Winterham House

Dr. Cyrus Marsteller was the first to build a home on the property where Winterham sits today (Winterham). He built a large brick home for himself, his wife Eliza, and their seven children to live in (Winterham). In 1849, he sold the home to Thomas Smith. Unfortunately though, the home was destroyed when Union troops burned the house down in 1862 (Toler). A new home was built and over the next 55 years the property went through a list of different owners (Toler). The house was bought and sold until it came into the hands of Dr. Wade Payne in 1917 (Toler). Dr. Payne was the only doctor between Warrenton and Manassas and for the following forty years he provided medical care to many Haymarket community members at Winterham (Toler).

After servicing the community, Dr. Payne sold Winterham to John Friant who later sold it to the Gilbertson family who sold to investors before it came into the possession of Don Costello (Toler).

Winterham is a home that has seen many owners and lots of Haymarket history. Because of what has taken place in this home, many individuals in the area feel a duty to preserve it and its history. This passion for preservation was seen as locals fought to keep Winterham standing as a home. After Don Costello purchased the property in 1995, he announced his plans to use the building as offices which later would be turned into restaurants and lodging (Scarton). His announcement was concerning to many residents because Costello did not guarantee the preservation of the Payne house (Shek). Before any changes were made to the property though, Costello needed to request for the property to be rezoned from residential to commercial. In response The Payne Property Preservation Committee formed to attempt to save the historic home. Chairman Michael Key spoke on the matter saying, “The main reason we are opposed to this rezoning is we do not want to see another historic house and property destroyed” (Scarton). He also spoke of his personal feelings on the matter saying, “I'm tired of seeing Haymarket pieced out to be developed into trashy looking businesses and no thought to the preservation of our rich historical past. Let’s stop it now. Let’s send a message to the state.We are ready and open for business, but hands off our historical treasures” (Scarton). Unfortunately, despite the efforts of the committee, Haymarket Town Council approved of Costello’s rezoning request (Shek). This approval was not received well by the community. Neighbor of the property Betty Jo Santangelo said on the matter, “You will see a for sale sign in my property tomorrow” (Shek).

With the rezoning approval from the Town Council, Costello would have been able to move the project forward. However, he did not. Instead of turning the building into commercial space, he decided to renovate (Scarton). A six week remodeling crew was brought in and worked to restore the home (Scarton). Leader of the remodeling R.T. King and his crew performed carpentry work on the structure, repaired worn boards and shutter, and gave the home a fresh coat of paint (Scarton). In addition, the bushes were trimmed and new plantings were added (Scarton). Because of this remodel, Haymarket citizens are still able to enjoy the beauty and history of Winterham today.

Scarton, Bennie. “Group: Hands Off Haymarket Home.” The Journal Messenger, 21 Feb. 1996. RELIC,

https://eservice.pwcgov.org/library/digitalLibrary/hsdw/P_Folder/PayneHouse.Dr233-8/pdfs/PayneHouse.Dr233-8NewsArtAFeb1996.pdf. 

Scarton, Bennie. “Haymarket's Payne House.” The Journal Messenger, 24 May 1996. RELIC,

https://eservice.pwcgov.org/library/digitalLibrary/hsdw/P_Folder/PayneHouse.Dr233-8/pdfs/PayneHouse.Dr233-8PublA.pdf. 

Shek, Katherine. “Haymarket OKs Rezoning of Historic Payne Property.” The Journal Messenger, 2 Apr. 1996. RELIC,

https://eservice.pwcgov.org/library/digitalLibrary/hsdw/P_Folder/PayneHouse.Dr233-8/pdfs/PayneHouse.Dr233-8NewsArtAApr1996.pdf. 

Toler, John T. “Winterham, Long Remembered as Dr. Payne's House.” The Haymarket Lifestyle Magazine, Apr. 2014, pp. 14–20. 

“Winterham, Dr. Payne's House.” The Town of Haymarket Virginia, https://www.townofhaymarket.org/museum/page/winterham-dr-paynes-house.