Official Happy Retreat page operated by Friends of 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. The non-profit Friends of Happy Retreat (FOHR) is partnering with the City of Charles Town to acquire, restore and preserve Happy Retreat for public use. Under this innovative partnership arrangement, the City will buy ten acres of the Happy Retreat property to incorporate into a grand park that will extend throughout the west end of Charles Town along senic Evitts Run. FOHR will buy the Happy Retreat mansion and surrounding two acres of land. FOHR will restore the house and its 18th Century outbuildings to use as a center for history, heritage tourism, scholarship and culture. This is the only official site for Happy Retreat where you will see updates, event dates, cancellation dates and important notices about Historic Happy Retreat. VISION FOR THE USE OF HAPPY RETREAT
FOHR and Charles Town have joined with top experts in historical preservation, heritage tourism, parks and recreation, non-profit management and fundraising to identify feasible and sustainable uses for the 6,000+ square foot mansion, four outbuildings and 12 acres estate. Extensive expert analysis has already been conducted, including historical preservation and restoration assessments, use planning and architectural design. Although there could be a variety of flexible and attractive uses for the property, FOHR and Charles Town believe this approach is highly viable, and we seek to work with key organizations to move forward with this vision.
*Visit www.facebook.com/happyretreat to see updates about FOHR, as well as www.happyretreat.org for more of the organization's history and events.
