Selma Mansion, Leesburg, USA
This venerable historic plantation house in Leesburg, Virginia sits on 212 acres and dates back to 1700. The mansion was rebuilt in 1902 in a Colonial Revival style by its then owner Elijah Brokenborough White, who hired the most prestigious artisans he could find to deck out the rooms, which are notable for their fine paneling.
The 20-room house also featured one of America’s first intercom systems. White bred champion racehorses at the estate and was wealthy enough to maintain the elegant Neoclassical property to a T. During its heyday in the 1920s, the mansion hosted grand balls and dinner parties that were attended by local politicians and other VIPs.
Maaten effectively abandoned the property in the early 2000s. Left to the elements, Selma Mansion began to fall apart. The crumbling house was slowly reclaimed by nature and the interiors were targeted by vandals. Period features were smashed up or stolen, and parts of the roof caved in.
