Boydville
601 5. Queen St.,
Martinsburg, WV 25401,
tel. 304/263—1448 or 202/626—2896
Boydville, a limestone manor house coyered with white stucco, was completed in 1812 by General Elisha Boyd, a hero of the War of 1812 and a friend of Martins-burg’s founder, Adam Stephen. Obviously it’s a historic place, and perhaps the northern most out cropping of the old South. The mansion, with its ivy-covered walled patio, is surrounded by 10 parklike acres of lawn and garden. The current owner has given Boydville a new roof and repaired the water damage that had marred this historic gern. Guests are shown the case locks stamped with the imprimatur of the locksmith to King George IV, the English molding in the downstairs parlors, and English hand-painted wallpaper dating from 1812 in the foyer. The rooms are enormous, the most desirable being the Adam Stephen Room; it has hand-painted mural wallpaper imported from France in the early 1800s and the first tiled bathroom in Martinsburg.
Confederate general Stonewall Jackson retreated to Boydville for physical and emotional renewal many times during the Civil War. Thanks to La Rue and the other three working professionals who lovingly tend Boydville, the mansion still has that power to soothe.
6 double rooms with baths. Air-conditioning in bedrooms, fireplace and cable Win common area, fireplaces in 2 bedrooms. $100—$140; full breakfast. MasterCard, Visa. No smoking, no pets, 2-night minimum Memorial Day weekend and Oct. weekends. Closed Mon.—Wed., except holiday weekends; Aug.; Dec. 20—30.
|
