Madison/Culpeper Counties
"Country Lanes and Gravel Paths"
Sponsored by Dolley Madison Garden Club
Saturday, April 21, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Chairman:
Bobbye Davies (Mrs. Robert G.)
127 South Almond Street
Orange, VA 22960
Telephone: (540) 672-4179 (H)
(540)
672-5554 (W)
Email: bobbyecdavies@hotmail.com
Assistant Chairman:
Bernice Walker (Mrs. Frank S., Jr.)
10199 Little Skyline Drive
Orange, VA 22960
Telephone: (540) 672-4167
Email: bsw@ns.gemlink.com
ADVANCE TICKET SALES: $20, may be purchased at the following locations: A Classic Touch, 109 E. Main St., Orange (540) 672-5554; The Arts Center of Orange, 1293 E. Main St., Orange (540) 672-7311; Gentle Gardener, 207 S. Main St., Gordonsville (540) 832-7031; Greenscapes Nursery, 531 Cedar Hill Rd., Madison (540) 948-6478; Museum of Culpeper History, 803 S. Main St., Culpeper (540) 829-1749; Pepperberries, 102 N. Main St., Culpeper. Tickets may also be purchased in advance with a credit card for an additional charge by accessing www.VAGardenweek.org.
DAY OF TOUR TICKET SALES: $25; single-site admission $10. Children 6-12 half price; children 5 and under, free of charge. Tickets are available at each location on the tour and at the Montpelier Visitor Center, 4 mi. west of the town of Orange on Rt. 20.
LUNCH: Box lunches will be available at The Inn at Meander Plantation from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for $15. A choice of 1) roasted turkey breast, aged white cheddar and orange-sage jam on croissant or 2) boursin cheese, cucumbers, sprouts and carrots on croissant. Both sandwiches are offered with honey mustard pretzels, an apple, an espresso pecan bar, and a bottle of water. The Inn at Meander Plantation is one of the historic homes on tour this day. Lunch orders will be accepted by phone at (800) 385-4936 or (540) 672-4912. Orders may also be made by email to inn@meander.com. All lunch orders should be placed by April 15. A limited number of lunches will be available on the day of the tour. TOUR VISITORS ARE ENCOURAGED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS LUNCH, SINCE THE NEAREST FOOD SOURCES ARE 7 MILES AWAY IN CULPEPER OR ORANGE.
GENERAL INFORMATION: Due to uneven surfaces at the rural properties, locations are not handicapped-accessible. Only 24 or 28 seat buses will be allowed. Cars and vans are welcome. Flat-soled shoes are recommended for walking. Restroom facilities are available at Locust Hill, The Inn at Meander Plantation, and Locust Hill Preserve. Lemonade will be served at Locust Hill Preserve all day. Dolley Madison Garden Club will have items of interest to gardeners for sale all day at Meander.
DIRECTIONS: Tour properties are located along a three-mile stretch of Rt. 15, seven miles south of Culpeper or six miles north of Orange. Signage along Rt. 15 will indicate the sites. The listing below begins with Locust Hill at the southern end: toward Orange. Visitors may also begin at the northern end: toward Culpeper with the Locust Hill Preserve.
Madison County—Locust Hill
LOCUST HILL. Locust Hill overlooks the rolling hills
of the Madison County countryside with views of the distant mountains. Like
many 18th century domiciles, the stately manor house built in 1770 has changed
significantly over time. The property has been in the family of the
present owners since 1864, when Larkin and Lelia Willis purchased Locust
Hill to live near Locust Dale Academy, where Mr. Willis taught philosophy
and mathematics. Additions were made to the house in 1839 with various
domestic outbuildings added in the late-19th century, including a one-room
schoolhouse which is now used as a guest cottage.
The present owners have painstakingly restored the manor house while
protecting its authenticity. The gardens are designed to complement the home's
rural setting and include plant species which the owner remembers being here
when she was a child. The small brick structure attached to the main
house is a greenhouse used long ago for storing plants and bulbs over the winter. Today's
walled garden is enclosed by the foundation of a two-room slave cabin. In 2006,
the owners were recognized with The Frederick Doveton Nichols Award for their
efforts in preserving Locust Hill. The barn and stables are new structures
designed by the owners. The stable is a timber-frame design with all
beams made of oak, held together by oak pegs. The green and brass stall
fronts were made in England by a firm that furnishes the Queen's stables. The
resident horses are draft crosses and are used for foxhunting. Betty
and Mike Long, owners.
TRE SORELLE. Tre Sorelle, Italian for Three Sisters,
was named in recognition of the owners' three daughters and reflects their
love of traveling in Italy. This contemporary house was built in 1998 and
designed by the owners and architect John Tymoff. The lovely home features
strong influences from the Emilia-Romano region of Italy including a soaring
roofline, yellow stucco walls, a red tile roof, imported limestone floors,
balconies and alcoves. The landscaping, designed by the owners and garden
designer Michael Remorenko, follows the Italian tradition of "gardens
in green and gray" with green plantings and effective use of stone and
garden statuary.
The circular driveway and parallel arborvitae evoke the cypress of Italy
and reveal the strong axis on which the house, outbuildings and garden are
centered. An enclosed herb garden on one side is balanced by a formal
garden, from which a pond with a "Venetian" dock and mooring posts
can be viewed.
Guests entering the house through Honduran mahogany double doors will
immediately notice the stone floors and large windows. Contemporary furnishings
and family antiques are complemented by a collection of classic prints and
lithographs. Custom-made bookcases in the library and office were designed
to go with the owners' desk. A stone stairway leads to the second floor. An
interesting feature of the master suite is the curved wall of translucent glass
blocks, illuminating the bath. The center hall features a comfortable sitting/reading
area. Mary Lew and John Sponski, owners.
THE INN AT MEANDER PLANTATION. Built in 1766, this Georgian
manor house reflects the very best in 18th century architecture and detailing.
Originally named Elim, the land was patented in 1726 by Colonel Joshua Fry,
a member of the Virginia House of Burgess and a professor at the College
of William and Mary. Peter Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson's father, joined
Fry to produce the first official map of the state of Virginia.
Inside, a large reception room with chestnut floors is flanked by the
living room and dining room. Upstairs, three guest suites will be open: two
featuring working fireplaces and access to the second-story porch. Attached
to the house by a covered walkway is the Summer Kitchen, one of four original
dependencies on the property. This beautifully furnished guest suite retains
its original heart-pine floors. Today, Meander Plantation operates as a most
luxurious and comfortable inn with a highly acclaimed restaurant. Suzie
Blanchard and Suzanne Thomas, owners.
Historic Garden Week guests will enjoy their box lunches here
in a pastoral setting enhanced by distant views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
SPRING HILL FARM. Beautifully sited on a hill facing
across the undulating fields of Culpeper County, the residence at Spring
Hill Farm at first glance appears to be an open book: a classic, five-over-four,
neo-Georgian clapboard farmhouse, built around 1815. But nestled up
against the rear of the four-room center hall façade sits an earlier
chapter of the home’s history, the original c.1770 farmhouse. This
portion of the house retains much of its 18th century character, including
original doors, floors, moldings, wainscoting and mantels. The 1815
addition also retains its original floors and windows, while mantels and
woodwork date to a post-Civil War remodeling. Further enlarged around
1850 and again around 1875 (with its first attached kitchen, now a butler’s
pantry), the 1974 kitchen addition was completely remodeled in 2003 by the
present owners. They also added a gabled second-floor addition above
the kitchen and replaced a wrap-around deck with a traditional back porch.
A Garnett family home from 1816-1972, the house served as General Stonewall
Jackson’s headquarters in August 1862 on the eve of the Battle of Cedar
Mountain, with the dining room employed as an impromptu operating room for
an officer injured in the battle. With renovation of the house nearing completion,
the current owners hope to turn their attention to the gardens and the 15 original
outbuildings which still stand as physical testimony to the rich history of
this beautiful property. In addition to the historical significance of the
house, visitors will enjoy the attractive period and reproduction furnishings
and original artwork. Elizabeth Willson and Garland Phillips, owners.
LOCUST HILL PRESERVE. The owners of Locust Hill Preserve
plan to maintain this property in its natural state as a hunting and forest
preserve. The Virginia Forest Service has mapped the entire 500 acres and
has offered suggestions for its perpetual care. The Preserve is currently
used for bird hunting, horseback riding and fox hunting.
The log cabin is thought to have been built in the late-19th century. Having
recently purchased the land, the owners' intent was to tear down a crumbling
old house on the site with vines growing through the roof. In the process,
the log cabin was discovered embedded within the frame house. This find
prompted the restoration of the cabin to its near-original state. The
floors, walls, chimney and beams are original to the building. The two-story
shed attached to the main structure was there when found and is believed to
have been added in the 20th century. Little is known about its history.
Betty and Mike Long, owners.
OTHER PLACES OF INTEREST:
JAMES MADISON'S MONTPELIER. 4 mi. south of Orange on Rt. 20 (10 mi. from the tour area). Montpelier was the home of the fourth president of the United States, James Madison, and his wife, Dolley. The main house is currently undergoing extensive renovation, being meticulously returned to the 1820 house that James and Dolley Madison loved. Today, visitors have a rare opportunity to observe a state-of-the-art restoration as they look behind the scenes. Historic Garden Week proceeds have enabled The Garden Club of Virginia to restore Montpelier's two-acre formal terraced garden. Admission fee.
MUSEUM OF CULPEPER HISTORY. 803 S. Main Street in Culpeper, 1 mi. from the Rt. 29 bypass (8.5 mi. north of the tour area). Established in 1975, the Culpeper Museum is located on a site that also houses an 18th century log cabin. Its exhibits depict the long and varied history of Culpeper County. The collection includes 215-million-year-old dinosaur footprints, information about the noted local American Revolution militia, the Culpeper Minute Men, and artifacts from the Civil War. Visitors learn about famous sons of Culpeper, as well as successful conservation efforts and the extensive agricultural industry in this fertile county. Admission fee.