Existing Property

Distinguished television journalist Roger Mudd and his wife acquired the property in 1972 and through significant restoration, made Elmwood their family home for almost fifty years.

Originally part of the Fairfax Land grant, “Elmwood” has been a working farm and family estate since the early 18th century. The original house was built in 1850 by Spencer Mottrom Ball but was destroyed during the Civil War. After the War, Ball’s son William Selwyn (“Selly”) returned to Elmwood, building the log “Bachelor’s Hall” in 1876 and a larger house in 1879.

In 1900, John McLean, owner of the Washington Post, was granted a charter to build The Washington and Old Dominion railroad from Rosslyn to Great Falls. McLean bought rights of way along what would eventually become Old Dominion Drive, and the Ball family Family sold access through Elmwood; the stop there was then called “Ball’s Hill." The surrounding public roads - including Ball’s Hill Road, Mottrom Drive and others - capture some of the property’s history.