The Ellington Manor at Hawthorne Plateau

The Ellington family established their manor at Hawthorne Plateau in 1892 after Charles Ellington commissioned the Queen Anne residence following his success as a wool merchant and livestock investor. Three generations lived there, including Charles, his wife Margaret, their children, and later grandchildren who assisted with farm accounts and business matters. Their income came from sheep farming, wool production, and regional agricultural contracts.

County records describe the manor as a significant local residence with formal rooms, guest quarters, and maintained gardens. The turret, verandas, and stained-glass interiors remained carefully preserved during the family’s most successful period.

The first warning sign appeared in 1927 when Ellington Wool Company lost several contracts after falling prices weakened the regional market. During the economic downturn of the early 1930s, the family dismissed garden workers, reduced household staff, and closed several guest bedrooms to lower expenses. Repairs to the copper roof sections, sandstone columns, and formal garden paths were postponed as debts increased. After Charles died in 1932, his children entered an inheritance dispute over the manor and farmland. By 1935, unpaid loans and overdue taxes forced Margaret and the remaining family members to leave Hawthorne Plateau.

The Ellington Manor was abandoned in 1936 after foreclosure followed years of agricultural decline, unpaid debts, and unresolved inheritance disputes. No restoration occurred, and no Ellington descendants returned after leaving Hawthorne Plateau. County records documented ownership changes but no successful preservation efforts. Household papers and personal belongings remained inside as moisture, weather, and neglect damaged the residence. The Queen Anne manor still stands within the overgrown garden, empty and deteriorating with no restoration completed and no confirmed future owner.