Payne constructed a small grist mill, probably on Piney Branch which ran through the Hope Park property.

[7][8] Until relocating to Hope Park sometime between 1791 and 1793, the couple resided at Custis's Abingdon plantation overlooking the Potomac River.

[1][7][9] Estates along major waterways found transport and communication easier than those in the interior of Fairfax County such as Hope Park, so the Stuarts initially lived at Custis' Abington plantation on the Potomac River on the grounds of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, before moving to Hope Park.

[8][9] Dr. David Stuart purchased Hope Park plantation in 1785, two years after marrying General Washington's widowed daughter-in-law described below.

[3][7] Stuart was an Alexandria physician and planter who served several terms (part-time) as one of Fairfax County's representatives in the Virginia House of Delegates.

On January 22, 1791, then President Washington appointed Dr. Stuart as the member representing Virginia on the first board of Commissioners of the Federal City, and he served for almost four years.

[6][13] Their precise dates of construction remain unknown, but in a sale notice in 1815 (a year after Dr. Stuart's death) it was advertised as being "in complete repair".

[2][6] They returned following the Confederate victory at the First Battle of Bull Run, finding both the Hope Park and Huntley residences still standing, but obviously vandalized, presumably by Union soldiers.

[13] Confederate forces vacated the Hope Park Mill in March 1862, as Union Army troops advanced into western Fairfax County to conduct foraging and resupply operations against civilians.

[13] Hope Park Mill and Miller's House are located at 12124 Pope's Head Road, Fairfax, Virginia.

[16] The Hope Park mansion house and the mill were photographed by the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) in the 1930s.

As of the time of this article's composition and subsequent to the Barnes' tenure, ownership of the Hope Park mansion house (and its fluctuating acreages due to sales or inheritances) has been held by, the Newmans, Zimmerman, the Mattinglys, the Flints, and the Warhursts.

It obtained a new address then when the old farm lane from Popes Head Road to the mansion house was named to accommodate the development.