GLOUCESTER-MATHEWS
Sponsored by The Garden Club of Gloucester
Saturday, April 24, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
HEADQUARTERS AND INFORMATION: Long Bridge Ordinary, an 18th century building with distinctive original woodwork, is located at the junction of Business Rte 17 and Rte 14. Open for guided tours during Historic Garden Week and throughout the year by appointment. Virginia Historic Landmark; National Register of Historic Places.
Chairmen:
Mrs. Robert J. Richter (Joyce) Mrs.
John E. Cooper (Shannah)
5397 Three Mile Lane 7458
Lewis Avenue
Gloucester, VA 23061 Gloucester,
VA 23061
Telephone: (804) 694-0772 Telephone: (804)
693-5552
E-mail: jpr8080@cox.net E-mail: spcooper@cox.net
Co-Chairmen:
Mrs. Norman R. Malo (Karen) Mrs.
Howard Griffith (Mary Ann)
Carousel, P.O. Box 126 9842
Anchorage Lane
Dutton, VA 23050 Gloucester,
VA 23061
E-mail: carouselmimi@gmail.com E-mail: magriff@dishmail.net
DIRECTIONS TO HEADQUARTERS (Long Bridge Ordinary):
From Norfolk and Virginia Beach: Take I-64 W toward Richmond. Take Exit 258B (Rte 17 N, J. Clyde Morris Blvd., Yorktown) on right. Continue onto Rte 17 N for 23.3 mi. ($2.00 toll or Smart Tag required for Coleman Bridge northbound). Exit right onto Bus. Rte 17 N. Headquarters on right.
From Richmond: Take I-64 E toward Norfolk. Take Exit 220 (Rte 33 E, West Point) on right. Continue onto Rte 33 E. Bear right onto Rte 14. Turn right onto Rte 17 S. At light, turn left onto Bus. Rte 17 into Gloucester Courthouse. Continue on Main St. past light. Headquarters on left.
From Washington, D.C.: Take I-95 S. Take Exit 126 (Rte 1, Rte 17 S) on right. Turn right onto Rte 1 S (Rte 17 S). Bear left onto Rte 17. Continue onto Rte 17 S to Gloucester. At light, turn left onto Bus. Rte 17. Continue on Main St. past light. Headquarters on left.
FULL TICKET: $25. Single-site admission $10. Children 6-12, $10; 5 and under, free. Adult must accompany minors under 16. Tickets, map and brochure are available on day of tour at headquarters and at each site.
ADVANCE TICKET: $20, available by accessing www.VAGardenweek.org or at Twice Told Tales Bookstore (two locations), Main St., Gloucester (804) 693-9209, and Main St., Kilmarnock, (804) 435-9201. Advance tickets can also be ordered by mail from Mrs. William DuPaul (Jaye), P.O. Box 42, Ware Neck, VA 23178 (804) 693-6742), waresjaye@aol.com. Send check for $20 per ticket, plus $1.50 for postage and handling payable to Garden Club of Gloucester by SATURDAY, APRIL 11.
BAG LUNCH AT NUTALL COUNTRY STORE: From Headquarters, turn right on Rte 14 for 2.2 mi. Turn right on Rte 623 (Ware Neck Rd.) for 2.6 mi.; store is on left. Lunch: Turkey croissant sandwich, fruit salad, home-made brownie and bottled water. Lunches must be ordered and pre-paid by FRIDAY, APRIL 16. Send check for $13.50 per lunch, payable to Nutall Country Store, P. O. Box 84, Ware Neck, VA 23178; (804) 693-3067. See description of store under Historic Places of Interest.
LUNCHEON AT WARE RIVER YACHT CLUB by reservation only: From Headquarters, turn right on Rte 14 for 2.2 mi. Turn right on Rte 623 (Ware Neck Rd.) for 3 mi. Go left on Rte 625 (Ditchley Rd.) for 1.9 mi. Turn left on Rte 665 (Ware Point Rd.) for 0.8 mi. to Yacht Club entrance on right. Enjoy the waterfront view while dining on a chicken crepe, tossed green salad with balsamic dressing, ham biscuit, “Tequila” pie, coffee or tea, plus two drink tickets for either wine or beer, $25. Seating limited; served between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. To reserve, send check payable to Garden Club of Gloucester to Mrs. Gilbert Birdsall (804) 693-2927), P. O. Box 54, Ware Neck, VA 23178 by Monday, April 5.
REFRESHMENTS: Served at Dunham Massie Farm, 3-5 p.m.
BUSES: Due to rural roads, no large buses can be accommodated. Vehicles for 25 passengers or fewer are welcome. Tour guides will be furnished for buses free of charge with two weeks notice. Please contact: Ms. Ceci Brown, P.O. Box 160, Gloucester, VA 23061, (804) 693-3663, CCBZanoni@gmail.com
PARKING: Parking is available near each site. In the event of rain, shuttles may be used.
COTTAGE POINT. From Long Bridge Ordinary take Rte 14 for 2.2 mi. Turn right on Rte 623 (Ware Neck Rd.). Go 1.8 mi.; turn right onto dirt road at Cottage Point sign. Cottage Point, home of Willard and Letitia Grant, was designed by Blackburn Architects of Washington, D.C. and built by Robert Ottarson of Ware Neck. “The Studio” was constructed in 1998 and was used as a weekend retreat from Washington, D.C. until the main house followed in 2005. The five-and-a-half-acre property was part of a 1642 land grant to Thomas Curtis and was known as the Lowland Cottage tract until 1972, when Mrs. Grant inherited it from her father. Lowland Cottage was owned by Dr. William Taliaferro of Churchill and his descendants for six generations. The Grants’ goal was to build a fully modern retirement home with all the amenities for comfortable living in old age, but to make it look as if it had “always been there,” to harmonize with Lowland Cottage. With its setting on Cottage Point, the Grants sited the house to take full advantage of both upriver and downriver views of the Ware. A spacious riverside porch is the most noticeable feature.
The interior contains many artworks by Mrs. Grant’s grandmother, Hallie Taliaferro Montague, and other objects originally from Lowland Cottage. Hallie Montague studied painting in Europe (at the Munich Academy) for five years, and then spent one more year under painting masters in Paris (1897-1903). Artworks by Mrs. Montague hang in the Virginia State Capitol, Stratford Hall, the Masonic Lodge in Richmond and the Museum of the Confederacy. The Studio at Cottage Point houses artworks by Mrs. Grant herself and a number of her artist friends. She studied at Randolph-Macon Woman’s College and has exhibited widely in Washington, D.C. Open for the first time. Mr. and Mrs. Willard Grant, owners.
Gloucester-Mathews—Dunham Massie Farm
DUNHAM MASSIE FARM. From Long Bridge Ordinary, take Rte 14 for 2.2 mi.; turn right on Rte 623 (Ware Neck Rd.). Go 2.6 mi. to Nuttall’s store and turn left on Dunham Massie Lane. One mile to farm entrance. An ancient red oak and an American flag greet visitors to Dunham Massie Farm. The welcoming avenue of willow oaks leads past wildflower meadows and a pond created for wildlife. This warm and inviting home was built in 1845 on a picturesque peninsula on the North River. The present owners, only the fifth family to have owned Dunham Massie, purchased the property in 1986 and completed its extensive restoration in 1990. Dunham Massie takes its origin from the historic home of the same name in Cheshire, England. The interior is furnished with a cozy mix of rustic antiques, informal family pieces, and walls covered with a unique and whimsical collection of family memorabilia, folk art and paintings reflecting the owners’ love of animals.
The 50-acre farm incorporates lawns running down to the river, a recent shoreline restoration and several colorful cottage gardens tucked around the house and its many outbuildings. These interesting structures include a tiny two-story cottage, a sleeping porch at the river’s edge, a smokehouse, a garden shed, an outhouse and a corn crib. Dunham Massie’s gardens are popular with visitors and include shade and sun gardens, a kitchen herb garden, a meditation garden and a woodland path leading to a secret garden. Mr. and Mrs. Dean Williams, owners.
BELLE TERRE (gardens only). From Long Bridge Ordinary, turn right on Rte 14 for 2.2 mi.; turn right to Rte 623 (Ware Neck Rd.). Go 3 mi. and turn left on Rte 625 (Ditchley Rd.). At 0.8 mi., turn left and follow Rte 625. Continue for 0.5 mi. to Belle Terre on your left. The gardens at Belle Terre were first established when the house was built in 1959. Only the trees and some mature camellias remained when the present owners began to restore and add to the gardens in 2000. Since then the following have been added: a boxwood parterre at the entrance, a small herb garden, a pool garden, a woodland walk, a viburnum collection and numerous unusual shrubs. The owner, a retired landscape designer, relies on low-maintenance flowering shrubs, trees and bulbs for color. The gardens are designed around a perambulation of the periphery of seven acres. Mr. and Mrs. William Perrin, owners.
STEAMBOAT LANDING, 7835 Berkshire Lane. From Long Bridge Ordinary, turn right on Rte 14 for 3.2 mi. Go right on Rte 680 (Exchange Lane) for 1.3 mi.; turn right onto Berkshire Lane.As you approach the house, you can see what remains of the old Dixondale Wharf where steamboats once picked up Gloucester’s citizens heading north. Dick and Pat Zima, however, traveled south to find their retirement ideal, which was for 15 years in the historic home, Exchange. Inspired to downsize, they noticed this nearby home, designed in 1972 by Richmond architect Clarence Huff. The Zimas thought this house/guest house compound in classic Country French style had “good bones, but lacked calcium.” Their extensive renovation included the installation of heart pine well over a hundred years old, as well as terrazzo and tile floors, merging the structure’s Old World charm with energy-efficient systems and modern amenities: geothermal heating/cooling, solar tubes, on-demand hot water and thermal windows.
Paving stones accented by an oyster-shell drip-line define the entry courtyard that connects the primary house with the facing guest house, which contains two bedrooms and two baths. Inside, rooms are filled with family pieces and memorabilia. Paintings in the living room and master bedroom were done by Mrs. Zima’s grandfather. A hand-painted vineyard scene provides the backdrop for a French country kitchen with all modern accoutrements. The view from the library’s wall of bay windows gives the feeling that you’re “cruising down the rivah.”A corner bar in the “river room” houses fixings for a martini while cleverly storing bridge tables and chairs. Two stone terraces connected by a “green garden” command expansive views of the North River. The subtle hues of shrubs provide year-round seasonal color, while a rose and herb garden accent the south side. Open for the first time. Mr. and Mrs. Richard J. Zima, owners.
HISTORIC PLACES OF INTEREST IN GLOUCESTER COUNTY
ABINGDON EPISCOPAL CHURCH. From Headquarters, turn left onto Business Rte 17 for 1.2 mi.; turn left at traffic light onto Rte 17 S for 5 mi. Church is on left. This rare cruciform (Latin Cross) colonial church, replacing an earlier church on the same site, was completed in 1755 and underwent major restoration in 1986. The brick walls are over two feet thick and are laid in Flemish-bond pattern. It has an unusual three-tiered pulpit and magnificent pipe organ. At one time, Abingdon Church was the largest colonial church in Virginia and the third largest in all the colonies. Gravestones in the adjacent cemetery date from the mid-1600s.
GLOUCESTER HISTORIC COURT CIRCLE. From Headquarters, turn right onto Business Rte 17/Main St. for 0.75 mi. Main Street revitalization efforts have resulted in an attractively landscaped street with charming stores and eateries, making for a pleasant walk to the Historic Court Circle. The Court Circle is a classic example of an early Virginia county seat, now housing a Visitor Information Center and Gift Shop.
THE GLOUCESTER MUSEUM OF HISTORY. From Headquarters, turn right onto Business Rte 17/Main St.; 0.7 mi. to the Botetourt Building on right just before the Historic Court Circle. The Gloucester Museum is housed in this historic, pre-Revolutionary brick ordinary built about 1770 and named for Lord Botetourt, then governor of the colony of Virginia. Open year-round, the museum offers a variety of permanent and rotating exhibits; open Saturday from 11 a.m.–4 p.m., free of charge.
NUTTALL COUNTRY STORE. From Long Bridge Ordinary, take Rte 14 for 2.2 mi.; turn right on Rte 623 (Ware Neck Rd.) for 2.6 mi. Store is on left. Nuttall’s Store in Ware Neck is a local and national treasure. Open continuously since 1877, this authentic country store serves as a grocery store, gourmet shop, post office, lending library, wine shop and community gathering place. National Register of Historic Places.
ROSEWELL. From Headquarters, turn left onto Bus. Rte 17 for 1.2 mi.; turn left at traffic light onto Rte 17 S for 4 mi. Turn right on Rte 614 (Hickory Fork Rd.). Turn left on Rte 632 (Aberdeen Creek Rd.); follow green arrows for 2.5 mi. Built in 1725 by Mann Page, Rosewell was the birthplace of Virginia Gov. John Page and was an architectural inspiration to Thomas Jefferson who often visited. Though the house was ravaged by fire in 1916, the ruins stand today as an outstanding example of 18th century craftsmanship. A tour begins in the modern visitor center with exhibits about the history of the house and the ongoing archaeology program. Gift Shop. Admission: Adults, $4; Children, $2; Open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.
WALTER REED’S BIRTHPLACE. From Headquarters, turn right on Bus. Rte 17/Main St.; go through Gloucester Court House. Turn left on Rte 616 (Belroi Rd.), cross over Rte 17. Follow Rte 616 to end. Turn right on Rte 614 and into parking lot. Dr. Walter Reed, who discovered the cure for yellow fever, was born in 1851 in this two-room and loft house. His family lived here during their first year in Gloucester. Wonderfully furnished with antiques and memorabilia, the house reflects the life of the Reed family with their five children. Owned by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities. National Register of Historic Places.
WARE EPISCOPAL CHURCH. From Headquarters, turn right on Rte 14. Go 1.0 mi. to church entrance on right. Ware Parish, one of Gloucester’s four original parishes, was established c. 1652. This graceful brick rectangular church was completed in the late-17th century or early 18th century. The foundation is five-feet thick and walls four-feet thick, to a height of three feet, continuing three-feet thick to the roof. A colonial brick wall, said to be the oldest in America, and a quiet country cemetery surround it. Distinctive features include a Casavant Freres pipe organ, Flemish-bond brickwork, classic pediment doors and impressive arched windows on either side of the altar.
ZION POPLARS BAPTIST CHURCH. From Headquarters, turn left onto Bus. Rte 17 for 0.6 mi.; turn left on Rte 629 (T.C. Walker Rd.) for 1.0 mi. Church is on right. Zion Poplars was the first independent Baptist Church for African-Americans in Gloucester and has been named to the Virginia Landmarks Registry. The current building was constructed in 1894. Of special interest is the communion table, hand-crafted by Jeff Booth, a descendant of well-known area resident William Booth. Several of the original poplar trees, from where the church gets its name, are still standing. It was under the canopy of these trees that the first members of the church worshipped, until the first structure was built in 1866. Open the day of the tour from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.