CHARMADOAH

1881

Charmadoah is the original summer home of Colonel Henry R. Miles who commissioned a vacation retreat to be constructed for his family in 1881 along the rising banks of the Shenandoah River.  Less than twenty years after the Civil War, the bustling little town of Harpers Ferry was quite a commercial stop along the C&O Canal shipping line at the time with many wealthy families coming to settle in the area.  Little information is available on Colonel Miles' residence in Harpers Ferry except a few newspaper clippings from the Virginia Gazette which serviced Jefferson County at that time. The articles indicate he lived in Washington, D.C. as business necessitated but that he and his family held numerous important social gatherings at their summer residence in Harpers Ferry throughout the late 1890's and early 1900's. Colonel Miles died after the construction of his magnificent retreat leaving the home to his widow Charlotte and their daughter Helen.

As a child, Helen Miles is particularly credited with naming the house Charmadoah. A long-standing tale states that she found it difficult to pronounce the "Shh" sound for Shenandoah and instead substituted a more dubious "Chh" sound at times.  Within a year, the folly of the mispronunciation stuck and the house was quickly dubbed Charmadoah.   In honor of Colonel Henry R. Miles and his daughter, this moniker for its charmed views of the Shenandoah River valley has remained with the house for over a century.

Charmadoah soars high on the hillside above the winding Shenandoah River. Colonel Miles, in designing the house, specified that "from every room a view of the river must be seen."  And so it is....from each floor, magnificent scenes of the changing seasons captivate all who visit here. Four main rooms to the west extend from a central dividing hallway to capture the winding source of the Shenandoah River toward the Blue Ridge Mountains while another four rooms to the east overlook the Harpers Ferry valley below where the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers become tributaries on their way to the Chesapeake Bay.  The sounds of the river rushing over the rocks provide a steady peace and restful atmosphere.

In the roaring 1920's, William F. Andes purchased the property from Mr. Miles' widow and daughter to make it his year-round home. As the deed uniquely states, the sale price then was negotiated to $3,000 paid entirely in gold coins. At the time, Mr. Andes' young daughter, Mary Virginia, clearly remembered watching the transaction with the bright gold coins used for its purchase. She and her two brothers, William and Eugene, were the first children to actually grow up with Charmadoah as their full-time residence.  While the Andes family settled into their new home in Harpers Ferry, the children each attended local schools and worked in the local businesses:  Mary as a clerk at Storer College on Camp Hill; Gene and Bill as assistants to Mr. Savory of the Savory Iron Works.

Upon the death of Mr. Andes in 1952, the home passed to his daughter, Mary Virginia. She and her husband, Lloyd S. Hough, returned to Charmadoah and raised a family of five in the home-place. With the memory of the Great Depression just two decades earlier, Mr. and Mrs. Hough put their working knowledge together and both opened businesses on the Charmadoah property.  Mary renovated an old chicken-roost to become a ceramics gift shop while Lloyd put his agricultural skills to good use and converted the old stable into a dairy bottling plant.  Hough's Dairy operated for nearly 20 years and served the entire Harpers Ferry area including residents, restaurants, and schools.  After the death of Mrs. Hough in 2000, the house passed to her youngest daughter, Shirley Hough Caniford, who is the current owner today.  The family remains totally devoted to maintaining the home for family gatherings and enjoyment. Holidays and events find the house filled with family and friends all year round.

In recent years, significant strides have been made to maintain Charmadoah as a family estate.  Naturally, with occupancy comes great responsibility.  Modern upkeep traditionally includes weekend get-togethers with chores doled out to cousins, sisters, fathers, sons, and friends alike.  As an ode to a by-gone era of Victorian design, the house retains many original exterior and interior architectural details. Transoms over each door and high ceilings make the house cool in the summer while hardwood floors and dual rising chimneys keep the residents cozy throughout the winter. Gallery-styled rooms extend the residence length and prominent surrounding terraces provide stunning views of the mountains and rivers abroad. Meanwhile, outside a signature picket fence encloses the main residence at the base of historic Storer College.  English garden plantings abound and fountains can be observed on the grounds with views of the Appalachian Trail at the property's edges.

As a family, the present owners are committed to a high degree of pride in the maintenance and renovation of this true family heirloom. The estate has passed directly through generations of the family for nearly a century. It holds many wonderful memories and joys for all who enter its doors.