“Scott and I are thrilled to have purchased this 1811 beauty located in downtown Leesburg, Virginia. Formerly known as the Lynch House, we are renaming the property the Eliza House after Eliza Thompson, the woman who bravely fought a 13-year court battle for her ownership of the home after her husband was killed in the Civil War. She is also rumored to still roam the halls.

When I toured this house back in 2020, I knew that when the time was right, I would purchase it. After the contract was executed a few weeks ago, Scott asked me, “Why are you doing this?”

I answered him honestly. “Because I’m bored.”

While I love writing novels and enjoy my time in the studio painting, there is little that has brought me greater joy than the Selma project. By no means is the Eliza House in the dire condition of Selma, but it suffers from years of neglect, which often happens when residents become elderly and must vacate the home they loved.

As we begin this journey, we will document the daily progress. All of our restoration work will be coordinated with the town officials and in consideration of our neighbors. And while I am not at liberty to disclose our plans for the Eliza House at this time, I can assure you that our intent is not to “fix-and-flip” the house. We believe in restoring a house with the highest quality methods, materials, and finishes and will be using the same care and preservation mindfulness as we used to rebuild Selma. We also believe these old homes should be restored with a sustainable long-term purpose in mind. Our hope is that our efforts will encourage others to do the same—to consider purchasing these old gems in need of a little (and often times a lot) of TLC and restore them for their own purposes instead of buying “new”. I can assure you that it’s a journey worth taking!”  – Sharon Virts