HARRISONBURG AREA
Sponsored by The Spotswood Garden Club
Wednesday, April 23, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Chair:
Kappy Barnes (Mrs. John)
1245 Hillcrest Drive
Harrisonburg, VA 22801
(540) 434-3104
love2grden@comcast.net
Co-Chair:
Brenda
Ashworth (Mrs. Sam)
163 Fairway Drive
Harrisonburg, VA 22802
(540) 433-8100
bennieash@yahoo.com
Bus Chair:
Marcia McGrath (Mrs. John)
486 Ott Street
Harrisonburg, VA
(540) 434-8938
marciamcg@verizon.net
Ticket Chairs:
Susan Hanlon and Elaine Behl (Mrs. Joseph)
1135 Moffett Terrace
Harrisonburg, VA 22801
(540) 433-5939
TICKET PURCHASE: Advance tickets, $20. May be purchased from any Spotswood Garden Club member or at Artistic Florist, Classic Kitchens, Hardesty Higgins House, Knitworks, or Simple Pleasures in Harrisonburg. Also available with a credit card via www.VAGardenweek.org
DAY OF TOUR: Full ticket, $25, single-site admission, $10. Tickets
may be purchased at any of the houses on tour day. Children 13 and over,
full-price; ages 6-12, half-price.
REFRESHMENTS: Tea will be served from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Strickler
garden.
DIRECTIONS: All properties accessible from I-81. See individual
properties for exact directions. Houses may be visited in any order.
915 BROADVIEW DRIVE. From
I-81, take exit #247-B to Rt. 33 West. Continue for 0.5 mi. to second
light. Right on Carlton St. Right onto Country Club Rd. and then left
onto Clay St. just beyond light. Left onto Broadview to home on right. Like
a magic carpet, this house will capture your fantasy. The furnishings
and décor are filled with the artistic touches of owner Joyce Overby
and her son-in-law Jeff Stockberger. The front hall mural is an indicator
of the exquisite and grand things to come. Each room features eclectic
collections of antiques, many pieces adorned by Mrs. Overby’s hand-painting
and 23-carat gold-leafing. The living room showcases an 18th century
Sheraton tea table, oil-painted Victorian screen and Art Nouveau bust. Mrs.
Overby’s
botanical drawings and Jeff Stockberger’s oil paintings are displayed
throughout the interior. Kitchen cabinets have been hand-painted in
the style of a 19th century Winterthur desk; a 17th century English oak table
from Scotland provides eating space. Gold Picard china fills a Victorian
hutch. Upstairs,
Terry Overby’s study spans the depth of the house and overlooks the
garden. Doors,
woodwork and fluted columns reveal meticulous grain painting. A drop-leaf
table made by Mrs. Overby’s great-grandfather is placed at one end.
The real sense of fantasy,
however, is found within “The Princess Room,” set in a sunny “castle
garden” complete with blue sky. A regal peacock perches on a stone
wall, and a path leads to the interior. An intricate marble floor completes
the effect, all fashioned with paint and creativity. The gardens outside
continue the mood with a European ambience, fountains, paths and garden rooms. A
garden house contains a large antique stained-glass panel and another of Mr.
Stockberger’s detailed murals, a Mother’s Day gift to Mrs. Overby. Open
for the first time for Historic Garden Week. Terry and Joyce Overby,
owners.
1880 KEEZLETOWN ROAD. GARDEN
ONLY OPEN FOR TOUR. TEA SERVED 1 to 4 p.m. From Broadview, go right
on Clay St.; take a sharp left onto Country Club Rd. Go 0.5 mi. Turn left
onto Keezletown Rd. Go 0.7 mi. and turn right into drive. With
an eastern orientation, the Strickler house overlooks multi-terraced gardens
with a spectacular backdrop of the Massanutten Mountains. A recent addition
to the residence necessitated redoing much of the garden area. Most of
the planted sections are enclosed with walls constructed of chert stone taken
from the property. The first terraced area, “the moat,” is a walkway
between two of these walls with linear gardens on each side. Wrought-iron
gates guide visitors in and out. Stone paths, some enhanced by “steppables,” wind
throughout. The next tier contains a rose garden, and the lower tier is
a sport court for croquet, bocce ball and disk golf. Tennis courts, volleyball
and badminton areas and a children’s castle playground provide additional
recreation opportunities.
No details are overlooked here. Cool blues, pinks and purples dominate
overflowing urns of annuals. Metal sculptures highlight various areas,
including a crane fashioned by a plumber from copper pipe. A large pergola
covers an outdoor dining area. Among innumerable specimen trees are redwood,
sourwood, white redbud and a pagoda dogwood noted for its horizontal branching. Thousands
of daylilies and other perennials provide flowers throughout the seasons. The
gardens are enjoyed also from inside the house. Copper spirals twist with
the breeze, a grapevine sculpture hangs on the patio, and wind chimes tinkle
in the distance. Beside the swimming pool stands a favorite tree of Mr.
Strickler, a tall sculptural bonsai cypress. Butterflies are attracted
to the area, and Mrs. Strickler enjoys guiding guests, citing scientific names
of plants as she oversees her idyllic spot. Mrs. Charles O. Strickler,
owner.
2946 MOUNTAIN VALLEY ROAD. From
the Strickler property, turn right onto Keezletown Rd. Go 1.7 mi. Turn
left onto Indian Trail Rd. and take an immediate right into the parking lot of
Keezletown United Methodist Church. A shuttle bus takes you the short distance
to the home. Living on the land before you build gives you time to reflect,
according to Jill and Chad McGlaughlin. An 800-square-foot bungalow occupies
the corner of the property that was home before the McGlaughlins built their
7,000-square-foot stone and brick house in the Arts and Crafts style. This
design is reflected in architecture and furnishings that allow the solid and
substantial structure to blend with its hilltop setting. Sweeping southeastern
views extend to the Wintergreen Resort mountains. Hand-molded bricks from
Mississippi, reflecting Mrs. McGlaughlin’s background, have been reversed
to show more roughness and even the makers’ fingerprints. Natural
stone complements the handsome brick. The interior continues the feeling
of unity with nature, with an imposing fireplace soaring 28 feet to anchor the
open kitchen, great room and formal dining room. Kitchen cabinets,
finished with cocoa stain and coffee glaze, are topped with gleaming granite.
Much of the custom woodwork, like the foyer wainscoting
and coffered dining room ceiling, is painted, contrasting with the natural
finishes of the floors. Earthy
wall colors provide soothing backdrops for Stickley Arts and Crafts furnishings
and unusual artworks like the commissioned piece in the great room and the
woven copper painting in the master bedroom. Upstairs, the children’s
playroom is highlighted by a huge circular window framing spectacular mountain
views. The “adult
playroom” occupies the lower level. With its own kitchen, wine
room, theatre and billiard table, this space invites entertaining. Surrounded
by informal gardens and outdoor living spaces, this young family’s
home is a gem. Chad and Jill McGlaughlin, owners.
1616 MARTZ ROAD. From Keezletown
United Methodist Church, proceed north (right) on Indian Trail Rd. for approximately
9 mi. to Martz Rd., watching intersections to stay on Indian Trail Rd. Turn
right and go 0.4 mi. to drive on right. Imagine buying your home by
the ton! Bob and Betsy Eggleston did just that when they purchased a stone
house and reassembled it on its present site. Built around 1791, the renovated
dwelling has its original doors, staircase and some original paint. A half-mile
of Smith Creek runs through the 300-acre working farm, which has been placed
in a permanent conservation easement. The house holds an amazing collection
of furnishings, textiles and artwork including items dating from 1740 to the
present. Antiques stand beside Pottery Barn furniture, reflecting the eclectic
tastes of the owners. Virginia antiques include a Rockingham County 1801
mahogany secretary and a grain-painted “turkey-breasted” side table. Artworks
include family portraits from past generations, contemporary paintings, sculpture,
pottery and art glass. Several local artists are represented, and Mrs.
Eggleston’s own paintings hang in the kitchen. The master bedroom
contains a portion of Dr. Eggleston’s 2,000-volume library. Mrs.
Eggleston fashioned the bed canopy from an embroidered Uzbekistan suzani
and Turkish tent hangings.
Majestic mountain views
and informal gardens surround the house. The owners designed and tend their
gardens, now evolving from masses of perennials to more easily maintained shrubs
and trees, including tree peonies and Japanese maples. More than 250 varieties
of daffodils bloom in the spring. From the kitchen cabinets built of old
floor boards to a traveling desk from the Civil War submarine Merrimack, everything
in this home has a story, reflecting the talent, ingenuity, vision and creativity
of its owners. A secret revealed: the property has its own cave,
largely unexplored. Dr. and Mrs. Robert Eggleston, owners.
Harrisonburg Area—2621 Smithland Road
2621 SMITHLAND ROAD. On Martz Rd.,
turn left. Go 1.6 mi. to US-11. Turn left and go south for 6.2 mi.
to Smithland Rd. on left. House at intersection of Rt. 11 and Smithland
Rd. George Washington perhaps did not sleep at
Smithland but he certainly visited, twice. In the late-1700s Colonel Daniel
Smith, the property’s namesake, served as Rockingham County’s first judge and
held court in his home until the courthouse was built. The present house
was built in 1845 by Smith’s grandson Edward. Acquired by the Graves family
in 1945, the graceful manor house with thick brick walls is constructed on a
massive stone foundation. Much original interior woodwork, windows and
five fireplaces remain. Walnut and oak parquet floors and exquisite leaded glass
provide a backdrop for the Graves’ lovely furnishings. Family pieces
include a tall clock, walnut crib, a George Washington-style desk owned by Mr.
Graves’ physician grandfather, and a blanket chest made by his father
as an eighth-grader. Mrs. Graves has saved the toolbox from her grandfather’s
farm wagon, one of many “boxes” she has collected. Old pine
boards from the property have been transformed into a table in the modern kitchen. A
massive corner cupboard, one of many pieces custom-built by local cabinetmaker
Charlie Neil, stands in the formal dining room.
An original log slave
house remains behind the main house and, while updated, remains rustic. Architecturally
significant, the structure has two stories and was built with each of four rooms
accessible only from the outside. Perennial gardens and ancient trees flank
the property. Chairman of the statewide Daffodil Committee for The Garden
Club of Virginia, Mrs. Graves’ passion for daffodils is reflected in the
extensive and beautiful daffodil garden. English and American boxwood line
the stone walkway to the welcoming front porch of this Southern beauty. Mr.
and Mrs. A. Wesley Graves VI, owners.