Welcome to Happy Retreat

Happy Retreat, the stately Federal/Greek Revival style home of Charles Washington, founder of Charles Town and brother of our first President, stands on a hill overlooking Charles Town, surrounded by 12 acres of sloping lawns and woods. In 2015, the non-profit Friends of Happy Retreat (FOHR) partnered with the City of Charles Town to acquire, restore, and preserve Happy Retreat for public use. Under this innovative partnership arrangement, the City bought ten acres of the Happy Retreat property to incorporate into a grand park that will extend throughout the west end of Charles Town along scenic Evitts Run. FOHR bought the Happy Retreat mansion, out buildings and surrounding two acres of land. FOHR is restoring the house and its outbuildings to use as a center for history, heritage tourism, scholarship, culture, and other events.

Save the Date!

Exciting Opportunity to Double your Donation to Happy Retreat!

One of our greatest needs at Happy Retreat is a new HVAC system. The house has an outdated oil-fired hot water radiator system for heat and no air-conditioning. The lack of air-conditioning severely restricts our use of the house for almost half the year, since we only schedule indoor events during the cool weather months.

We are excited that a Save America’s Treasure Grant from the National Park Service has provided matching funds to provide a unique opportunity for you to double the impact of your gift to update Happy Retreat’s heating and cooling system and to upgrade the electrical system in the house. There is a limited window in which to participate – before December 31 of this year – and your gift will be matched on a one-to-one basis. (All donations will be matched up to a total of $132,000.)

Please donate now to help us meet this important goal. You’ll be playing a vital role in making Happy Retreat a center of history and culture for the entire community to enjoy. You can make your check payable to Friends of Happy Retreat, P.O. Box 1427, Charles Town, WV, 25414 and note “matching gift” on the memo line. Contributions can also be made via our website. Gifts of stock are also welcome. If you would prefer to make a gift of stock, please contact us by email at info@happyretreat.org and we will provide you with the necessary information. Thank you for you continued support of Happy Retreat by helping us reach this important fundraising goal.

WV Humanities Council Grant to Further Study of Enslaved Community

In October 2022, the WV Humanities Council approved a grant to enable further study of the enslaved community at Happy Retreat, an important element of African American history in Jefferson County. In 2019, Happy Retreat facilitated and participated in the presentation “What We Found When We Came Together: Shared Roots Beneath Jefferson County Walls.” The presentation at Fisherman’s Hall recounted a compelling and powerful story about intertwining family histories of six women with roots in Jefferson County. As a result of that presentation, FOHR retained noted historian and genealogist Jane Ailes to research African American history in Jefferson County. Ms. Ailes’ work, funded in part through the support of an anonymous donor, sought to identify African Americans who lived at, worked at and helped build Happy Retreat, both before and after Emancipation and also sought to identify current descendants of those enslaved. The recent WV Humanities Council grant will support continuation of Ms. Ailes’ work, thereby providing a significant expansion of our knowledge about the role of the enslaved at Happy Retreat and in our community.

Charles Town Revitalization

“We are restoring Happy Retreat to become a cultural community center and heritage tourism destination, a hub for arts festivals, orchestra music celebrations, heritage fairs, teaching and other cultural activities.”

Walter Washington
President of Friends of Happy Retreat

Home of George Washington’s brother becomes a national treasure

Happy Retreat

News & Announcements

From Inside Happy Retreat – History at its Best

From Inside Happy Retreat – History at its Best

History of the Octagon Building and Recent Progress

History of the Octagon Building and Recent Progress

November 2023 Rising Sun Newsletter

November 2023 Rising Sun Newsletter

George Washington letter discussing death of his brother Charles is part of Jefferson County Museum collection

George Washington letter discussing death of his brother Charles is part of Jefferson County Museum collection

Exciting Opportunity to Double your Donation to Happy Retreat!

Exciting Opportunity to Double your Donation to Happy Retreat!

Octagon House at Happy Retreat

Octagon House at Happy Retreat

History at its Best: The Charles Washington Family

History at its Best: The Charles Washington Family

Happy Retreat Master Plan

Happy Retreat Master Plan

November 2022 Rising Sun Newsletter

November 2022 Rising Sun Newsletter

Our New Colonial Herb Garden

Our New Colonial Herb Garden

The Stone Kitchen/Smoke House Dedication

The Stone Kitchen/Smoke House Dedication

History at its best: “Keeping it in the Family Series”

History at its best: “Keeping it in the Family Series”

October 2021 Restoration Update

October 2021 Restoration Update

October 2021 Rising Sun Newsletter

October 2021 Rising Sun Newsletter

Appalacian Chamber Music Festival Programs Announced!

Appalacian Chamber Music Festival Programs Announced!

The Ownership of Happy Retreat by the Hammond Family, 1800-1837

The Ownership of Happy Retreat by the Hammond Family, 1800-1837

Historic Letter from Frances Bassett Washington to Martha Washington (March 1793)

Historic Letter from Frances Bassett Washington to Martha Washington (March 1793)

May 2021 Rising Sun Newsletter

May 2021 Rising Sun Newsletter

Historic Sewing Machine Donated to Happy Retreat

Historic Sewing Machine Donated to Happy Retreat

December 2020 Rising Sun Newsletter

December 2020 Rising Sun Newsletter

Fall 2020 Update

Fall 2020 Update

August 2020 Update

August 2020 Update

July 2020 Rising Sun Newsletter

July 2020 Rising Sun Newsletter

July 2020 Restoration Update

July 2020 Restoration Update

Another History at its Best

Another History at its Best

December 2019 Rising Sun Newsletter

December 2019 Rising Sun Newsletter

September 2019 Rising Sun Newsletter

September 2019 Rising Sun Newsletter

Charles Washington Day

Charles Washington Day

April 2019 Rising Sun Newsletter

April 2019 Rising Sun Newsletter

December 2018 Rising Sun Newsletter

December 2018 Rising Sun Newsletter

Event Cancellation Announcement – Happy Retreat Book Series

Event Cancellation Announcement – Happy Retreat Book Series

September 2018 Rising Sun Newsletter

September 2018 Rising Sun Newsletter

Volunteers for the Craft Beer & Music Festival – Thank you!

Volunteers for the Craft Beer & Music Festival – Thank you!

Historic Mansion Comes to Life Through Wine & Jazz – WV Public Broadcasting

Historic Mansion Comes to Life Through Wine & Jazz – WV Public Broadcasting

Volunteers for the Wine Festival – Thank you!

Volunteers for the Wine Festival – Thank you!

Preview of Wines at the 2018 Happy Retreat Wine & Jazz Festival

Preview of Wines at the 2018 Happy Retreat Wine & Jazz Festival

The Max Kool Quintet

The Max Kool Quintet

Happy Retreat Wine & Jazz Festival on WEPM on Panhandle Live

Happy Retreat Wine & Jazz Festival on WEPM on Panhandle Live

The Happy Retreat Wine and Jazz Festival receives sponsorship from Kilmer’s Farm Market

The Happy Retreat Wine and Jazz Festival receives sponsorship from Kilmer’s Farm Market

WE STILL NEED VOLUNTEERS! (Updated)

WE STILL NEED VOLUNTEERS! (Updated)

The Happy Retreat Wine and Jazz Festival receives sponsorship from The Spirit of Jefferson

The Happy Retreat Wine and Jazz Festival receives sponsorship from The Spirit of Jefferson

April 2018 Rising Sun Newsletter

April 2018 Rising Sun Newsletter

SHPO Archaeology Grant

SHPO Archaeology Grant

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS! (Updated)

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS! (Updated)

April 2018 Restoration Update

April 2018 Restoration Update

December 2017 Rising Sun Newsletter

December 2017 Rising Sun Newsletter

December 2017 Restoration Update

December 2017 Restoration Update

September 2017 Rising Sun Newsletter

September 2017 Rising Sun Newsletter

Newly Renovated Charles Washington Hall, Fall, 2017

Newly Renovated Charles Washington Hall, Fall, 2017

September 2017 Restoration Update – Smokehouse/Kitchen

September 2017 Restoration Update – Smokehouse/Kitchen

April 2017 Rising Sun Newsletter

April 2017 Rising Sun Newsletter

April 2017 Updates

April 2017 Updates

Archeology at Happy Retreat’s Summer Kitchen/Smokehouse

Archeology at Happy Retreat’s Summer Kitchen/Smokehouse

December 2016 Rising Sun Newsletter

December 2016 Rising Sun Newsletter

December 2016 Restoration Update

December 2016 Restoration Update

Happy Retreat Craft Beer and Music Festival Announces Musical Lineup

Happy Retreat Craft Beer and Music Festival Announces Musical Lineup

Home of George Washington’s brother becomes a national treasure

Home of George Washington’s brother becomes a national treasure

Happy Retreat named National Treasure

Happy Retreat named National Treasure

Piecing the Past Together

Piecing the Past Together

Setting Restoration Priorities

Setting Restoration Priorities

April 2016 Rising Sun Newsletter

April 2016 Rising Sun Newsletter

Historic Structures Report Underway

Historic Structures Report Underway

Charles Town Art & Revitalization

Charles Town Art & Revitalization

January 2016 Rising Sun Newsletter

January 2016 Rising Sun Newsletter

Progress on Welcome Center

Progress on Welcome Center

Happy Retreat Progress

Happy Retreat Progress

PAWV Award

PAWV Award

California Couple With Local Ties Helps Secure Happy Retreat’s Future

California Couple With Local Ties Helps Secure Happy Retreat’s Future

History

Explore the history of Happy Retreat and Charles Washington, founder of Charles Town, West Virginia, and President George Washington’s youngest brother.