his wife Dessie, who had moved to Washington, D.C. after Wade Ellis accepted a position as assistant to the U.S. Attorney General. The Ellises both renovated and preserved the property. Sometime after buying Rippon Lodge, Ellis discovered Richard Blackburn was his ancestor, but it remains unclear at what point during his tenure this became known and how much it influenced the preservation efforts. After Wade Ellis died, Mrs. Ellis sold the house to another Blackburn family member, Admiral Richard Blackburn Black, an Arctic explorer and compatriot of Admiral Byrd. Admiral Black's daughter inherited the house in 1989 and sold it to Prince William County in 2000. The house and grounds are now maintained by the Prince William County Department of Parks and Recreation, and by a local friends organization. Hours Prince William County has restored the house and maintains the surrounding of property. Rippon Lodge is open to the public from May through October on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 11am to 4pm. References External links Prince William County, Virginia - Rippon Lodge - official site The history of the Prince William County Waterfront A Collision Of Housing And History, Prince William Leaders Resist Builder's Plans by Eric M. Weiss, Washington Post Staff Writer; The Washington Post, Friday, 7 May 2004, pp. B1 and B2 Historic Preservation/Archeology in Prince William County: Rippon Lodge Rippon Lodge (An article originally published in 1932) Rippon Lodge, State Route 638, Woodbridge, Prince William County, VA: 9 photos and 9 measured drawings at Historic American Buildings Survey Historic house museums in Virginia Museums in Prince William County, Virginia Plantation houses in Virginia Georgian architecture in Virginia Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Houses in Prince William County, Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Prince William County, Virginia Historic American Buildings Survey in Virginia