At the heart of the estate stands a 6,332-square-foot mansion. Constructed in 1780, Happy Retreat is the focal point of a unique assemblage of seven surviving Washington Family homes, one of 40 sites to be located along the 132-mile Washington Heritage Trail.

In 2015, the nonprofit Friends of Happy Retreat joined forces with the City of Charles Town to acquire the property, saving the site from an uncertain future. In the year since, the Friends have initiated rehabilitation of the mansion and its’ collection of outbuildings and have raised $350,000 of the estimated $1,725,000 needed to rehabilitate and repurpose the site.

The Friends and the City of Charles Town envision that Happy Retreat’s buildings and grounds will be rehabilitated and repurposed for public use—not as a traditional house museum—but as a center for community events, heritage tourism, arts, culture, and scholarship, becoming a centerpiece for the newly founded Washington Heritage & Cultural District.

Threat

Happy Retreat will remain threatened until a sustainable new use is identified and established. Additional threats include deterioration of the mansion and outbuildings, lack of funding to address building rehabilitation, and a need for technical assistance to sustain this historic place as a venue for the arts and community gatherings.