The River House
Route 1, Box 135
Boyce, Virginia 22620
540-837-1476
Rates: $90-$145
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Surveyed by a young George Washington for Lord Fairfax, and commanding a strategic point on the northward-flowing Shenandoah River, The River House has long held an important place in this beautiful and historically rich area of Virginia.

In 1780, the property, then known as the Ferry Farm, was part of the huge Carter Hall estate. At that time, only the ground floor existed as one of a pair of one-story stone slave quarters. It was from this point, that a flourishing ferry business was established an d grain from the now restored neighboring mill was shipped down-river on one-way barges to Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. In 1820, The River House underwent expansion when one of the slave quarters became the three-story "big-house" - evidence of the ferry's importance and prosperity.

During the Civil War, Stonewall Jackson chose Berry's Ferry (the historical name for the river crossing) for a major encampment and crossing for his troops. At this time the Ferry Farm was pressed into service as a field hospital. In later years, the remaining slave quarters served as both toll-house and way station for the bridge that replaced the old ferry. Some time in the late 19th Century, the south wing was added. (Twice destroyed by fire; the rebuilt south wing now serves as host living quarters.) Extensive renovations were again made in the early 1940's, at which time the Ferry Farm became a popular restaurant and tavern, and was re-named The River House.

Today after further restoration and renovation, this imposing Virginia fieldstone residence, situated on 17 acres of open woodland and river frontage, is the comfortable family home of Donald and Cornelia Niemann. As your hosts, they invite you to relax and enjoy the unspoiled area with its marriage of history and beauty, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah Valley. This special corner of Virginia is conveniently located an hour away from the Washington, DC area, yet is completely rural in nature.