Article by Gwen Jones, Department of Family Services
(Posted 2026 July)
Sheila Consaul has always been fascinated by historic properties. She loves the architecture, design details, and craftsmanship only found in old buildings. After spending 15 years restoring a historic lighthouse in Ohio to use as her summer home, Sheila applied to Fairfax County Park Authority’s Resident Curator Program. Now, one year into her tenure as resident curator of Ash Grove, a historic home in Vienna, she has made significant progress restoring and preserving an important piece of Fairfax County history.
Sheila was born and raised just outside of Syracuse, New York. She attended Bradley University in Illinois, majoring in international relations. During college, she lived in Washington, D.C., for a semester while interning on Capitol Hill. She enjoyed the experience, so she returned after graduation to work on Capitol Hill. While initially involved in politics and diplomacy, she later developed an interest in public relations and earned a master’s degree in communications from American University. She continued to work in the communications field throughout her career.
From an early age, Sheila has been drawn to old houses. “I love exploring old buildings, whether they’re churches, barns, taverns, carriage houses, whatever – old, nasty, dirty buildings,” she says. She dreamed of buying and restoring an old property and making it her home. Her first experience, renovating a historic home in old town Manassas, fueled her passion for restoring old buildings.
Tired of the hot and humid summers in Virginia, Sheila decided to buy a summer home. Her criteria were that it had to be on the water, within a reasonable driving distance so she could bring her dog, and not along the I-95 corridor. “I just happened to hear that the government was auctioning off lighthouses through the General Services Administration, and I thought that’s pretty interesting. First of all, they’re going to be historic and second, they’ll be on the water somewhere,” she recalls.
In 2007, she began to seriously consider bidding on a lighthouse. Some were impractical, like one located in the middle of Lake Ontario and only accessible by boat. In 2009, the Fairport Harbor West Lighthouse in Ohio became available at auction. Built in 1925, it is larger than most at almost 3,000 square feet – a feature that attracted Sheila. “I figured if I’m going to do this, I might as well make it so people can come and enjoy it and stay over. Rather than one of those little tubes where you get stairs and maybe one room,” she says. Although bidding began in 2009, it took two years before she was able to purchase the lighthouse in 2011.
Fairport Harbor West Lighthouse was abandoned in the 1940s, so Sheila was the first person to live there in 70 years. It was built like a fortress; designed to withstand the harsh weather conditions along Lake Erie. Sheila’s challenge was to make the lighthouse livable by today’s standards. One major task was rewiring the entire property. It now operates off grid, powered by wind and solar, as well as a generator. Another hurdle was running water. The keepers who lived there from 1925 to the 1940s drew water directly from Lake Erie. It took Sheila nine years to get running water at the lighthouse.
Another big challenge was time. Sheila only lives at the lighthouse from Memorial Day weekend to Columbus Day weekend, so work was limited to a few months each year. “I’d get to the end of the season and be like, okay, I’ll just wait until next year for different projects,” she says. Finally, after 15 years, the lighthouse was done even though she notes that with old houses, there are always things that need to be done.
As work on the lighthouse was winding down, Sheila started to look for another restoration project. “I was searching online for old houses and opportunities and I came across the resident curator program in Fairfax,” she recalls. The Resident Curator Program, established in 2014 by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, was designed to preserve and maintain historic properties owned by the county by leasing them to individuals or businesses. Resident curators are responsible for maintaining and rehabilitating the properties and in exchange for their work and investment, they don’t pay rent.
Sheila contacted Stephanie Langton, the Resident Curator Program Manager with Fairfax County Park Authority, who put her in touch with a curator in Lorton. “I talked to him about what it was like, if he was enjoying it, is it worth the investment, does it put a crimp in your lifestyle,” she says.
Sheila applied to be the resident curator of Ash Grove, which was built by the Fairfax family in 1790. They occupied it until 1847 when it was sold to the Sherman family. Generations of the Shermans lived there until 1997, when Fairfax County acquired it. It took a year from the time she applied to finally be approved.
When Sheila moved into the home in July 2025, it had been vacant for over 20 years. On her first day, the water was turned on for the first time in decades and everything leaked – pipes, toilets, sinks, faucets. After the water was turned off, Sheila spent her first week with a team of plumbers, who fixed or replaced all the plumbing. Aside from the plumbing, Ash Grove was in fairly good shape except for peeling wallpaper, outdated bathrooms, and a 1960s kitchen complete with turquoise cabinets, dark paneling and linoleum flooring.
Most of the work Sheila has done so far has been on the interior of the home – updating the kitchen and one bathroom, removing the peeling wallpaper, and painting nearly every room. “I’m trying to keep the historic integrity of the home. Generally, the rules are that they want you to keep the outside intact. The inside is a little more flexible because they know we don’t live today like we lived back then,” Sheila says. To decorate the home, she chose colonial paint colors from Sherwin Williams historic palette and furnished it with her furniture, mostly family heirlooms, which suit the style of the home.
Because of her previous restoration experience, Sheila was well prepared for the role of resident curator. “One of the things that I brought is a better understanding of the work that it takes, but also the desire to save what you can. You want to save the floors and details as much as possible where it’s historic,” she says. She also wants her interior design to reflect the home’s stature, saying, “You think about when those people (the Fairfax family) were here. It would have been a house that was pretty prominent. It wasn’t just a farmhouse or an average house down the block. I want to make sure that I keep that prestige.”
Sheila’s work as resident curator has been a good fit for her lifestyle. Although retired, she still teaches part time at Georgetown University and consults for one client. In her spare time, she and her dog volunteer at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center doing pet therapy with wounded veterans, their families and staff. She is also a big sports fan and holds season tickets for the Washington Commanders. She has found that Ash Grove is great for entertaining, and her visitors enjoy touring the historic home.
If you feel passionate about historic preservation and have some experience with restoration, Sheila recommends applying for the resident curator program. Her advice includes being prepared to put some sweat equity into the property, research things you don’t know, be ready to deal with some bureaucracy, and ask for help if you need it. Finally, remember that the house isn’t yours; you are a steward for the property. “You’re just part of the history of it and if you can make it better or contribute to the betterment of it or success or continuity of it – that’s great. That’s how you have to look at it,” she says.
To learn more about Fairfax County’s Resident Curator program, visit FairfaxCounty.gov/parks/resident-curator-program.
Want to visit Ash Grove? The Fairfax County Park Authority invites the public to an open house at the Ash Grove Historic House on Saturday, July 11, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Due to limited onsite parking, a shuttle bus service will be provided from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Members of the public should park at Westbriar Elementary School, located at 1741 Pine Valley Drive in Vienna, where a Fastran shuttle will transport visitors to the historic site. The shuttle will run between the school and Ash Grove on the half hour. The last return trip from Ash Grove to Westbriar Elementary will depart at 1 p.m. Learn more about the open house.
This article is part of the Golden Gazette monthly newsletter which covers a variety of topics and community news concerning older adults and caregivers in Fairfax County. Are you new to the Golden Gazette? Don’t miss out on future newsletters! Subscribe to get the electronic or free printed version mailed to you. Have a suggestion for a topic? Share it in an email or call 703-324-GOLD (4653).