WOW House for Sale in Annandale: Century-Old Farmhouse on 7 Acres

It was curiosity that brought Nell Miller to Boxhill Farm and delight that made her stay as the sixth steward of the idyllic, 7-acre property with roots going back to 1685.

For 25 years, Nell, a retired teacher, and her husband, Ron, were happily ensconced in their Annandale home two miles from Boxhill Farm, with no thought of moving.  But, one day they received a brochure in the mail advertising luxury homes in the area, including one on 8316 Queen Elizabeth Boulevard, a place called Boxhill Farm.

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“We are not the luxury home types,” Nell said. “But I was curious to see what a 100-year-old house on 7 acres was in our neighborhood. I wondered where it was.”

Nell, a history buff who grew up in a Nebraska farmhouse with parents who are antique dealers, went to look at the property.  She was immediately taken with the old house, originally a simple, four-room farm home built around 1897, then carefully expanded to 2,600 square feet through several additions.

Nell told Ron about her find. Ron recalled, “When she came home that night, Nell told me, ‘This is a house I could retire in.’”

Ron visited the home and was impressed with the park-like property, which includes a pond and a stream, all a half-mile from the Beltway. “We are both outdoors people,” said Ron. “This was 7 acres of boxwoods, walnut trees…it was just gorgeous.”  Within days, the couple, who “always liked old homes and properties with big trees,” had arranged to buy the house.

The Millers said they learned that the property, which is bordered on three sides by Wakefield Park, has a rich history. It was part of a large tract of wilderness land bought from the original Jamestown grantee by William Fitzhugh around 1685, farmed for tobacco, and then sold off in parcels. In the 1700s, the nearby estates of Ravensworth, Oak Hill, and Ossian Hill were built on some of those parcels, places that Patriot luminaries such as George Washington, George Mason and Thomas Jefferson likely visited.

(Editor's note: This is a shortened version of a larger feature story on the home, written by local writer Chery Kenny. )