MATHEWS, Va. (WAVY) — There’s new life for one of the oldest homes in Mathews County.
The historic Hyco House has been a private residence for most of its existence, but now a new owner wants to open the home up to the community by turning it into a bed and breakfast.
Dr. William Todd Smith built the home for his family in 1836. The home however almost never saw the 20th century.
“During the Civil War, the Union soldiers came through and they burned a lot of the houses that were here on this main stretch in Mathews,” explained Tabitha Ramseyer, the property manager for Hyco House.
The Hyco House was one of the few homes spared.
Since then, the home has had many owners, however, developers hope this next chapter will allow it to also welcome many guests.
“For a long time, this house was a private residence and we want to open the doors up and get people in here,” added Ramseyer. “We’ve had a lot of people who have come in in the past and said they lived here their whole entire life and they always drove by this house and they always wanted to wonder what it looked like, but they never stopped.”
Renovations are currently underway to restore the home to some of its former bones.
“We just want to be able to kind of share our love of this home with everyone else in the community because this house has been part of Mathews County for so long and it’s time that it’s actually an active part of Mathews County.”
Ramseyer says the new owner welcomes community feedback on the project, so those in the area are encouraged to pop by the house on 10941 Buckley Hall Road to take a look around.
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