The original plantation house of Ayrshire was built circa 1821 by land-speculator Bushrod Rust, also the builder of Greengarden Farm to the southeast. Purchased in 1847 by George S. Ayre, it then comprised the south 290 acres of the present Farm. Ayre continued to add adjoining acreage to the Farm, but lost the total of 730 acres to creditors in 1880. Anthony Lawson purchased the property for a dairy and beef cattle enterprise, renaming the Farm, temporarily, “Brookland.”






The present Farm was purchased in 1912 by Brig. Gen. James A. Buchanan of Washington, D.C. whose daughter, Helen, added an additional 67 acres in 1914. At Helen’s request, Gen. Buchanan began building the present house in 1912. The property was purchased from his descendants in 1996.




The fieldstone structure is remarkable in that it is one of the first steel-reinforced residences. General Buchanan constructed the house out of 150 lb./ft. iron beams along the transverse sections, and smaller iron beams run perpendicular on each of the three floors. If one views the original powder room on the first floor, it is clear how little the house has settled in ninety years. It is said that the fieldstone was quarried on the property, and the bearing walls are four feet thick. Also of note is that the major wooden beams and all of the windows are made of cypress, a wood naturally resistant to insects. The house was originally constructed to use electricity, had indoor plumbing and central heating. In 1912, this house exemplified the very latest in building technology and domestic convenience.

 

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