Rippon Lodge, one of the oldest known dwellings in Prince William County, stands on land first settled in the 17th century. The original house was built circa 1747 for Richard Blackburn, an English colonist, land owner, and carpenter from Ripon, England. A few years after his father's death and after the death of his older brother, Thomas Blackburn inherited the house; he later became a Revolutionary War veteran and local politician. Around 1800, Thomas expanded the Lodge to create more space for the family. In the 1920s, Wade H. Ellis reshaped and enlarged Rippon Lodge again, and over the next ten years windows, a new front porch, two end wings, and other interior features were completed. The resulting structure combines original 18th- and 19th-century construction with 20th-century Colonial Revival architecture. Prince William County purchased the property in 2000 and, after extensive restorations, opened it to the public in 2007.