In 1918 the U.S. government purchased Mulberry Island and the surrounding land in order to establish an army post known as Camp Eustis, now Fort Eustis.
The Matthew Jones House was among the properties acquired at this time.
The Army used the building as post housing for several decades.
After World War II, the house was abandoned and sat vacant for years.

In 1940, a project to measure and record the Matthew Jones House was undertaken as part of the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS).
Drawings of all four elevations and floor plans of the first and second floors and of the cellar were produced, and ten photographs of the exterior were taken.
A HABS inventory form was completed in 1959.
In April 1969 the house was declared a Virginia Historic Landmark, and in June of the same year it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

By the late twentieth century, the house was noticeably deteriorating.
Members of the Fort Eustis Historical and Archaeological Association took notice and urged the Army to take steps to preserve it.
In 1993, personnel from the National Park Service's Williamsport Preservation Training Center (WPTC), using funding provided by the Norfolk office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, undertook a project to halt the decline of the house.
The primary objective of this project was the stabilization and preservation of the building, with a secondary goal of providing the opportunity for visitors to see the building techniques that were used in the past.
In order to facilitate this second objective, it was decided to leave the interior of the building in a state of "semi-ruin," with architectural elements exposed.
All Period I and II elements were left intact, while Period III elements were repaired if possible or replaced, and twentieth-century features were removed.
The exterior of the house was restored to its Period III appearance.
Today the house is managed by the Fort Eustis Cultural Resources program.

References:
National Park Service (2010-07-09). "
National Register Information System".
National Register of Historic Places.
National Park Service.

"Virginia Landmarks Register".
Virginia Department of Historic Resources.
Retrieved 19 March 2013.

Graham, Willie, William J. Davis, Donald W. Linebaugh, Leslie McFaden, and Vanessa Patrick 1991 A Preservation Plan for the Matthew Jones House, Fort Eustis, Virginia.
William and Mary Center for Archaeological Research, Williamsburg, Virginia.
Submitted to Telemarc, Inc., Vienna, Virginia.
p. 35
Graham, Willie, William J. Davis, Donald W. Linebaugh, Leslie McFaden, and Vanessa Patrick 1991 A Preservation Plan for the Matthew Jones House, Fort Eustis, Virginia.
William and Mary Center for Archaeological Research, Williamsburg, Virginia.
Submitted to Telemarc, Inc., Vienna, Virginia.
p. 44
Fort Eustis Cultural Resources 2014 The Matthew Jones House.
Pamphlet produced by Fort Eustis Cultural Resources, pp.11-13
Graham, Willie, William J. Davis, Donald W. Linebaugh, Leslie McFaden, and Vanessa Patrick 1991 A Preservation Plan for the Matthew Jones House, Fort Eustis, Virginia.
William and Mary Center for Archaeological Research, Williamsburg, Virginia.
Submitted to Telemarc, Inc., Vienna, Virginia.
p. 42
Graham, Willie, William J. Davis, Donald W. Linebaugh, Leslie McFaden, and Vanessa Patrick 1991 A Preservation Plan for the Matthew Jones House, Fort Eustis, Virginia.
William and Mary Center for Archaeological Research, Williamsburg, Virginia.
Submitted to Telemarc, Inc., Vienna, Virginia.
p. 52
Heikkenen, Herman J. et al.
1984 The Last Year of Tree Growth for Selected Timbers Within the Matthew Jones House as Derived by the Key-Year Dendrochronology Technique.
American Institute of Dendrochronology, Blacksburg, Virginia.

Heikkenen, Herman J. et al.
1986 The Last Year of Tree Growth for Selected Timbers Within the Tower and Attic of the Matthew Jones House as Derived by the Key-Year Dendrochronology Technique.
American Institute of Dendrochronology, Blacksburg, Virginia.

Graham, Willie, William J. Davis, Donald W. Linebaugh, Leslie McFaden, a
In 1918 the U.S. government purchased Mulberry Island and the surrounding land in order to establish an army post known as Camp Eustis, now Fort Eustis. The Matthew Jones House was among the properties acquired at this time. The Army used the building as post housing for several decades. After World War II, the house was abandoned and sat vacant for years.
In 1940, a project to measure and record the Matthew Jones House was undertaken as part of the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS). Drawings of all four elevations and floor plans of the first and second floors and of the cellar were produced, and ten photographs of the exterior were taken. A HABS inventory form was completed in 1959. In April 1969 the house was declared a Virginia Historic Landmark, and in June of the same year it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
By the late twentieth century, the house was noticeably deteriorating. Members of the Fort Eustis Historical and Archaeological Association took notice and urged the Army to take steps to preserve it. In 1993, personnel from the National Park Service's Williamsport Preservation Training Center (WPTC), using funding provided by the Norfolk office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, undertook a project to halt the decline of the house. The primary objective of this project was the stabilization and preservation of the building, with a secondary goal of providing the opportunity for visitors to see the building techniques that were used in the past. In order to facilitate this second objective, it was decided to leave the interior of the building in a state of "semi-ruin," with architectural elements exposed. All Period I and II elements were left intact, while Period III elements were repaired if possible or replaced, and twentieth-century features were removed. The exterior of the house was restored to its Period III appearance. Today the house is managed by the Fort Eustis Cultural Resources program.
References:
National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
"Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
Graham, Willie, William J. Davis, Donald W. Linebaugh, Leslie McFaden, and Vanessa Patrick 1991 A Preservation Plan for the Matthew Jones House, Fort Eustis, Virginia. William and Mary Center for Archaeological Research, Williamsburg, Virginia. Submitted to Telemarc, Inc., Vienna, Virginia. p. 35
Graham, Willie, William J. Davis, Donald W. Linebaugh, Leslie McFaden, and Vanessa Patrick 1991 A Preservation Plan for the Matthew Jones House, Fort Eustis, Virginia. William and Mary Center for Archaeological Research, Williamsburg, Virginia. Submitted to Telemarc, Inc., Vienna, Virginia. p. 44
Fort Eustis Cultural Resources 2014 The Matthew Jones House. Pamphlet produced by Fort Eustis Cultural Resources, pp.11-13
Graham, Willie, William J. Davis, Donald W. Linebaugh, Leslie McFaden, and Vanessa Patrick 1991 A Preservation Plan for the Matthew Jones House, Fort Eustis, Virginia. William and Mary Center for Archaeological Research, Williamsburg, Virginia. Submitted to Telemarc, Inc., Vienna, Virginia. p. 42
Graham, Willie, William J. Davis, Donald W. Linebaugh, Leslie McFaden, and Vanessa Patrick 1991 A Preservation Plan for the Matthew Jones House, Fort Eustis, Virginia. William and Mary Center for Archaeological Research, Williamsburg, Virginia. Submitted to Telemarc, Inc., Vienna, Virginia. p. 52
Heikkenen, Herman J. et al. 1984 The Last Year of Tree Growth for Selected Timbers Within the Matthew Jones House as Derived by the Key-Year Dendrochronology Technique. American Institute of Dendrochronology, Blacksburg, Virginia.
Heikkenen, Herman J. et al. 1986 The Last Year of Tree Growth for Selected Timbers Within the Tower and Attic of the Matthew Jones House as Derived by the Key-Year Dendrochronology Technique. American Institute of Dendrochronology, Blacksburg, Virginia.
Graham, Willie, William J. Davis, Donald W. Linebaugh, Leslie McFaden, a
Matthew Jones House