View from inside a cafe showing a large front window with a porch and steps leading to a Victorian-style house with a turret, a lawn, and pink flowering trees in the background. A person is sitting at the counter.
Old black and white photo of a large Victorian-style house with multiple gables, a turret, and a porch, surrounded by a picket fence and some bushes.
Close-up of a Victorian carved wooden staircase with intricate designs and a rounded top, set against a wooden background of stairs.
Two musicians performing on the covered front porch of a Victorian home, one playing drums and the other playing a guitar.
A woman standing in front of a Victorian-style house with a porch and decorative columns.

Meet the House

Built in 1895 for the Paxton family by local architect William G. McDowell, the Paxton House is a classic three-story Victorian in the heart of Lexington’s Historic District. McDowell—who later designed the Rockbridge County Courthouse—brought the same craftsmanship to this home, now known for its tall windows, wide porches, and original details you won’t find in modern builds.

More than a century later, the house remains a piece of Lexington’s history—and members of the Paxton family still live nearby. Today, it’s shared with guests who appreciate a little history with their getaway.

Before its current chapter, the Paxton House had a rowdier past. For much of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, it was home to Washington & Lee fraternities including Pi Kappa Alpha in the 1970s. The house earned the nickname “Münster House” in the 1990s—a nod to both its Gothic silhouette and well-worn condition. The front porch, now a place for quiet mornings and sunset chats, once hosted band parties (one of which lives on in our photo gallery).

Time—and a lot of care—has restored the house’s dignity, though we like to think a little of that wild spirit still lingers in the floorboards.

We bought the house in 2019 to house our eldest daughter and her friends during their senior year at Washington & Lee. What started as a short-term college rental quickly became something more. As we fixed it up and spent more time here, we fell in love—with the house, the town, and its stories.

Since then, it’s become one of our family’s home away from home. We’ve poured time and care into bringing it back to life, and now open its doors to guests who love old houses, good stories, and small-town Virginia.

Our History in Photos
A family of six people, four women, one man, and one teenage boy, gathered on a wooden staircase, smiling and holding hands there for a photo.
women standing on the front porch of a house, hugging and kissing a young boy who is smiling and in the center. The house has white stairs and railing, a brick exterior, and patriotic decorations including a red, white, and blue bunting. The women are dressed casually.
A man and a woman sitting on a porch, both drinking from cups. The man wears a white shirt, black pants, and a navy cap, while the woman wears a patterned dress and is barefoot with her sandals on the porch floor. Behind them is a street with parked cars and trees.

Meet Your Hosts

We’re a large, close-knit family that values tradition, faith, and creating spaces where people feel at home. Life for us is full and always moving—whether we’re hosting guests, planning celebrations, or staying connected across a few different states.

Hospitality is part of our everyday life. We love bringing people together and take pride in maintaining homes that feel warm, thoughtful, and welcoming. The Paxton House is one of those places—restored with care, filled with character, and shared with intention.

At the center of our life together is our Christian faith, which shapes how we care for each other, raise our children, and build routines that give meaning to the day-to-day. We lean into projects that matter, keep learning, and try to show up for one another with grace and purpose—ideally with a little humor, too.

Even as life moves quickly, we’re learning to slow down where it counts: to make room for porch conversations, shared meals, and the kind of everyday beauty that stays with you.

That’s the spirit we hope you’ll feel during your time at the Paxton House.