VA-E96 Huntley

Marker text: HUNTLEY

On the hill above stands Huntley, a Federal-style villa built about 1825 for Thomas F. Mason, a grandson of George Mason of Gunston Hall. Thomas Mason, a prominent Alexandria lawyer, served on the city council, as mayor, and also as president of both the Little River Turnpike and Alexandria Canal companies. The thousand-acre Huntley property stretched across the valley below. Remaining dependencies include a subterranean icehouse with a vaulted ceiling, and a combination privy and storage building. The author of Huntley's unusual design remains unknown, but the house has been attributed to Benjamin H. Latrobe or George Hadfield, two notable early architects.

Department of Historic Resources, 1994.