The Somerwell House

This restored brick home is believed to have been built by Mungo Somerwell, a Yorktown ferryman, in the early 1700’s.    

It is possible that the dwelling was struck during the bombardment of the town  that came with the 1781 Siege. This may explain many of the puzzling patches in the brick walls that show decided evidence of very early repair that may have been necessary by the passage of cannon balls.   (Trudell, "Report on the Restoration of the Lightfoot [Somerwell House," p. 4).

Though the fabric of the house remained reasonably intact, its visible exterior form came to be lost after later additions. After the Civil War the entire structure was made into a hotel. The Somerwell House continued for some time to be a principal Yorktown hotel, being known at the turn of the century as the "Old English Tavern" and then as the Yorktown Hotel. In 1881 it had been known as Dawson's Hotel.

The old brick house, with its later multiple frame additions, was still functioning as a hotel when taken over by the National Park Service in the early 1930's.   It was used by Colonial National Historical Park initially as an administration building and also as dormitory quarters for the staff until the completion of the reconstructed Swan Tavern in 1934. There were repairs to the structure in 1932; however, its full restoration did not come until 1935-1936. At this time it again became Park Headquarters, and it continued to serve in this capacity for some 20 years.