Brick House Photobook PDF

Brick House Over
The Years
Maeve Magner

Brick house before Foxcroft:
The origin
Photograph taken circa 1930
While there are a variety of origin stories of the old brick
house, it was most likely built in 1820 under the supervision of William
Benton, who is well known for his work all around Middleburg.
An interesting fact about the bricks used for Brick House is
that they were baked just around the corner at a building known as
Pot House, which is a English term signifying a pottery or brick kiln.
The family who originally lived in Brick House was the Kyle family.
They stayed in the property until the death of some of the family
members, resulting in the sale of the property on April 20, 1839.

Photograph taken November 19, 2020 by Maeve Magner
The property was sold to William Leith who named the property
Locust Lawn. Leith had two sons, James W. and Theodoric P., who
took over the land once they returned from war. Then in 1873 Tim
Leith purchased Locust Lawn from his dying father for one dollar.
Shortly after, in 1900, he sold the property to W. T. Folgers and his
wife for $5,096. Then by 1910 the property was sold once again to George
Innus Hartly who sold it only 5 years later to Charlotte Noland on March
31, 1915 for a grand total of $36,000 and a total acreage of 256.351 acres.

Brick house:
The Foxcroft Years
Photograph taken in 1914
“When Charlotte Haxall Noland had her vision of starting a school
for girls (in 1914), she was fortunate in acquiring a 262-acre property,
Locust Lawn from Major George Inness Hartley for $28,000. This consisted
of the Brick House, Orchard and the stable, and she renamed it Foxcroft.
For a number of years, Miss Charlotte lived over her office in
the Brick House, then she purchased Covert from a neighbor, Mrs.
Adelaide Massey, and moved in.”
Taken from “The Past is Present”

Photograph taken November 16, 2020 by Maeve Magner
Photograph taken November 19, 2020 by Maeve Magner
Only a few short years after acquiring the property, an
addition was built onto the Brick House. This expansion still
stands today and houses the school’s cafeteria as well as a number
of offices for faculty and the technology department. In
addition, the room on top of Brick House, where Miss Charlotte
lived, is still used to house faculty.

Location and Local Legends
“Foxcroft lies in the center
of the Piedmont Valley, in Loudoun
County, between the Blue Ridge and
Bull Run Mountains. It is four miles
from the picturesque and historic
Middleburg. The old brick house
is built in the Georgian style, and
is said to be the first brick mansion
ever erected in Loudoun County. Its
exterior, covered with an ivy mantle
of green, has been remodeled without
taking away the old mantelpieces
of unique design and many of
the floors that were laid more than
200 years ago.”
Photograph taken circa 1830
Taken from “Homes and Gardens in
Old Virginia” - 1950

Photograph taken November 19, 2020 by Maeve Magner
Like with many old buildings, Brick House has survived
alongside a number of local legends and ghost stories.
Some say that Thomas Jefferson actually designed Brick
House, while others believe that George Washington’s parents met
during a ball that was being held at Brick House.
Although residents will confidently say that these are all true,
they remain local legends. But a true story is that of Ms. Kyle.

The Story of Ms. Kyle
Photograph taken November 19, 2020 by Maeve Magner
One of the most well known Foxcroft legends is the story of Ms. Kyle.
“Ms. Kyle lost her mind after the birth of one of her children and that for
a long time there after she was enchained in the garret of the old house
until, during the absence of her husband on a journey, she freed herself,
and fell to her death down the stairs.” (Legends of Loudoun, p. 173)
After Ms. Charlotte acquired the property she used to say that she
could feel Ms. Kyle’s presence and people even asked her where she was buried.
One day Ms. Charlotte decided to dig her up. So Ms. Charlotte, along
with some students, dug up the old grave and found Ms. Kyle, however
when they found her she had a bullet wound in her skull. Ms. Charllotte
concluded that Ms. Kyle, rather than falling down the stairs, had been shot.

Brick House
Then and Now

1916

2020

Circa 1930

2020

Circa 1930

2020

1919

2020

I want to thank everyone who has helped
make this project possible.
Special Thanks To
Ms. Fisher- Thank you for being such an amazing
photography teacher and supporting me through
all of my projects.
Ms. Boudrye- Thank you for allowing me access
to the archives in order to create a historically
accurate representation of Brick House.
Ms Pheiffer- Thank you for all of your advice and
feedback throughout each of my projects.
Mary and Brendan Magner- Thank you for
supporting me throughout the project.