Built in 1757 by Charles Binns, Sr., first clerk of the circuit court of Loudoun County, Rokeby is the place where the Articles of Confederation, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were stored for safekeeping in 1814 during the British occupation of Washington. The hallowed documents were kept in a still-intact vaulted room in the cellar. Rokeby is the largest and most formal colonial house in the region. Much of its original Georgian character was changed in 1836 when, in the course of an extensive renovation by its owner, Benjamin Shreve, Jr., the clipped gables were removed, the windows were remodeled, and the interior trim was replaced. The house was enlarged in 1886 with an extensive rear addition and was returned somewhat to its early appearance during a 1958 restoration.