| Wexford | |
|---|---|
   | |
| Location | Marshall, Virginia, United States |
| Nearest city | Middleburg, Virginia |
| Coordinates | 38°57′54″N77°47′50″W / 38.96500°N 77.79722°W /38.96500; -77.79722 |
| Area | 167 acres (68 ha) |
Wexford, also known asKennedy Retreat at Rattlesnake Ridge, is a 167-acre (0.67 km2) ranch amid theBlue Ridge Mountains inunincorporatedMarshall, Virginia, located 4 miles (6 km) northwest fromMiddleburg (about 50 miles (80 km) fromWashington, D.C.). The property was acquired, designed, and named byJacqueline Kennedy in 1962 as a weekend retreat during John F. Kennedy'spresidency.[1] Its namesake is theancestral home of theKennedy family. Following their visit to Wexford (Ireland) in June 1963,Éamon de Valera gifted 3-year oldJohn F. Kennedy Jr. a pony, which was stabled at Wexford (ranch).[2] It is the only home John and Jacqueline built together during their marriage, and was the last place they vacationed before hisassassination in November 1963.[3] John Jr. practiced his father's iconic final salute at Wexford.[4]
Ronald Reagan leased Wexford fromWilliam Clements for his residence and headquarters during the1980 Presidential Campaign.[5] It is the only private retreat used by more than one President of the United States (many presidents have used the state-ownedCamp David).
Following victory in the1960 Presidential Campaign, John and Jacqueline Kennedy began looking for a weekend retreat to "get their children out of the governmental atmosphere". Jacqueline favored theAtoka, Virginia area because of the proximity to D.C. (25 minutes by helicopter and 1 hour by automobile) and her familiarity from childhood throughequestrianism and staying with herstepfather atMerrywood. Atoka is also approximately 40 miles from the Kennedy's first marital home,Hickory Hill.[6]
From February 1961–1963, the Kennedy's leased Glen Ora, a 400-acre ranch in Atoka, from Gladys Byfield Tartiere. Jacqueline,Caroline, and John Jr. sheltered there during theCuban Missile Crisis. Gladys turned down the Kennedy's offer to acquire Glena Ora in the spring of 1962. Shortly after, they acquired 39 acres approximately 5 miles northeast at the base of Rattlesnake Mountain from Hubert Phipps for $26,000 ($222,000 as of 2020).
Throughout 1962, Jackie worked with local architect Keith Williams to design a single-story, 4-bedroom, 2-staffroom, 5,050 squarefoot house. It was equipped with a bomb shelter and communication facility. Construction was completed in the spring of 1963 totalling $110,000 ($930,000 as of 2020). While Jackie regularly visited throughout construction, John's first trip was May 25. He visited again on October 25, and finally on November 2; the last location their family vacationed.[3]
One year after John'sassassination, Jackie sold Wexford to Quing Non Wong on November 25, 1964 for $225,000 ($1,878,000 as of 2020). In 1971, Quing sold Wexford to Dr. George Tanham for $314,000 ($2,006,000 as of 2020). In 1975, George sold Wexford toWilliam Clements who added a pool and tennis court.[7] It was listed in 2013 for $10,999,000, reduced to $5,959,000 in 2016, and finally sold in 2017 to Thomas S. Price for $2,850,000.[8]
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