This house got flipped back into another century.
In West Virginia’s Monroe County, civil rights lawyer and YouTuber John H. Bryan has uncovered a rare relic of national history inside the walls of an old plantation home — one that dates to the birth of our nation, and one that has gone viral on social media.
Built in 1770, this compound had long been occupied by a locally beloved teacher whose family had owned it for generations, Bryan told The Post.
After she passed away, a lawyer acquaintance of his purchased the property but, only being interested in its land, agreed to sell Bryan the house and the adjacent outbuildings — plus a few surrounding acres — for $75,000.
But there was much more involved.
An amateur historian, Bryan “was 90% sure” that a Revolutionary War fort was buried in the walls of the residence, which he believed had been built around the historic structure — essentially having the existing construction envelop the original fort like an outer shell — and bought it with the explicit purpose of finding out.
“We closed on the place and literally drove the mile down the road, and I took a crowbar to it like 10 minutes later,” he said of the day in April 2019 when he finally confirmed what he’d long suspected.
Behind a thick layer of plaster, he found clear evidence that the property had once been Bryrnside’s Fort, a log fortress dating to the American Revolution.
In a viral thread posted to X early this month, Bryan documented the discoveries, showing photos of the dramatic process to boot, which earned his uploads tens of thousands of likes from onlookers.
“Almost none of the Rev War frontier log forts survive,” he wrote in his initial post, giving followers a rare glimpse into prime American history. What followed were images of the property he purchased — a stately white-tone structure with shutters surrounded by rolling countryside — and an interior with plaster walls and wood trim.
However, as the thread continues, X users can see the demolition phase when the removal of the 1850s plaster unveiled walls lined with original wide-plank oak that Bryan said were “in perfect condition.” His images show the before-and-after — from just-uncovered timber to the dazzling result of diligent hand-scrubbing and pressure washing to restore them to their former glory.
What’s next, a tweet showing the final look, featuring furnishings and wooden beams along the ceiling that perfectly complement the Colonial history. Subsequent tweets also show how this work extended upstairs into the bedrooms, whose walls bear the same timber pattern, as well as original cabin windows.
“Like everywhere else, everything you see was encased in 1850s plaster, including the ceilings,” he tweeted.
It wasn’t just what the 19th-century plaster cover ultimately unveiled.
In the thread, Bryan also revealed an enormous assortment of antiques he found while partially excavating the yard which, in addition to the contents of the home, constituted “basically an entire family’s belongings from the mid 19th century through 2016.” Images show a Civil War-era black dress, a family photo in a gilded frame and an 1840s cabinet full of books from the time, such as one belonging to a soldier who was stationed at the fort.
What’s more, in that same cabinet, he found a World War I-era gas mask, patches and other wartime mementos belonging to the father of the home’s last occupant.
Onlookers following the length of the thread, which kept uncovering more gems, voiced their support for Bryan’s work.
“This was an amazing thread,” said one. “What a treasure trove of great finds, along with a lot of painstaking work.” Meanwhile, others said, “thank you for letting us all go back in time,” and, “This was such a good thread for US history buffs, thank you and great work!”
Bryan finished restoring the log walls back in 2021, but his renovation of the space is ongoing, and the glowing reaction he’s received to his online thread has inspired him to start again. The project had been put on a back burner somewhat after his YouTube channel took off.
“I see myself continuing to work on it and then somehow being able to open it up to the public,” he said.
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