Revealing the Rich History of Hillwood & The Winery at Bull Run

Our location is right next to the historic Manassas National Battlefield Park due to which the visitors at our winery are attracted towards the stone ruins of Hillwood house. The foundation and chimney of Hillwood house still stand and have ideally become our link to the past. Hillwood's rich history can be traced back to 1840 when Weir family acquired the land on which the winery sits at present. At one point of time, the estate covered 513 acres land. 

Hillwood closely witnessed the first & second battles at Bull Run and surely we would be privileged to hear more about these historic battles if just the walls of Hillwood could speak. A Stone Bridge located south of Hillwood, close to Route 29, holds great historical importance. This bridge is also the source of TWABR's unique label. Built in 1825, this beautiful bridge was partially ruined in the spring of 1862 when Confederate soldiers destroyed its middle span. Later the bridge was built again, but Union soldiers ruined it again after they were defeated in the second battle of Manassas. 

This may make it seem as if Hillwood was ruined as well. However, the house survived, but post Civil War, its ownership changed a number of times. Later, Julius T. Richards became the owner of the house. Being a passionate collector of Civil War artifacts, Richards made the National Battlefield Museum containing more than 100,000 artifacts. The museum was built on Route 29, to the east of Stone Bridge. Tourism got severely affected due to World War II and so Richard considered it better to close the museum. Having closed the museum, Richards moved to Vicksburg, Miss. Later, Hillwood was again sold in 1944 and then two years later, in 1946. 

The house got severely damaged due to a fire in 1990. Not only the roof collapsed but the second floor also came down. For the next couple of decades, Hillwood sat idle. Finally, in 2008, Jon Hickox bought the remaining 21 acres and started making plans to make a winery adjacent to it. If you want to know more about Hillwood, you can visit our tasting room. We have displayed Civil War relics as well as the house photos in our winery's tasting room. TWABR is one of the best wedding venues in Virginia. Our winery's spectacular location makes it perfect for arranging entertaining parties, events and wine festivals in Virginia. You can visit our winery to have a soothing time with your friends while sipping exotic wines.