Adam Stephen (1720-1791) was closely acquainted with George Washington through their association with Lord Fairfax and their military service from the French & Indian War through the American Revolution. He was present with Washington at Fort Necessity in 1754, served as second in command of the Virginia militia, and was responsible for troops at various times at Fort Loudoun in Winchester, Fort Cumberland, Fort Ligonier, and Fort Pitt. In 1761, Stephen ran successfully against George Washington for the House of Burgesses seat from Frederick County, Virginia. He was later promoted in 1777 to major-general in the Continental Army. His daughter Ann married Alexander Spottswood Dandridge in 1780. The Adam Stephen House is a fine example of late colonial stone architecture. Stephen acquired the land in 1770 as part of a 255-acre tract, then bought an adjacent 563-acre tract in 1773, divided the land into lots, and sold them to establish a town. He also operated two nearby mills, a distillery, and an armory along Tuscarora Creek on lands that became the town of Martinsburg in 1778. After Stephen's death, ownership of the house changed several times. In 1959, William Evers gave the property to the city of Martinsburg, and the General Stephen Memorial Association was formed to restore and furnish the house. Restoration began in the mid-1960s, the house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970, and the smokehouse and laundry building behind it were reconstructed in 1976 as an American bicentennial project.
