Altona ( West Virginia ) Altona , near Charles Town , West Virginia , is a historic farm with an extensive set of subsidiary buildings . The original Federal style house was built in 1793 by Revolutionary War officer Abraham Davenport on land purchased from Charles Washington . The house was expanded by Abraham ' s son , Colonel Braxton Davenport . During the Civil War the farm was a favored encampment . Generals Philip Sheridan and Ulysses S . Grant both used the house as a headquarters and meeting place . The farm was sold out of the Davenport family in 1906 , but repurchased in 1936 . In the interim , a Sears , Roebuck house was added to the property . History . Major Abraham Davenport , Sr . ' s 1793 house was a wood - frame structure built on land purchased from Charles Washington , adjoining several Washington family homes , including Blakeley , Claymont Court and Harewood . Davenport became a Jefferson County magistrate in 1801 , and was sheriff in 1803 . His son , Colonel Braxton Davenport took over the farm in 1830 . Col . Davenport added the present brick front to the original house , as well as the impressive stone fence that lines the road between Charles Town and Middleway . The house was named at this time for Mrs . Davenport ' s family home in Germany . Colonel Davenport , who had served in the U . S . Army during the War of 1812 , followed his father as Jefferson County magistrate , and arraigned John Brown in his court in 1859 . Braxton Davenport was also a Virginia state legislator , serving four terms . During the Civil War , Altona became a favorite headquarters for Union and Confederate forces . The front drawing rooms were used for conferences , and Sheridan used the farm ' s horses and carriage . Altona was therefore saved from the destruction that overtook other nearby estates . Altona served as a refuge when nearby Locust Hill was the scene of fighting and destroyed . Colonel Davenport ' s son , Henry Bedinger Davenport had served as a lieutenant of militia in the company that captured John Brown . He served in a similar unit in the Confederate Army . Henry continued to operate the farm after his father ' s death and extended the stone fence . He died in 1901 . The family sold the farm in 1906 . Between 1906 and the re - purchase of the property by Henry Davenport , Jr . the barn was doubled in size and a Sears , Roebuck house was built on the property next to the mansion house . The house remains in the Davenport family . Description . Main house . The main house is a two - story five - bay brick house , painted white on a local limestone foundation , with a hipped slate roof . The roof was raised in 1936 and dormers were added . Paired chimneys rise on the east and west sides . The weatherboard 1793 house remains as the rear portion of the main house , but was clad in brick in 1936 . The 1936 renovation also added formal entry porches on the south and east sides . Windows are typically six - over - six double - hung sashes with brick flat arch es . The interior is oriented around a center hall leading to the kitchen at the rear . The hall is entered through the south porch door , which is topped by a leaded glass fanlight . Two symmetrical living rooms flank the hall at the front . The 1793 portion of the house contains a reception room and a dining room . The second floor is arranged in the same manner as the first , with rooms , doors and fireplaces in the same locations . The main stair continues to the attic . The basement contains a similar room arrangement to the first floor , with fireplaces in the rooms . Bank barn . The long bank barn is built on a cut local limestone foundation , with weatherboard forebay and upper level . Two large square cupolas are placed over old and new sections of the barn . The original brick gable of the old barn remains in the interior where the old and new sections join . Stalls are found in the old section , while the newer section is a large loafing shed . Sears Roebuck house . The Sears house to the west of the main house is an American Foursquare , listed in the Sears catalog as " Dream House . " The two - story hipped - roof house stands on a local limestone foundation . A plaque in one of the brick piers at the front reads " Dream House 1920 . " Garage / Guest house . The 1936 garage is a two stories , with a basement . A 1967 addition added expanded guest quarters and altered the interiors . " Accessory structures . Other structures on the property include a late 19th - century limestone outhouse , early 19th - century frame slave quarters , a late 19th - century brick smokehouse , and two mid - 19th - century corncrib s . Several other buildings and structures contribute to the ensemble . "