BARNES MANSION
97 E. MAIN STREET
Barnes Mansion Snapshot:
- James Barnes was a coal miner who moved up in the coal industry to become an operator
- He built this beautiful home on Main Street in 1905 for his wife, Martha
- Barnes was a close friend and in a business partnership with J.V. Thompson. Along with that, he enjoyed the thriving social society of Uniontown
- Built in the Georgian Revival style with a porte cochere leading to the carriage house
- Currently the District Attorney’s office of Fayette County
Barnes Mansion- The Full Story:
James Ross Barnes was born in Hopwood on July 9, 1860 to Staten and Martha Ann Tibbs. He came from a humble beginning; his father was a coal miner and James learned the trade literally from the ground up. He soon became an operator in the coal and coke industries. His keen business instincts served him well. He moved up in Uniontown society and became friends with banker J.V. Thompson. This was the gilded age in this banking town. He built his first mansion on East Main Street for his wife Martha around 1905. In fact, he put this home in his wife’s name alone.
James Barnes
Barnes then decided to build a grand house at the far end of Hopwood. Everything he loved about life he put into this estate: a duck house, a lake for swimming and boating, a barn for his horses and one of the finest homes in Fayette County. And this house he put in his wife Martha’s name as well. In fact it was called “Martha’s Place.” One might wonder why both homes were deeded to Martha. Perhaps early on Barnes wondered about his partnership with Thompson. On paper, Thompson was incredibly wealthy but when his creditors came calling in 1915, J.V.’s bank failed and all those who had invested with him suffered terrific financial losses. Luckily for Barnes and his beloved wife Martha, they were able to hold on to their Hopwood estate. Years ago the property was subdivided and is in need of attention. We hope this Hopwood treasure, as well as the property on East Main, now the Fayette County District Attorney’s office, are with us for years to come.
The Barnes Estate in Hopwood
Fayette County Historical Society
P.O. Box 193, Uniontown, PA 15401
724.439.4422