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Linden Springs
The breathtaking property of Linden Springs is back for an encore presentation on the Reston Home Tour on Saturday, Oct. 18. Also known as the historic Wiehle-Bowman Manor House, it is the second-oldest building in Reston. (The oldest, the Robert Wiehle house, is a nearby private home built in 1895.) Linden Springs is a privately owned property with poignant significance in the history of the community.The story of Linden Springs started in 1886 when Dr. Max Wiehle, of Philadelphia, purchased approximately 3,000 acres of land along the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad. The retired physician's dream was to establish a planned community. Although a plan was drawn for the Town of Wiehle, development was not completed due to Dr. Wiehle's death in 1901.
By 1888, however, he had built The Aesculapian, a sprawling Victorian-style hotel that soon became a destination for affluent Washingtonians. In 1896, construction began on the Wiehle Manor House, which later would be inhabited by another prominent family ?the Bowmans, of Kentucky.
Gentleman farmer and fox hunter A. Smith Bowman purchased the estate in 1927 and founded the Fairfax Hunt Club in 1929. Noteworthy equestrians including Jackie Bouvier and Gen. George Patton were guests here. The old hotel served as a clubhouse for dances and parties for three decades until it was torn down in 1956. Bowman is more widely recognized for converting his farming operation into a distillery shortly after the repeal of prohibition in 1934, and creating the bourbon brand Virginia Gentleman. (Across the street from Linden Springs is an old building that was used for Bowman distillery storage but originally was the Wiehle Town Hall.)
The 3,000 acres surrounding the historic Wiehle-Bowman Manor House became part of the nation's first planned community when Reston's founder Robert E. Simon Jr. purchased it in 1961. The remaining 5.2-acre parcel of land and Manor House were acquired by Watergate notable Chuck Colson in 1983 to serve as the headquarters for his international organization known as Prison Fellowship Ministries. The office buildings constructed on the property by the ministry are barely discernible by passers-by.
Drawn to the rich history of the property, Jorge Kfoury purchased the home and gardens in 2003, restoring them to their original grandeur. Linden Springs is currently used for private events and offices.
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