Washington Co. > Homes, Land and Buildings > First Brook Hall
The first home in Washington County to bear the name "Brook Hall" was built about 1775-1776 by James Dysart, following his marriage to Nancy Beattie. The land was owned at the time by Nancy's father, John Beattie. John owned an extensive tract of land in Washington County lying in the vicinity of present day Meadowview and Glade Spring. In 1784 he deeded parcels to his various children. James Dysart, as Nancy's husband, received 248 acres off of the southwest end of the larger tract.
James Dysart reportedly named his home Brook Hall after his childhood home in Ireland. This first structure to bear the name was a large, 2 story log structure with rock chimneys at either end. It consisted of 7 rooms; 4 downstairs and 3 upstairs. Two of the downstairs rooms were quite large. There was also a small cellar. The flooring was constructed from large planks. The house appears to have sat near the southern boundary of the parcel, probably fronting the Great Wagon (or Old Wilderness) Road.
In 1791 James purchased an additional 297 acres from his neighbor to the south so that his holdings spanned both sides of the road. He and Nancy raised their family at Brook Hall, but later in life moved to Kentucky. In November 1807 James and Nancy sold the house and the entire 615 acres to William Byars for $5,000. Around the time of this transaction, the house may have been lived in by Thomas King and used as a tavern. And in 1811 one John Phaup ran a house of public entertainment at Brook Hall.
When William Byars took possession of the structure he used one end as a store and lived in the other. He married Elizabeth Beattie, daughter of William Beattie (and the niece of Nancy Beattie Dysart), on November 26, 1807, the same day he acquired Brook Hall. The couple lived in the house for the bulk of their married life. At least 7 of their 8 children were probably born there. Around 1819 William began construction of a larger, more imposing home on a hill on the south side of the Great Wagon Rd., opposite his existing home This home, also called "Brook Hall", was completed about 1826.
Elizabeth Beattie Byars died less than 10 years after the second Brook Hall was finished. But William Byars resided there until his death in 1866. During his lifetime he built or purchased homes for several of his children, including his sons John, William and James. These homes were known as CaveSprings, Woodburn and Ft. Kilmachronan, respectively. The original Brook Hall burned in 1949. A cement block building was later constructed at the approximate location of the old home.
Map Link
For a birds-eye view of where the first Brook Hall sat in relation to its surroundings along the old Stage Road (Highway 11) click on the map link below
Washington County Homes Map
General Sources Used on this Page
- [S1199] "Victoria Gilliam, "Brook Hall", 1937", Works Progress Administration of Virginia Historical Inventory, digital images, Library of Virginia Online. <<http://www.lva.lib.va.us/>>
- [S952] "Historical Houses of Washington County, Virginia", Historical Society of Washington County, Virginia Bulletin Series II, #6 (Spring, 1968): 25. Brook Hall article authored by Mr. Jerry Simpson and originally published in the Washington County News in May, 1965.
- [S1209] Virginia Division of Historic Landmarks, Washington County Survey forms, copies held by the Historical Society of Washington County, Abingdon, Virginia. Survey 95-4, dated Aug. 20, 1992 by Vivian Coletti.