Mayhurst was built in 1859 by President James Madison’s great nephew Col. John Willis. When Mayhurst was first built it adjoined James Madison’s Estate “Montpelier”. Mr. Willis was fond of the beautiful countryside and was also familiar with a man by the name of Charles P. Howard. Willis would call Mr. Howard “Uncle” because he was a close family friend, and the land where Mayhurst stands today was once where his estate stood. Charles P. Howard was a prominent man in the town of Orange, was friends with President Madison, and would later be one of Madison’s pallbearers at his funeral in 1836. After Mr. Howard passed, John Willis purchased the property on July 17, 1856, and began dreaming of a grand estate sitting on top of a hill overlooking the Piedmont area. Willis had previously lived in a noteworthy house in Orange County called “Rockwood”, which still stands today and is a beautiful expression of his love for unique and beautiful homes.
Construction on the Manor House, originally called The Howard Place in honor of Charles P. Howard, began just two years before the Civil War. Undoubtedly it was the most fashionable home in Orange County at the time. Built in the Italianate style, the designer of the four-story mansion is unknown. An educated guess is a Baltimore architect, Mr. Starkweather, who designed Camden on the northern neck. The similarities are remarkable, even in the marble mantles and the elaborate windows, the winding staircase, and even the front doors and trim inside the home. The outer construction of Mayhurst is oak wood paneling designed to look like blocks of stone, the same type of construction as George Washington’s home Mount Vernon.
Mayhurst is over 9,000 square feet, with nine bedrooms, four floors, an English basement, and a beautiful cupola atop the grand home. Mayhurst has over 50 large and unique windows, most of the glass remaining from its beginnings. Much of this grand home remains intact and is not far from how it looked in 1859. The home still has the original oak floors, the beautifully ornate staircase is still intact, the original interior shutters still function, and the 11 marble fireplaces still function.
In 1868, just shortly after he finished his dream home Colonel Willis lost Mayhurst and at least 1700 of his 2500 acres. He had supported the Confederacy very generously and was unable to pay back taxes to the Federal Government. Mayhurst was purchased by a Northern carpetbagger named Lantham Higgins.
In 1996, when Mayhurst underwent a large renovation an original 110-year-old copy of his obituary, found in the attic and now hangs in the front hall, states “He bore the loss of his wealth with a philosophical fortitude that almost amounted to indifference, and no one can say that they ever heard a murmur escape his lips that having been rich he had become poor.” He is buried at Montpelier cemetery.
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