The History and Reimagination of an 18th-Century House
The Robert Higgins House is the oldest extant residential building in the Town of Moorefield and among one of the few 18th-century buildings in the County. After the founding of Moorefield, a year following the printing of the Declaration of Independence, town lots were surveyed and sold on the condition that a house be built on the site. Robert Higgins, having returned from his service as a Captain in the 8th Virginia Regiment and three years as a prisoner of war, purchased the 10th lot, #33 on Winchester Avenue.
Standing as a link between today and the mid-18th century, the House has many stories to tell, not the least of which is its witnessing of our nation’s earliest days. Built, possibly rebuilt, renovated, subsumed, revealed, and restored, the House holds clues from all these stages of its life. Using these clues left from the architectural alterations, information from documented history and the historical/scientific data found through deliberate research, the expertise shared by consultants of several disciplines, and the generosity of the House’s ‘families’, we have been slowly piecing together the narrative.
The Town of Moorefield and Hardy County Convention & Visitors Bureau have worked in partnership for the past two years to reimagine a use for the Higgins House. As part of its commitment to the revitalization of the Town, HCCVB proposed joining the Town in restoring the House and creating the Hardy County Visitors Center. But, to protect and preserve the historic structure, to be responsible stewards, a plan had to be developed that considered how best the House would serve the community.
To protect the historic structure, the Town and HCCVB have begun the restoration process and, as we do so, we are putting the nearly two and a quarter centuries of history – local, national, and global – into context. Utilizing the narrative, we are shaping a small museum to be contained within the historic structure and building an addition to house the visitors center.
Explore these reports, research, and publications to take a trip through history and into the next chapter of the Robert Higgins House!
- STORIES FROM AN 18TH CENTURY HOUSE ➵
- INTERPRETIVE MASTER PLAN REPORT ➵
- HIGGINS HOUSE ASSESSMENT ➵
- TREE-RING DATING OF THE HIGGINS HOUSE ➵