The conspicuously placed dwelling at Carlton is one of several large old houses crowning the heights around Falmouth and Fredericksburg in Stafford County. The exterior follows a standard Georgian format, employing a five-bay façade and hipped roof. Most of Carlton’s original exterior and interior fabric survives, including a large built-in glass-door cupboard in the dining room. The stair rail is terminated at the newel with a vertical spiral or ram’s horn carving. Located at the edge of a steep promontory directly overlooking Falmouth, Carlton was the home of John Short, a local merchant who had the house built ca. 1785 after his marriage to Judith Ball of Lancaster County.  Adding to Carlton’s historic ambience are three original outbuildings: a kitchen/laundry, dairy, and smokehouse.