Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection open for research.

Use Restrictions

No physical characteristics affect use of this material.

Preferred Citation

Selma Plantation Real Estate Records, 1902-2016 (M0125), Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA.

Acquisition Information

Long & Foster Realty, Leesburg, VA

Alternative Form Available

Digital access copy of VHS Tape: A Tour of Historic Selma Plantation is available.

Accruals

2016.0021

Processing Information

Processed by Laura Christiansen, Research by Jack Craig, November 2016

Historical Information

Selma, also known as "Selma Plantation" or "Selma Farm" was once part of the Raspberry Plain tract owned by Thomson Mason (1733-1785). Between 1800 and 1810 his grandson Armistead Thomson Mason (1787-1819) constructed a home on a portion of the property, naming it "Selma". Active in politics, Mason was a leader of the Loudoun County Democratic-Republican Party. In 1815 he was elected to fill the United States Senate seat vacated by William B. Giles resignation but failed to retain the seat in an 1816 re-election bid. On 6 February 1819, Mason was killed in a duel over political differences with his cousin, John Mason McCarty (1795-1852). Mason's widow Charlotte Elizabeth Taylor (fl. 1800-1846) and son Stevens Thomson Mason (1819-1848) lived at Selma until financial difficulties led them to sell the property to William Beverly (1829-1879).

In 1896, Selma was damaged by a fire, which destroyed much of the original house. Following the fire, the property was purchased by Elijah B.White (1864-1926), son of Colonel Elijah Viers White (1832-1907) and Sarah Elizabeth Gott White (1836-1893). Elijah B. White was president of the People's National Bank and owner of White's Ferry. White began reconstruction of Selma, incorporating remains of the original structure into a new, more modern mansion. He commissioned Noland & Baskervill, a Richmond Architectural firm, to design the new house and Leesburg's Norris Brothers to build it. Work was completed in 1902. In October 1911 Hazelle Pancoast White (1888 - 1920), Elijah B. White's eldest daughter, married Joel Chandler Harris (1888-1964), son of the noted author at Selma. The White family continued to occupy the home and to farm the property until Elijah B.White's youngest daughter Jane Elizabeth White (1893-1970) passed away.

Ben and Ruth Epperson purchased Selma in the early 1970s and lived in the house, also renting it for weddings and special events. In 1996 they listed the property with Long & Foster Realty. The property was sold to Peter J. ter Maaten, CEO of HSO Business Systems in 1999 with the intention of transforming the house into the US headquarters of the Dutch software consulting firm. In 2002, 162 acres of the property was sold to Edgemoore Homes, which began construction of a neighborhood called Selma Estates. Selma Limited Liability Corp., owned by ter Maaten, continued to own Selma and a conservancy lot of 50 acres, although the property was unoccupied after 2000. In 2008, Edgemoore Homes declared bankruptcy and Stanley Martin Homes purchased and completed the development. In 2007, suffering from a lack of maintenance and upkeep, Selma was nominated as one of Virginia's most endangered historic properties, and a "Save Selma" group was formed by local preservationists. In March 2016, Loudoun County native Sharon D. Virts and Scott F. Miller purchased Selma and began extensive restoration and renovations of the property.

Scope and Content

This collection consists of material created or compiled by Long & Foster Realty between 1996 and 2016 before, during, and after their representation of Selma as real estate brokers. Research and reference materials gathered by Long & Foster include histories, photocopies of 1902 architectural renderings of the house, as well as newspaper and magazine clippings reporting the sale. Materials documenting the extent and condition of the property in 1996 include a 1994 appraisal, surveyor's maps and an environmental assessment. Promotional materials include flyers, brochures and Long & Foster's Extraordinary Properties, a promotional magazine. Rental agreements are included for wedding and special event rentals of Selma in 2000. Photographs, slides, and video tours commissioned by Long & Foster provide room by room documentation of Selma as well as external views of outbuildings and other features of the property.

Related Material

Lewis/Edwards Architectural Surveys of Loudoun County 1972 - 1983 (M 022); Historical Postcards, 1900-2008 (VC 0004), Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA; Audrey Windsor Bergner Research Collection, ca. 1900 - 2007 (VC 0014)

Adjunct Descriptive Data

Bibliography

Ancestry Library Edition, Thomas Balch Library, http://www.ancestrylibrary.com/ (Accessed 27 November 2016).

"History Was Made at Selma," Loudoun Times Mirror, 22 October 1959.

Lewis/Edwards Architectural Surveys of Loudoun County 1972 - 1983 (M 022), Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA

Morton, Margaret. "Saving Selma: Historic Manor Poised for Rebirth After Purchase," Loudoun Now. 17 March 2016.

"Selma: A Loudoun Mansion House," Loudoun Times Mirror, 16 November 1961.

Selma Plantation Real Estate Records (M 0125), Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA.

"Selma Property of E.B. White," Loudoun Times Mirror, June 1922.

United States Congress. "Armistead Thomson Mason. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. http://bioguide.congress.gov/ (accessed 27 November 2016).

"Wedding of Hazelle Pancoast White and Joel Chandler Harris at Selma Farm," The Times Dispatch, 15 Oct 1911.

Other Finding Aid

None

Technical Requirements

Electronic equipment required to view digitized video content.