     
Abram's Delight Museum
Conveniently located not far from George Washington's Office Museum where Mr. Washington worked to secure the Valley and western mountains for settlement is Abram's Delight Museum. It is a wonderful example of early setlement life in the lower Shenandoah Valley. The house was built in 1754, the year the French and Indian War began, and today is restored and furnished to reflect the style of that century. Abraham Hollingsworth, a Quaker, was an early settler in the Winchester area. He found the Shawnee Indians camped beside a bountiful spring and declared the property, "A Delight to Behold." He claimed 582 acres and paid the Indians a cow, a calf, and a piece of red cloth. He built a log home and mill beside the spring and brought his family from Cecil County, Maryland. Abraham's son Isaac Hollingsworth, built the stone house, "Abram's Delight." Through the years the property became a center of industry and the stone house a center of hospitality. The west wing was added about 1800 and the house was redecorated and the property improved in the 1830's.
The house is the oldest in Winchester and has been witness to the town's settlement, the bitter strife of the French and Indian War, the formation of the United States, and the devastation of the Civil War in the Shenandoah Valley. You might even encounter one of the main house's ghosts which have been known to wander the halls. Abram's Delight Museum is administered by the Winchester-Frederick County Historical Society. It is located at 1340 S. Pleasant Valley Road just north of the intersection of Millwood Ave. (Rt. 50) behind the Firehouse. The Museum is open April 1 - October 31: Mon-Sat 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday 12 noon to 4 p.m. The offices of the Winchester-Frederick County Historical Society are located on the second floor of the house.
Located on the grounds of Abram's Delight is a small log cabin that represents what the more common abode on the frontier would have looked like. Most homes were not as fine as Abram's Delight, but were more commonly cabins. Beside the cabin is a set of mill wheels representing one facet of the small industry that emerged as the frontier became more settled and affluent. The Historical Society and the Handley Library maintain an archive within the library that contains numerous historical deocuments and personal records. The archive is open Tuesday and Wednesday from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., Thursday through Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Website: Abram's Delight © 2001 Col. Washington's Frontier
Forts Association
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As a lover of early American history,
you'll experience genuine antique
furnishings and artifacts throughout this native limestone house. Because
of the religious affiliation of the original builder the house originally
served as Winchester's first Quaker meeting house.
