The Kittiewan Mansion
The Magnificent Surprise
The Mansion House is an 18th century architectural gem. The exterior belies the interior. Outside, the house is a typical one and a half story clapboarded house with enclosed end chimneys. Houses of this type survive elsewhere in Virginia. What distinguishes Kittiewan from any of the other houses is the exquisite paneling in the main floor two front rooms and the hallway. This type of paneling is found in much larger and grander structures than Kittiwan. The contrast is breathtaking. The interior has had only 3 coats of paint since it was built. The larger room to the east has the best paneling, including pilasters to set off closets and doorways (these are the fluted columns rising from floor to ceiling).
The "Second-Best" room (as they were called in the 18th century) also has paneling, but not with pilasters. The closets in this room were altered. If you look up you can see examples of earlier wallpaper. This room also has a piano that Wilma Cropper played.
The house has one surviving wing on the east. It was during roof replacement that the presence of a former west wing was discovered. The roofline showed a patched over area that was the mirror image of the eastern wing. The foundations were discovered by crawling under the back room and looking for traces in the brick bonding.
At some time before the Cropper's came, the west wing was demolished and the back room was added. Still later, a porch was enclosed and made into a kitchen by the Croppers.
The upstairs is divided into three rooms and a hall mirroring the downstair layout. The walls are plain. Here you can fully appreciate what the typical 18th century house interior was like and what Kittiwan would have been like had not the downstairs paneling been put into it.
The east wing of the house was part of what is considered the back of the house and was thus less formal than the front. The interior reflects this on both floors. In fact, the bottom room appears to have been plastered throughout with no particular adornment.
The back room and enclosed porch that today are what one sees to the left and right of the back door were 19th century additions. Both are rather plain and utilitarian. The back room houses display cases for Mr. Cropper's collection of objects.