The History of Hartwood Mansion


The Hartwood Mansion was commissioned by George W.F. Mulliss, and industrialist, who came to Martinsburg in 1895.  The mansion was designed by architect Alexander Merchant and constructed in 1929.

Hartwood is a superb example of Neo-Georgian Revival architecture.  Superior design and craftsmanship have been artistically and gracefully blended to provide ambiance of elegance and warmth.  Beautifully situated on the crest of a gently sloping hill dotted with stately trees and floral gardens, Hartwood is an impressive structure built of steel reinforced , eight inch thick, Pennsylvania blue limestone.

Mr. Mulliss began his long career with the Kilbourn Knitting Machine Company in 1897, shortly after arriving in Martinsburg and was made President of the local company in 1932, after Kilbourn was taken over by the Inter Woven Mills.  By 1940 the mill, under Mr. Mulliss’ guidance, had reached it’s heyday employing fifteen hundred people, by far the largest employer in Berkeley County.

Mr. Mulliss died in 1953. The Kilbourn Mill buildings were listed on the National Register in 1980, as a complex of Romanesque Revival Industrial buildings.

Hartwood became the home of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Lang in 1955.

The Mansion was fully restored in 1998 and a ballroom was added to the mansion.

Chef Daniel Harshbarger and his wife Tiffany are now the current owners.