Unique Homes: At Hope Farm with the Debbie and Bobby Weismiller

It had been a huge week for the Weismillers. Debbie and Bobby’s son had just celebrated his marriage at their home, Hope Farm. “It was a fairy tale wedding,” says Debbie. Over 70 guests sat on folding chairs under the old black walnut trees, witnesses to the sharing of vows, smiles, and rings. The Weismillers had been working hard for weeks to get the farm ready. Rooms painted, a koi pond dug, a wrap-around deck completed. “We made it just in time,” laughs Debbie. By the time I arrived on an Indian Summer’s afternoon in October, the day after the big event, the place still held the magic sparkle of a property shined, and then shined some more.
 
Hope Farm is a red brick Federal-style home that sits off route 480 near Kearneysville, W.Va., just north of the B&O Railroad line. The house sits on 15 acres and was built in 1845 by Jacob Miller, or “J.J” as he is also known. Some of JJ’s descendents still live in Kearneysville, including Lige Miller, who lives down the road from Hope Farm. Once built, the home accommodated not only Jacob, but also his 10 children. JJ is perhaps best known for having served on the jury that found anti-slavery hero John Brown guilty of treason in Charles Town in 1859. Jacob died at age 75 years after he hanged himself in the barn on November 12, 1886.

Debbie and Bobby Weismiller were both teachers in the public school system of Washington, D.C. For many years they lived next to Bobby’s sister Margaret, and her husband David in Herndon, Va. Their children would run between the two homes as though one family on one property. The Weismillers agreed that when they retired they would find a rural property large enough for them to live together once again, along with Margaret and David’s parents. The now grown-up grandchildren would be able to come home, and they would all be able to enjoy the holidays together.

In 2004 the Weismillers purchased Hope Farm from Martin Burke. Debbie was by now retired, Bobby still commuted weekdays into the city on the MARC train. Bobby’s sister Margaret and her husband David purchased the adjacent five acres of land and built their dream home. At the same time, Margaret and Bobby’s parents, Anne and Bob, built an impressive stone-faced English-style carriage house, which branches off from the main Federal building, and also moved onto the compound. The shared vision had become a reality.

Tragically, a few weeks after the new home was built, Margaret Weismiller died without warning of an unknown cause. It was a devastating blow to a family that had worked so hard to build the perfect place for their shared retirement.

Hope Farm is a place of sadness, as well as beauty and tranquility.

The main house consists of five bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, a formal dining room, a couple of parlors, two cozy living rooms replete with leather sofas and coffee tables, plus a couple of porches and an enormous state-of-the-art kitchen. Debbie told me her daughter Kristen, who works as a flight attendant for United, had poured through magazines looking for the kitchen of all kitchens. An enormous commercial-grade range sits back and center, faced by a basketball player-sized side-by-side fridge and vast amounts of gleaming counters and chopping spots.

The stainless-steel glory of the kitchen sits in stark contrast to the various items from yesteryear that fill the home: a large-wheeled Edwardian baby carriage, a dark and mysterious wooden armoire, a Victorian French curio cabinet, a converted pine hutch overflowing with multi-colored glassware containing varieties of booze.

I asked Debbie why she had purchased an older home. “I have loved antiques since I was a child,” she said. Her grandmother collected vintage artifacts, particularly Victorian. Many of these items were passed down to Debbie and are on display in the fabulous Federal building.

The Weismillers have done considerable work on the home. They built the huge extension for the grandparents. All the bathrooms have been updated, while retaining many of the original features, like the claw-footed tubs and the faux hand basin sinks. The floors have all been stripped and sanded and restored to their original glory. To top it off, the Weismillers installed a curvy, clear blue swimming pool complete with Caribbean fantasy pool-side bar and potted palms. The home also has a feeding and cleaning area for Debbie’s eight dogs.

Debbie’s favorite spot in the house is the side porch, full of beige wicker furniture and flowery cushions. Large open windows look onto the flowing lawns and swaying boughs of the ancient walnut trees. Debbie says she likes to relax in one of the these armchairs and enjoy the day’s first cup of coffee with a good book.

More than anything else, Debbie tells me she cherishes the respite from the craziness of the big city. “I love the peace and quiet,” she says. “I’m so happy here.”