Lovejoy began the process of preserving the two-acre property at 8526 Georgetown Pike several years ago with the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust. The work was unfinished when he died in 2021, but his three daughters continued to seek protection of the house and grounds. In June, the property, now on the market for $1.
in 2006. He called it a place where “the tension just rolls away.” But it wasn’t always a solitary escape. Lovejoy hosted dinner parties for prominent figures — coming from across the country, Capitol Hill to Hollywood — to discuss environmental matters. The main house, built in the 1700s , was part of a mill complex owned by Bryan Fairfax, a wealthy landowner and friend of George Washington. The property was once part of a larger Fairfax estate, Towlston Manor, and the name Drover’s Rest refers to travelers who stopped there in the early 20th century. At other times, the property was the site of a post office for the Prospect Hill community and, in the late 1800s, a general store.