History & Innkeepers

1806-1812

The Manor House was built in 1806 by Matthew Houston who was a cousin of Sam Houston of Texas fame. The house served as a store and tavern as well as home to the Houston family and their sprawling plantation.

In 1812, Houston expanded the house and incorporated a two-story center hall with a full arched ceiling reminiscent of the nearby Natural Bridge. Surviving the ravages of the Civil War, the house stood virtually unchanged for over a century.

1916

In 1916 the property was purchased by Ohio architect Curtis Walton and his aunt Lilly who transformed the original federal style structure into an English country manor reminiscent of Lilly’s British ancestry. The two-story center hall remained, however, the original arched ceiling was removed and replaced with stunning oak woodwork and arches salvaged from an English estate.

In addition, the Walton’s built three Greek revival cottages on the property. The largest, Vine Cottage, served as their temporary home as the Manor House was being renovated.

2011-Present

Owners Chris Walker and Cliff DeVito purchased the Forest Oaks estate in 2011 and have been diligently working to restore the property since then. It was love at first site when the owners first walked into the Manor House, in-spite of the amount of work that would be needed to bring the property back to its original beauty, to transform it into a remarkable bed and breakfast in Shenandoah valley.

The transition from their home in Phoenix, Arizona to a rural Virginia lifestyle was seamless since both Chris and Cliff were looking for a change from the desert southwest climate. The four-season climate, lush vegetation and history of the region was a natural draw. Restoring Forest Oaks has become a passion as is sharing the estate’s beauty and history with the public.

In addition to the restoration of the Manor House, The Vine Cottage has been completely restored and is now a vacation rental, and the estate’s Carriage House has been transformed into Forest Oaks Bakery.