Our Story
The Hunter’s Head Tavern building, located in Upperville on Route 50 just west of Middleburg, began life around 1750 as a log cabin. After passing through several hands over the centuries, the building was purchased in 1997 by Sandy Lerner and transformed into a British-style tavern, serving locally sourced fare.
The (Old) Carr House is shown in Upperville in 1971.
(Courtesy of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources)
History Of The (Old) Carr House
The Carr House, now the site of Hunter’s Head Tavern, was built around 1750 as a log cabin built by Scotsman Stephen McPherson on property he purchased from The Reverend Dr. Charles Green, an early settler and large landowner of the Virginia Piedmont in the early 1700s. The town of Upperville was founded by, and originally named for, Joseph Carr, a grandson of John Carr who had emigrated from Ireland to just south of Leesburg in the 1750s. Joseph Carr purchased Stephen McPherson’s farm, mill and log cabin — the original Hunter’s Head building — and later opened a general store. In 1793, he received a grant of land, bisected by the Ashby Gap Road (now Route 50), which became “Carr Town” officially in 1798. At Joseph Carr’s death in 1828, he owned some 2,500 acres in the Upperville area.
As his businesses flourished, Joseph Carr moved his family from the present structure to a larger brick house across the road, hence the historical name, the Old Carr House.
At the time of its last purchase in 1997, the upper-story addition to the original cabin (the east end of the building) was falling into the first floor because the cabin’s ceiling beams in the east room were inadequate to support the second floor, added sometime in the early 1800s.
The central portion of the 1790s addition (the area which today includes the bar and west dining room) was structurally unviable due to the removal of most of the roof ridge beam at some point in the house’s history.
According to one builder who worked on the restoration, “I’ve been in this business for 35 years and I have no idea why it’s still standing.”
Partly because of the missing ridge beam, and partly because of its proximity to the creek, the house had settled so much that most of the windows were inoperable and the doors unable to close, and the floor joists on the first floor needed to be replaced due to insect and moisture damage. The stone foundations and the fireplace in the west room had to be completely rebuilt.
Restoration & Preservation
Which Brings Us To Today…
Hunter’s Head Tavern opened in 2001 as an ode to the traditional British public house, offering a gathering place for locals and travelers alike to enjoy comforting food and a good drink. Focused on sourcing local ingredients, including sustainably raised meats and eggs from the pub’s own regenerative farm just down the road, Hunter’s Head is steeped in the essence of Virginia Hunt County. The building retains the Carr House’s original log cabin walls, fireplaces, mantels and, on the upper stories, its floors. The original house well is visible in the basement. The only change to the design of the house has been the addition of the small kitchen at the back of the original building.