Moore,
who probably built the second section of the house that year. The house passed back into the Burr
family hands in 1878 with its purchase by John & Emma McGarry, both of whom were
descendants of Peter Burr. The house was later acquired by the Jefferson County Development
Authority. Ownership was transferred to the Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission in
1997.
The Peter Burr House is, therefore, highly significant as one of West Virginia's oldest extant
structures and as a very early representative example of the family homestead in mid-18th century
Virginia.
