Historic Oak Hill is on the market

Oak Hill, the oldest and most historically significant house in Annandale, is on the market for $1.55 million.

The listing, by Christie’s International Real Estate, says the Georgian-style house, at 4716 Wakefield Chapel Road has six bedrooms, five and a-half bathrooms, a modern kitchen, and a private apartment over a two-car garage. The 2.6-acre property includes 200-year-old boxwoods and an English garden.

The listing also notes that President Thomas Jefferson stayed at Oak Hill four times while traveling to and from Monticello.

Oak Hill was built by Richard Fitzhugh in 1790 on land that was part of the 22,000-acre Ravensworth Tract.

The home is privately owned, but buyers will have to agree to historic easements that require them to maintain the historic character of the home and grounds and open the home to the public four times a year. Each fall, Fairfax County hosts Oak Hill Day, with tours and presentations on local history.

The current owners, David and Amanda Sheetz, have lived there since 2008, shortly after the county intervened to save the house from developers.

The county has no control over who can buy Oak Hill, but will ensure the buyer complies with the historic easements, says Braddock Supervisor John Cook.

“The Sheetz’s have been wonderful owners. We’re hopeful a new owner will have an equal desire to maintain the property, work with the community, and preserve this unique asset,” Cook says. “This is not an easy house to maintain.”

In addition to all the repairs and maintenance headaches one might expect in a 227-year-old house, Oak Hill comes with lots of stories dating from the Civil War and earlier – plus legends about strange happenings, like mysterious blood stains appearing on the ceiling and the sound of boots on the stairs during quiet nights.