Jaybird's Jottings

North of Upperville: Part Ten, Green Garden

Leaving Newstead, we continue to head south on Greengarden Road.  In terms of a road going from paved to non-paved, one of the most dramatic shifts occurs when this one crosses over Millville Road.  This stretch is sunken road heaven. 

I shouldn’t digress, but it’s worth pausing here before we get to the Green Garden mansion home.   In her book, “The Hunt Country of America,” Kitty Slater starts with a historical perspective that reminds the reader that back then all of these lands were wilderness.   She reaches back to John Lederer.  He was a German physician who blazed trails by boldly leading three expeditions into the mountains of Virginia (1670-71).  He was also the first European to document his expeditions in writing.   

Slater quotes Lederer as being excited at one point when he experienced the contrast between the dark of the forest and then the sudden sight of “a clear and open sky.”   

I experienced something like that here on Green Garden Road when a blocking tree line ends and suddenly everything to the west opens back up.   In the distance is the long stretch of the Blue Ridges and Ashby’s Gap.    Looking around, there is almost nothing man-made.

Out of sight, but in the distance is Highway 17.  Southerners know 17 as the Coastal Highway.  It runs from southern Florida and ends right there at Paris and Highway 50 at Ashby’s Gap.   

This road loomed large in my childhood dreams.   Every summer Dad and Mom took us to the beach near Wilmington.  I’d see the sign and was hit with a touch of wanderlust, the desire to go see what was along that way.     

On our previous outing, the driving along Trappe has been fairly flat.  Same for the first part of this drive.   But now we are reaching to the hills that make horse and hunt country so appealing and enchanting.  

My scouting told me the mansion was up on top of this big hill.  But at first I can’t see it. Then suddenly the red brick beauty that is Green Garden appears.  The dramatic look over is breath taking.  As we have discussed, so many mansions out here are situated to maximize privacy, but this one can be easily seen, just 600 feet from the road and no cloaking of trees.  Green Garden is fronted with a line of large trees.   We’ve seen this type of linear landscaping before, but it never gets old.

Green Garden is on the National Register for Historic Places with a 2007 listing date.   It states the mansion is one of Loudoun County’s most exceptional examples of the Greek Revival style.     

The original part is now the rear portion.  The main block came along circa 1846 with five bays.  A three-bay porch with Doric column adds a nice touch and includes a Chinese-Chippendale-style balustrade.  Outbuildings include a root cellar (c. 1833), a smokehouse (1847), a barn (1870), and an ice house.   The farm spreads across 34 acres.

The form tells us the Green Garden land was originally patented around 1765 by Reverend Charles Green (1710-1765).  He received the grant from Lord Fairfax in 1742 as part of a 1,150 acre tract.  In 1764, a John Hendron leased about 100 acres of Green’s land.

It is fascinating in that Reverend Charles Green preached in Alexandria from 1753 to 1765 and then at the Truro Parish church on today’s Telegraph Road.   He was the first permanent rector for the parish.   

In 1770, John Gibson (1772-1800) bought 15 acres.  In his time, a dwelling was located on this prime spot about a mile north of what is now Route 50.   Gibson probably built the mill nearby and likely did very well with the business.  He gave the name Green Garden.

The original part of the house, a small brick mill manager’s house with just a kitchen and sitting room, was completed around 1833.  It was built for Jessie Richards, a prosperous miller who owned the still standing mill just a short distance away and beside Panther Skin Creek. 

In 1837, Richards sold the estate and the mill to Dr. Bushrod Rust.  Once again, the Rust family emerges in these stories.   Perhaps you will remember some of them lived at nearby Cleremont Farm. 

Dr. Bushrod Rust was a son of Captain George Rust, who expanded Cleremont.   Dr. Bushrod Rust grew up there.  He married Margaret Carr, daughter of Joseph Carr, who founded Upperville.    Dr. Rust owned a total of almost a thousand acres in the area we have been looking at, including Clifton Mill near Willisville. 

In 1846, he began building a large house in front of the original miller’s house.  Financing came from Farmers Bank at Alexandria.  Rust built the house, but his debts were high.  In 1847, he was forced to sell Green Garden at auction.   

Jesse Richards, who had managed the mill, made a return of sorts by acquiring Green Garden.  The form tells us he is listed as a farmer in the 1860 census.  He prospered during this time when Loudoun County was the state’s fourth largest producer of flour and meal and milling was the largest industry in the county.

War came to Green Garden in a number of ways, including the 1864 campaign by the Union forces that pushed the rebels westward.  The nomination form points out in one raid, the Green Garden's outbuildings burned.   

Jesse Richards and his wife had four sons.   Two, Adolphus “Dolly” Richards and Tom Richards, served with the Confederates during the Civil War, including joining up with John Moseby’s feared Rangers.   They found refuge in a number of houses in this area north of Upperville, including Green Garden.   

After the war, Dolly Richards did not return to Green Garden.  In Kentucky, he wore the robes of a judge for the superior court.   His father remained at the mansion home and picked the hoes back up along with his wife, Martha, other son Washington, and two daughters.  Wheat and corn might have been their main products.   Jesse passed away in 1883.   

In 1887, Willie Fletcher, who grew up in Upperville, and his wife Annie bought Green Garden.  They worked the fields with their two sons William and Bedford.   Although diary farmers stayed in the black, these were tough times for agricultural farmers.

With the passing of Willie in 1920 and Annie in 1931, their two sons inherited the property.  In 1987, the family sold Green Garden John and Marcia Bols.   They restored it and installed modern heating and air conditioning.   

In 2002, Jay and Estelle Zeiler acquired the house and land.  They upgraded the electrical and HVAC systems, restored garden walls, and helped place Green Garden on the NRHP.   The cherry on top was putting the 35 acres into perpetual land conservation easement. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

North of Upperville, Part Nine, Corotoman

Corotoman.

On the southern part of Virginia’s Northern Neck, that name, likely Anglicized from Cuttatawomen, belongs to the indigenous peoples who lived there, the river (Corrotoman) that flows into the Rappahannock, and the site of the residence of the famed Carter family who built and lived in it.   

Before a fire destroyed the Carter mansion in 1729, the dwelling, described as “perhaps the finest house in Virginia,” and influential in terms of architecture, graced the entrance to the river.  Robert “King” Carter (1667-1732), a famous name in colonial Virginia history, was born there.  Part of Corotoman’s history includes a brave group of enslaved who made a courageous dash for freedom during the War of 1812.   Its archeological site has been a gold mine.

In a little known story, the Corotoman name got new life in horse and hunt country.   About two miles north of Upperville, a mansion house about the same width as the original one, arose c. 1900.   Very likely in tribute, the builder gave it the name Corotoman.  The location is along Millville Road near Greengarden Road, and about a mile south of Newstead.    Tucked away on the seldom used road, the house, farm, and its history are out of sight and out of mind.   

Corotoman is not on the National Register for Historic Places.  We put this together.

 

Corotoman was probably built in the early 1900s.   One newspaper report said the house was built where the Bellefield plantation had been located.  

Perhaps for the first time, Bellefield shows up in the papers on June 11, 1836.  Cuthbert Powell placed a large “A Fine Farm for Sale” ad in the Alexandria Gazette.  He described it as:

"that beautiful and fertile farm called Bellefield, late the residence of my son, and adjoining that on which I reside in the county of Loudoun.  This estate contains 450 acres of land with substantial and comfortable accommodations for a genteel family, and the necessary farm buildings… crops of grain, pastures, grazing stock."   

If you will recall, Cuthbert Powell (1775-1849) inherited Llangollen in 1810.  His father was Lt. Col. Levin Powell (1737-1810), founder of Middleburg and builder of Llangollen.  Both lived in Alexandria before moving out to Loudoun County.   Cuthbert moved out permanently in 1830.   At the time of our write up on Llangollen, we did not realize he owned Bellefield.

The article did not say which of Powell’s son had been residing there, but the obituary for Charles Leven Powell Sr. (1804-1896), indicates he removed to Loudoun in 1812.   Powell Sr. studied law in Winchester and had a practice in Loudoun County.   After the Civil War, he returned to Alexandria.    He was born at the corner of Fairfax and Queen streets.

On April 1, 1837, Thomas Carter placed an ad in the Alexandria Gazette for the horse Osceola - “This fine young horse will stand the ensuing season at Bellefield, Loudoun County, near Upperville."

He described the horse as a "beautiful bay, rising sixteen hands, four years in May, comes from the best raising stock."  His sire was the celebrated horse, Carolinian by Sir Archie, his dam by Hoskin’s Sir Peter, his great dam by Lamplighter.

Carter placed another ad in the Alexandria Gazette on October 19, 1838.   

"A Fine Loudoun Estate for Sale, The Subscriber having removed his residence from Loudoun County, is desirous of selling his estate called Bellefield.  Within 3 miles of Upperville,  Contains 453 acres. Grazing or grain farm, considered one of the best in the county.   The dwelling house is of stone, of good size, and is in complete repair.  Excellent stone barn, good stables, ice house, dairy, overseer’s house, negro quarters, apple orchard."

This could be the first description of Bellefield, and seemingly a rare one.

In our write up about Newstead and Howardsville, we talked about Jacob Howard.  He was enslaved at both Newstead and Bellefield.  Dedicated researchers such as Lori Kimball and Kevin Grigsby show us that Jacob was also sent to Bellefield plantation beginning on April 14, 1863.  Bellefield was a sister plantation owned by Elizabeth, widowed when George Carter passed away in 1846.

On December 24, 1862, Jacob and an enslaved woman named Sophie were married at Bellefield.  It was a non-legal wedding ceremony performed by Reverend Kinsolving, minister Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Middleburg.  This took place in the dining room of the house. 

Author Polly E. Bugros (“Remembering Lucile, A Virginia Family’s Rise from Slavery and a Legacy Forged a Mile High”) touches on Bellefield.  She tells us that Elizabeth Carter, in October, 1861, after learning the fighting had reached Dranesville, about 23 miles from Oatlands, took up residence at Bellefield.  Her son George was a courier for the Confederacy.  After falling ill, George made his way to Bellefield to recover.  Bugros adds that “slaves took advantage of the often-chaotic circumstances at Oatlands and Bellefield to run away.” 

According to the Alexandria Gazette (September 24, 1885), Elizabeth Carter passed away at Bellefield.   

In 1907, the story of Bellefield picks back up when the Fauquier Democratic reported on the passing of Arthur Charles Marshall (1868-1907).  He had been living near Rectortown and was the eldest son of Sir Arthur Marshall of Buckden Towers, Huntingdon, England.   Arthur had immigrated from England in 1887.  He purchased Bellefield and lived there with his wife, Miss Fanny Carter, daughter of the late Col. Welby Carter of Crednal.   

His obit described Marshall as a fine horseman and devoted to fox-hunting.  The funeral was at Crednal, which lies across from Welbourne.  It seems very likely he was laid to rest there at the family cemetery.

The census of 1900 shows Marshall as born in 1868 and living with Fannie in the Mercer District in Loudoun County.   His occupation is listed as “Dealer in Houses.” 

In 1907, Malbon G. Richardson (1871-1935) married Sophia Carter (1873-1931), daughter of Colonel Richard Welby Carter (1837-1889) and Sophie DeButts Carter Carter (1841-1928).   Born in Massachusetts, Richardson had joined that growing set of men who came north to south to settle down amongst the fox hunters.    He served in the Army during World War I and as a vestryman at Upperville Trinity Church.    

One of Sophie’s seven siblings was her sister, Fanny Marshall (1873-1945), who had married Arthur Marshall.   The Society writers must have chipped in and sent the newlyweds a gift.   Maybe not every person who said they were a Carter descendent was actually one, but the family was well represented and revered.

Note: If I have it right, Sophie was the Great-great-great-great-great-grand daughter of Robert “King” Carter.

Sophie sure must have been proud of her family.  The Carter name appears 90 times in the National Register for Historic Places nomination form for Crednal, the brick mansion across from Welbourne, and just east of Willisville.   The cemetery there is a history lesson that points to Sabine Hall, the famed family seat on the Northern Neck, and all those Carters.  Ever so sadly, they were enslavers, and in some cases in large numbers.

Across the street lies Welbourne, the former Dulany estate and mansion.   In 1905, two years before the wedding, the mansion had hosted the first day of the famous Hound Match, which put Middleburg and the area on the map.

The wedding surely packed the church in Upperville.   Sophie was taken down the aisle by her brother, John Armistead Carter (1875-1931) of Norfolk. 

Her maid of honor was Miss Nina Carter, her sister.   Nina Carter Tabb (1883-1950) distinguished herself as a chronicler of life in and around Middleburg.   She wrote Society and Hunt Country articles for the Washington papers, with a regular column (“Down Virginia Way” and “In the Hunt Country) in The Washington Post and Evening Star.

In 1912, Nina married John MacKenzie Tabb (1886-1916).  Before his life was suddenly cut short at age 30, he served on the Boards of Directors for the Piedmont Hunt Club, oldest in the country.   

Virginia family royalty was also seen in the presence of Miss Hannah Fairfax Washington.  Other Carters included Mary Welby Carter, Rebecca Dulany Carter, and Juliet Randolph Carter. 

On the groom’s side, there was a James Roosevelt, who hailed from Boston.    

In 1910, Richardson purchased Bellefield.   In her book, “Loudoun County, Virginia, Past and Present,” 1940, Harriet Brockman Samuels writes that Richardson built the house on the site of Bellefield, which was built by George Carter.   According to Samuels, Bellefield had been destroyed by fire.  She adds that Mrs. Richardson was one of King Carter’s numerous descendants.

Apparently, it was Richardson who changed the name to Corotoman, seemingly on advice from Sophie.  Rather than looking like the original Corotoman in Lancaster County, the house features tall columns.   

Kitty Slater tells us Major Richardson served as Secretary on the Board of Governors for the Piedmont Foxhounds in 1914.    Fellow Bostonian and beloved huntsman Joe Thomas served as Master of Fox Hounds for the hunt group and built the massive kennel at Huntland.  He was likely at the wedding, too.   

Richardson no doubt held fond and proud memories of being part of the Great Hound Match of 1905.   Smith’s hounds came from a select group including Richardson.  The Bostonian also served as Smith’s First Whip.

Covering the horse action in and around Upperville, Mayme Oder Peak (“Upperville Show Holds High Place in Nation’s Horsedom,” The Washington Post, May 13, 1923) wrote a valentine to the riders and the landscape: 

“No more picturesque sight could be imagined than the grouping of a hunt meet in front of one of the old country houses.  Such a grouping is shown in the cut of Corotoman, the home of Major Malbon Gore Richardson, former master of the Piedmont Fox Hounds and one of many ardent horsemen who migrated from New England to the Piedmont section.”

Juxtaposed with the article was a photo of Corotoman and its distinct six pillars.  Of course such a fronting has been done elsewhere, but this one sports a widow’s walk.   Following a rich tradition seen across these Piedmont hills, a line of trees leads up to the handsome dwelling.   The distant from the road also matched many others - close enough to be somewhat seen, but far enough for some privacy.  

Richardson and Sophie, who evidently had no kids, were first hand witnesses to the rise of horse and hunt country, which gained more and more wealthy residents after the Great Hound Match of 1905.  In 1930, the couple warmed hearts by donating $2,000 to William & Mary.  The money re-established a scholarship in the name of Robert “King” Carter.   

Sad news came in April, 1931, when readers learned of Sophie’s passing at Garfield Hospital in Washington.  She was survived by Major Richardson and her five sisters.   Two were living in Middleburg.  Sophie was laid to rest at the family cemetery at Crednal, the lovely mansion across from Welbourne between Middleburg and Upperville.

Four years later, Colonel Richardson passed away.  Nina J. Tabb wrote “the sporting world was distressed to hear of the sudden death of Col. Richardson.”  He took his last breath at Corotoman.   As with Sophie, the mourners gathered at Upperville Trinity Church, and he joined Sophie at Crednal.

Tabb also reported on the estate sale for Corotoman in August, 1937 - “So many friends and colleagues met there that it turned into quite a social gathering.”   

That summer,  Mr. and Mrs. Harold D. Menken of New York bought Corotoman from the Richardson estate. The total acreage was 179.  The Menkens “planned to do considerable remodeling.”

In the Blue Ridge Herald (August 30, 1956), Corotoman made the front page with a photo.   One sees the columns and two stories made of stone.  

At that time the house was still the home of the Menkins.  They raised Guernsey cows.  In 1946, he had advertised for workers needed, noting “modern 60-cow farm for purebred Guernseys, new 5 room house.”

Covering the Upperville Garden Club tour, the Evening Star (July 21, 1957), noted that Corotoman was one of five stops.  The other four were Mrs. Sloane’s Brookmeade, Austin Kaye’s Windsor Farm, the Reed Thomases’ Ovoka, and Mrs. Robert Clark’s Stoneleigh. 

The Blue Ridge Herald (July 25, 1957) informed its readers:

“The old house burned down during the tenure of Arthur Marshall and the farm was sold to Col Richardson.  They built the present stone house in the early 1900s and renamed the place after the Tidewater estate of Robert King Carter.”

In September, 1975, the Piedmont Virginian wrote:

“With the beautiful Corotoman, home of Mr and Mrs Roland Thompson as a background, this Lord & Taylor evening fashion follows the draped look with a cover up top.  This will be part of the 26th annual Hunt Country Fashion Show at Uppervile to raise funds for the Mary D. Neville Guild.”

The beauty at Corotoman these days lies in the way Mark and Ann Thompson take care of the land and waters.   As reported on by Pat McIlvaine (“Corotoman Farm Governor’s 2008 Clean Water Farm Award Winner”), Mark Thompson, son of the late Roland Thompson, with the help of Dave Helmick, farm manager and others, began a systematic program in 1999.   

They “created a role model farm by installing over 3 miles of high tensile fence, 54 acres of riparian buffers, and practiced land management  with rotational grazing.”

These efforts improved the water quality of the Jeffries Branch, Goose Creek, the Potomac, and the Chesapeake Bay.  In 2008, Governor Kaine chose them as one of 37 farms across the state with a Clean Water Farm and Bay Friendly award.    Part of the incentive is the Virginia Agricultural Best Management Practices Cost Share Tax Credit.

Frederick Kunkle of The Washington Post also reported on the work. ("Kaine Touts Progress," March 18, 2009). The farm land was permanently protected by a conservation easement.  The Thompsons installed 9,735 feet of fencing to keep livestock out of streams.

In 2022, Emma Boyce (Country Zest & Style, “Horses With Middleburg Owners Will Compete at Paris Olympics”) reported on Middleburg area horses and owners that were set to compete in the Paris Olympics.  One of them was Ann Thompson of Corotoman Farm who owned Romeo 88.

Thompson also made the news in July, 2021 (Cassini Z says goodbye to the sport, EquNews).  The 14-year-old gelding, who rode at the finest shows and won seven times, retired to Corotoman Farm.

 

 

North of Upperville, Part Eight, Newstead/Howardsville

It’s hard to say if there ever was a golden age for horse and hunt country.   As far as horse breeding, there certainly was a remarkable stretch of years in the middle of the twentieth century.   As the nomination form for Llangollen points out, Liz Whitney was part of a remarkable group of five who “competed at top levels of thoroughbred racing domestically and abroad.” 

Four of the five lived in or near Upperville.  They were Whitney, Isabelle Dodge Sloane at Brookmeade, Paul Mellon at Rokeby, and Taylor Scott Hardin at Newstead.   

Newstead, which lies on Greengarden Road, will be our longest ride in this series.   It’s not on the National Register for Historic Places so we will have to go digging.    We will also take a look at the adjacent community of Howardsville.

To get to Newstead, we leave the Van Vixen Farm and turn right onto Greengarden Road.  The traffic picks up here, but we still enjoy the relative calm.  After a short distance, we see on the right hand side of the road a small number of older homes.  This is the community of Howardsville, adjacent to and historically connected to Newstead.

Unlike St. Louis or Willisville, there’s no "Welcome To" sign to Howardsville.   These homes, which stand in deep contrast to the mansions that dot the nearby hills, border with the northeast corner of the Newstead Farm.   Their weathered patina remind us of the ones in Willisville.   

Wonderfully telling the story of Howardsville is Kevin Grigsby.  His book is titled, "HOWARDSVILLE: The Journey of an African-American Community in Loudoun County, Virginia."

As we learned in his book, the community here holds a great set of stories, ones told by the African Americans who have lived here since Jacob Howard helped found the community in 1874.   Howardsville is a precious place in that there was once about 30 African American communities in Loudoun County.   They are almost all gone.  Howardsville survives to tell us its stories.

Like some other mansion homes out here, the original owner of Newstead placed the home on a hill and near a creek.  In this case, Piney Branch runs past and feeds Beaverdam Creek, which winds its shallow waters eastward past Howardsville and places like Unison, before flowing under Snickersville Pike. There’s even a Beaverdam Creek Historic Roadways District, which includes the stops we made before on Trappe Road and the village of St. Louis.   

Over on the hill, Newstead’s lovely mansion is partially out of sight, but in his book, Grigsby recalls a childhood of looking over to and “gazing at the enormous fields that were part of Newstead.”   The property of his great-grandfather bordered with Newstead. 

Like so many others, the mansion here is set back at a teasing distance of about 1,000 feet.   Trees perform their privacy protection duties, but we benefit by being here before spring starts to bring back the leaves.   

With Newstead, we need to get the bad news out of the way.   It was no doubt a startling and very sad day in June, 1986 when 65 firefighters from Loudoun, Fauquier, and Prince William counties arrived there to put out a fire that reportedly destroyed 80% of the interior of the manor house.  It had dated to c. 1820.

No one, however, was injured, the home was lovingly rebuilt, and there’s some great stories made here.

Newstead is not on the National Register for Historic Places, so once again we go digging.  For the first part, research by Grigsby will be our guide.

The Grayson family had originally owned Newstead.  Benjamin Grayson (1763-1835) was a wealthy landowner and enslaver in Loudoun County.   He came to own Newstead and its almost 2,000 acres north of Upperville. 

In his will in 1835, Grayson divided his land between his wife Nancy and four children - George, Mary, Elizabeth, and Richard.   Richard’s 37 acres (“wooded lot”) became Howardsville when three of the formerly enslaved, including Jacob Howard, acquired land in 1874.  On Yardley Taylor's Map of Loudoun County (1853), he has the land where Newstead is located as "Grayson Heirs."

Grigsby’s research reveals that Jacob Howard was probably enslaved by Mary Grayson Stephenson (b. 1798) and William Stephenson.  Mary was a daughter of Benjamin Grayson and sister of Elizabeth Lewis Carter (1796-1885).  Elizabeth married (1835) George Carter (1777-1846) of Oatlands.  He was a great grandson of Robert "King" Carter (1664-1732).   William Stephenson, who had been born in Ireland, was a wealthy landowner who lived in Upperville.

Jacob Howard was a stone mason.   He was probably enslaved by Mary and William Stephenson, so he likely toiled on the Newstead Plantation.  Jacob was also “loaned out” to Elizabeth Carter of Oatlands, located about six miles east of Newstead and about the same south of Leesburg.  After George Carter passed away in 1846, she owned both Oatlands and Bellefield plantation, south of Newstead. 

Dedicated researchers such as Lori Kimball and Grigsby have looked through Elizabeth Carter’s dairy.   Grigsby annotates some of it, showing that Jacob was sent to Bellefield beginning on April 14, 1863.  We will look more at Bellefield in the next part (Corotoman).  

Newstead seems to have taken some Rip Van Winkle years after the turn of the century.  The story picks up in 1937 when Taylor Scott Hardin (1904-1976) acquired the house and farm.    He “turned it into one of North America’s premier commercial breeding operations.”  Kitty Slater tells us his name and fame was widely spread in sporting chronicles.  Hardin, she writes, “could have passed for an English lord, and dressed immaculately on the hunts.”    

It’s been noted that horse and hunt country is filled with stories of northerners coming down to these parts and acquiring older mansions or building new ones.   Taylor Scott Hardin gave it a twist. 

He was born in Washington, DC to Dr. Bernard Lauriston Hardin (1870-1936) and Rosalie Taylor Scott Hardin (1871-1962).  They lived at 1329 Connecticut Avenue NW DC.  Dr. Hardin had his medical practice for 40 years in the city and his other son was also a Doctor.

Hardin’s grandfather, Mark Benard Hardin (1838-1916), was born in Alexandria and was a chemist of some fame.  His great grandmother was Anna Maria Hooe Hardin (1817-1845).    Anna’s father was Bernard Hooe (1791-1869). 

The Hooe family has a number of members resting in peace at the Christ Church Episcopal Cemetery in Alexandria.  The family is proud of Col. Robert T. Hooe, first mayor of the city and a notable merchant.   The former family home, a Georgian beaut at 200 Prince, has looked over the cobblestoned Captain’s Row and famed “Gentry Row” for many years in Old Town.

In 1928, after graduating from Yale, Hardin married Boston-born Nancy Hale (1908-1988).   Her father was Philip Leslie Hale.  In her biopic on Philip, Lauren Groff (Lit Hub, September 30, 2019) writes he was “a scion of an old Boston family who had known Monet at Giverny during his dissipated youth.”

Her mother was Lilian Westcott Hale (1880-1963), an American Impressionist painter from Connecticut and Massachusetts.  In 1927, Lilian became the first woman to win the National Academy of Design‘s Altman Prize for her life-size portrait of Hardin, her future son-in-law, in his riding clothes.   

In her thesis, ("Lilian Westcott Hale and Nancy Hale:  From Victorian to Modern in Art and Text." Virginia Commonwealth University. 2010), Norah Hardin Lind, Hardin’s grand daughter observed: 

“With this painting, Lilian Westcott Hale stepped slightly outside the area of expected behavior for women artists and with great success… She earned respect in a male-dominated profession.”

Nancy wrote short stories, winning ten O’Henry Awards, and a number of novels.  The Neglected Books website tells us:

“She was one of The New Yorker’s most prolific short story writers and author of numerous well-received novels, including the 1942 best seller “The Prodigal Women,” yet she’s virtually forgotten.”

Hardin had some talents with pen and paper.  Published in Vogue (August 31, 1929), he wrote, “The Modern Girl as Seen by the Modern Man.” 

Hardin and Hale had one son, Mark (1930-2001).   The couple seemed happy in a photograph snapped in 1929 and published in the papers and the Library of America’s “Story of the Week.” 

Hardin, Slater observed, “could have passed for an English lord, and dressed immaculately on the hunts.”  In the photo he looks rather spiffy walking with Hale down Fifth Avenue in New York's Easter Day Parade.   Five years later, the bloom of love had wilted and the couple divorced.  Hale later settled down in Charlottesville.  Her name can be found at The Virginia Women’s Monument's Wall of Honor.

Hardin first shows up in the northern Virginia papers in 1935.   In his fine book, “Huntland: The Historic Virginia Hunt Country House, the Property, and Its Owners,” author Marc Leepson tells us Hardin had rented a cottage at Huntland.  The historic mansion home lies about four miles to the west near Foxcroft School.   Hardin enjoyed taking guests on rides in his four-horse carriage. 

In 1937, Hardin married Katherine Bliss Boker (1901-1977).   She was prominent in New York society.  The couple then acquired Newstead and moved in.  The Northern Virginia Daily (May 25, 1937) noted Newstead was a 420-acre estate of the late Henry Frazier.   The Middleburg Chronicle reported “Mr. and Mrs. Taylor Hardin have been putting in long days making ready their new Newstead place.” 

The Bloodstock in the Bluegrass website tells that in 1953, Taylor bought Legendra.  Hardin bred three stakes winners from her.  Legendra became the foundation mare for Hardin at Newstead.

In "Pedigree Insights," Andrew Caulfield writes that in 1956, six of Hardin’s mares achieved seven figure prices, including four which sold for between $3M and $7M.   That same year, eyes popped when Liz Whitney, practically his neighbor over at Lllangollern, shelled out a new American record $57,000 to Hardin for “a colt of highly aristocratic ancestry.”

In 1960, the Virginia Thoroughbred Association sponsored a tour to see some of the places where “Virginia’s million-dollar babies” were bred.   Anne Christmas of The Evening Star wrote that the delightful old home of the Hardin’s became one of the most-discussed stopping points.  Preston Burch, one of the country’s foremost trainers, got a look.

During this sizzling time for Newstead, the Saratogian newspaper wrote about Hardin (August 7, 1965) and his success.  The year before he had set a new Saratoga yearling record with the sale of Turn To-Legendra for $94,000.   Hardin said he went to Newmarket sales in England every year.   He wrote a pamphlet that listed six areas he works on.

It was sad news in September, 1976 when Hardin passed away in a hospital in Winchester.  He was laid to rest at Ivy Hill Cemetery in Upperville.  Among his notable achievements were highest price paid for a yearling at Saratoga ($87,000 for a Hyperion colt), and five stallions at Newstead with about 150 matings each season for a number of years.  Colonial Downs and More writes that Taylor and his son Mark bred 33 stakes winners from 1945 to 1985.  

Hardin was survived by Nancy, Katherine, Marc, and three granddaughters and laid to rest in Upperville Cemetery.  Following the passing of Katherine in 1977, the farm was operated by a three-man trust that included his son, Mark (1930-2001).

Norah Hardin Lind, Hardin’s grand daughter, and Mark Hardin’s daughter told me the following about Newstead in an e-mail:

"My father recalled pigs living on the first floor, chickens on the second, and an old man on the third at the time of purchase. It was a pre-Civil War structure and there were one or more shots fired into the structure.  My grandfather and his wife, the former Katherine (Tatine) Bliss Bowker, made Newstead into a force in the equine industry, but first my grandfather had an interest in cattle. He was a respected driver of four horses as well."

Following the termination of the trust, the Newstead horses and stallion shares were auctioned by Fasig-Tipton Co. in 1985 for $46,988,000. World records for a broodmare, an empty mare, a 2-year-old, and a weanling were established. The record-priced broodmare, Miss Oceana (in foal to Northern Dancer), brought $7 million.

In 1991, five years after the fire destroyed most of the interior of the mansion, Bertram and Diana Firestone acquired Newstead and its 353 acre farm.   The couple lovingly restored it and made improvements to the farm.  Its spread of buildings includes six barns, 10 fields, and 16 paddocks, a riding arena, a Grand Prix derby field, log house, cottage house, six tenant houses for staff, half-acre pond, and extensive gardens.

Like Hardin, the Firestones were known for their thoroughbred racing and breeding programs.  In 1980 their Genuine Risk won the Kentucky Derby.  The famed horse, the first filly to finish in the money in all three Triple Crown Races (second at the Preakness and Belmont), was laid to rest at Newstead Farm.  The Firestones were inducted into the Virginia Thoroughbred Association Hall of Fame in 1982.    

In 2020, the Firestones sold Newstead for $9.5M.  It includes the 9,877 SF house an 353 acre farm, and a fascinating history that includes Howardsville.  

 

 

 

North of Upperville: Part Seven, Van Vixen Farm

Several weeks ago, in a six-part series, we looked at the first four miles of Trappe Road north of Upperville.  For our next outing, we complete the loop by heading eastward out of Trappe, go along Trappe Road, then turn right on to Greengarden Road.  This takes us southward and back down to Upperville.   

Once again, Eugene Scheel’s map of Loudoun County guides us and we also find a “Prize Every Time,” a mansion house that has managed to elude attention.   

On our outing we were also reminded that sometimes places are right in front of your eyes, but it’s a hidden history.  This, for me, was the case of Howardsville, an African American community on Greengarden Road and adjacent to Newstead.   

Its size is small, but its legacies are far reaching.   Like St. Louis and Willisville, the stories of the residents of Howardsville are woven into the fabric of the history of places nearby.   This is very important, because to understand what took place across horse and hunt country, one must also understand each piece of the puzzle.  

In this regard, many thanks go to Kevin Grigsby and his wonderful book, “Howardsville: The Journey of An African American Community in Loudoun County, Virginia.”   As I learned, Howardsville is tied to both Newstead and Corotoman.   

Driving along and taking in the landscape of all these farm lands and places, we once again felt something very special.   Such feelings have been described as “topophilia,” - a love of, or emotional connection to, a particular place or physical environment.    As digital worlds continue to increase in size and scope, the natural landscapes around us are more important than ever.    I am also beginning to see that horse and hunt country is a hidden, but amazing ecosystem.

Once again, we will do this in a multi-part series.   Let’s saddle up and first take a look at the Van Vixen Farm on Trappe Road.  For continuity sake, we make this parts seven to ten.

 

To turn the pages of history for horse and hunt country is to see a lot of photos of men sitting high in the saddle.   Moving beyond the days when women were expected to ride side saddle, they have made their high marks, too.   At Windsor Farm, we learned about trainers and owners like Alexa Rowe, who runs the Windsor Farm.   

At Van Vixen Farm near the corner of Trappe and Greengarden lies the story of Heather Heider Van Pelt.  Among her offerings are a Horse Camp for ages 5 to 17.  We also learn a new word -  Equitation — proper horsemanship and riding skills. 

Heider was featured in an article in “The Chronicle of the Horse” (“So you want to try Foxhunting, Now What?” (November 22, 2022, Lara Bricker).  That’s a real honor, as the publication, based in Middleburg, has been telling stories since 1937.    

Heider, who rides with the famed Piedmont Fox Hounds, the oldest (1840) organized hunt in the US, offers hirelings, a horse hired for hunting.   She also prepares novice riders for the hunts.   Heider has been doing so for the last fortnight’s worth of years.   Stressing safety first, she combines her expertise and experience to give her clients the training and knowledge they need to feel comfortable on that first ride.   

The house here is tucked back and out of sight.  It was built in 1988.  Nothing was there before as far as we can tell from Historic Aerials.

There certainly is something there now...

 

 

 

North of Upperville: Part Six, Trappe

We are taking a looking at houses and farms along Trappe Road north of Upperville.   Today, we finish up with Part Six, a look at the village of Trappe, sometimes referred to as the Trappe.

The drive from Cleremont to Trappe is a short one.   We are now about four miles north of Upperville and four miles south of Bluemont and Snicker’s Gap.    With Trappe Road heading due north, and the mountains running to the northeast, we are as close to the mountains as you will get in these parts.    It gives Trappe a unique look and feel. 

Trappe is indeed a fascinating bird, a half crossroads if you will.  From the eagle’s view, the set of looping roads looks like some sort of bird skeleton.   The Jeffries Branch which has been running through the farms and elusive on our drives, finally flows by.  It was surely once an oasis here. 

And the name origin, which we will get to in a moment.

Perhaps confusing to some through the years, Trappe Road keeps its name when it turns from due north to due east.   But there is an historical reason, captured by the nomination form for the Southwest Loudoun Rural Roads.   

They write: 

"A middle path, known as Shinnet’s Path, crossed through the village of Trappe…  Shinnett’s Path would evolve to become the local thoroughfares of Trappe Road and others.”

The origin of the name Trappe is shrouded in mystery.   Scheel offers up three possibilities.   The first is the easiest to tell and he calls it the most plausible.   In short, it involves Rawleigh Colston and his French wife who lived here in the first part of the eighteenth century.   Apparently she missed Paris so much she went back, but not before calling the place - Le Trappe.   

It’s possible none of these stabs are correct, but Colston is certainly in the word cloud in these parts.  The NRHP form tells us he was part of the Marshall Syndicate of John Marshall (1775-1836), his brother James Markham, and their brother-in-law, Colston) that acquired land in 1793 in around what is now Llangollen.

As small as it is, Trappe has two distinct sections.   In the cluster just west of the road is five or so homes.  With no access to see them due to the Private Entrance sign, I use the web to find out three of them are valued at over $2M.   

Up on the hill lies Trappe Hill Farm.  Valued at $4M, it shows you can be away from Middleburg and still have higher value.   It boasts 13 stalls and has something many mansions in these parts does not have - a steep hillside view from the most western part.  Built in 1960, square footage is 4,680 and acreage 474.  Throw in a pond below and someone is sitting pretty.

Heading east on Trappe Road, I cross over Jeffries Branch on a one-lane bridge.  Now we’re in the other part of Trappe, the East Side if you will, where Scheel has identified the site of Colston’s Mill, and the buildings that held Grimes’s Shop and Ross’s Store/Trappe Post Office.

Where Colston’s Mill might have stood I see nothing except some large cut stones.  Perhaps they are the sole remnants. 

On top of a small hill, partially hidden by trees, I see an older structure.  Perhaps this is where Grimes’s Shop would have been.  Scheel tells us Bob Grimes was the blacksmith there from the 1890s to the closing in the late 1920s.

A search of the web shows this as 20541 Trappe Road and home to the Eastern Region Andalusian Horse Club.   These beauts descend from the Spanish region of Analusia.   Wiki tells us they are known for their “arched neck, muscular build and energetic gaits” and have appeared in historical and fantasy epic films.  Would love to see one or more but the Eyes (a Private Entrance sign) wield their power once again.    

Up the short hill we go, fingers crossed that Ross’s old store is still there and that we can see it. 

Yes, Lady Luck is smiling.  It is close, it is still there, it is still beautifully old, and it matches perfectly with the photo Scheel provides in his book.  A car is parked out front so we take the quick photo and move ahead to bask in our delight.   

Scheel tells us more about Trappe.   He begins with Townsend Frasier Sr. (1822-1907).  He also touched briefly on him in an article in The Washington Post (From the Mysterious to the Mundane, 'The Mountain' Has Weathered It All, October 6, 2001).

Frasier earned some local fame.  He served as a longtime supervisor for the Mercer District and was known as the “Cattle King of Loudoun County.”   His former land near Mount Weather and just west of today’s The View at Bluemont was named Frasier’s Hill.

The business generated by Frasier led to Trappe getting a post office and store in 1876.   Philip Hutchinson ran both before Joseph Ross took the helm.   The population was 36.   

In 1887, Fenton T. Ross, son of Joseph, was the man behind the counter.   Mail service stopped in 1907.   A guess is the residents went to Bluemont. 

Scheel writes that many regulars came to the store and post office, including “mountain men” and clerk John Beavers.   African Americans were customers, perhaps all living in or near Howardsville.  The doors shuttered in 1934, no doubt a sad sight. 

Scheel also writes there was a school across the street from the store.  The lot is vacant.  Mildred Hoge was the last teacher who rode on horseback to the school from her house in Unison, five miles away.   The school closed in 1925.

The old store is bookended by two charming old beauts that have been kept up nicely.   20532 shows being built in 1740.   202526 sports a sign - Guest House at the Trappe - also showing 1740.  Their views of horse and hunt country southward are breath taking.

Google maps shows Trappe Road ahead with two legs. One turns left and continues its northern track up to Bluemont.   We will leave that one for another day and instead take the Trappe Road that continues eastward to Greengarden Road (We noted earlier that this was part of the old Shinnit’s path). 

Greengarden Road will be our next trip write up, hopefully coming soon.   

With one last look over to the mountains, we wave goodbye to these lovely lands.  Thank you to all the keepers, residents, and story tellers.  We wave goodbye and leave feeling pleased, satisfied, and nourished.    

 

 

 

North of Upperville, Part Five, Cleremont

We are taking a looking at houses and farms along Trappe Road north of Upperville.   Today, in Part Five, we look at Cleremont.

 

Less than a mile north of Windsor Farm lies Cleremont.  I had high hopes of seeing it closer than from Trappe Road.   Google maps shows what looks like two different public roads to reach it.  But the former says private entrance and the latter is blocked by a fencing gate.   It’s tempting to be annoyed, but these are places that are protected for a reason and I respect that.   And the Legacy Site website has a wonderful set of photos and info.

Scheel does not mark Windsor Farm on his map, but the National Register for Historic Places delivers the goods.

The Cleremont story bring the Rust family back into the picture.  Like subjects appearing on Paul Harvey’s “Page Two,” they have emerged in this story of the lands north of Upperville.   

Note:  Elizabeth Rust (1756-1850), the mother of General George Rust Jr.  (1788-1857) is shown as being laid to rest at the Moss Cemetery, which we mentioned in the first part of this write-up.  Her husband was Lt. George Rust, who served in the Continental Army.  Their son, General George Rust, Jr. (1788-1857), served in the War of 1812. 

In 1761, four years after the county was founded out of part of Fairfax County, William Rust (1720-1799), originally from Westmoreland County on Virginia’s Northern Neck, acquired and built a simple cottage.   He and his wife Monica had eight children.   Rust served as surveyor of roads and constable.   

In his final days, Rust was living at a house he built at what is now Windsor Farm.  In 1801, this former Rust land was partitioned, with the Windsor part to the south going to his daughter Anne Rust Bogges.  We touched on this during our look at Windsor.

The oldest part of the present main dwelling house, a two-bay stone structure in the Federal style, was built by Rust’s youngest son George Rust (1760-1850) around 1820.   George Rust served as a Lieutenant during the American Revolution and was married in 1786 to Elizabeth Rust Dunbar, his cousin.   The farm was known as Meadowview.

In 1846, George Rust Sr. left for Arkansas.  He gave the house and farm to his son, George Rust Jr. (1778-1857), but he lived mostly elsewhere.   He married Maria Claggett Marlow of Prince George’s County and served during the War of 1812.  In 1824, he became a Brigadier General.  The family lived at Rocklands and Exeter near Leesburg.   In 1832 they sold Meadowview to his cousin John. M. Harrison of Windsor, but it went back to Rust in 1839. 

In 1849, Rust sold Meadowview to Addison B. Carter and moved to Baltimore.  He passed away in 1857.  In 1879, Carter sold Meadoview and moved to Winchester.   Henry A. Hall and his wife Susan acquired the property.  They renamed it Cleremont. 

The owners when the form was prepared in 1997 were Mr. and Mrs. George A. Horkan, Jr, who acquired it in 1962.  The pedimented portico was added in 1940.

There are six contributing buildings - the original stone dwelling (1761), present part (1820-1835 and added on 1870 and 1980), stone kitchen (late 19c or early 20c), tenant house c.1940, and stone carriage mount from early 20c.

 

North of Upperville: Part Four, Windsor Farm

We are taking a looking at houses and farms along Trappe Road north of Upperville.   Today we look at Windsor Farm, just north of Llangollen.

Leaving Llangollen behind, we are now about halfway to Trappe.   We reach the intersection with Millville Road.   It runs eastward to the African American village of Willisville.  Perhaps you remember our recent trip there.   

With Trappe Road having shifted from asphalt to a hard pan, we feel a small change in the feel of the landscape.  But it is only very subtle and we like the change, which puts us more in touch with the history here.  And as mentioned earlier, these roads  slow things down, that great antidote to the rat race. 

Passing by Shade Tree Farm, we start to see Mount Weather on the mountain top.   The footprint has grown from a few weather buildings in the 1910s to dozens including the underground component.    I’m sure some of the landowners huffed and puffed when it was announced, but all seems congruent now. 

I suppose there are two kinds of places in horse and hunt country.   One is the ones like Ayrshire and Llangollen.   The others have some stories, but you gotta dig.   Windsor Farm, whose sign we see next, falls in this category.   It pops up on Google Maps, but it’s not on the NRHP and Scheel does not cover it.   The map shows a set of structures only about 1000 feet from the road, but trees mostly hide the barns and home.

Fortunately, the Windsor Farm website tells us a little bit about themselves.  Washington, DC born Alexa Lowe spearheads the show jumping training operation (European sport horses).   She was a member of the gold-medal winning 2008 USEF Show Jumping Developing Rider Tour team.  In 2017, she won (riding Synapse De Blondel) the $30,000 Rockbridge Grand Prix and Dubliner Trophy at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington.

The Rappahanock News reported on Lowe in July, 2008.  She “rode Windsor Farm homebred Nadyleen on the gold medal team with three others.  US team won the Nation’s Cup in Slovenia.” 

We rolled the dice and sent an e-mail to Lowe.   She was kind enough to not only respond, but also sent me a history of the land and the farm. Using this and our searches of newspapers, we provide this summary.

In 1750, a stone house was built for Ann Janney, a daughter of Amos Janney.   From Pennsylvania those Quakers came down to northern Virginia, their names sprinkled in books covering the compelling stories they made from the villages in these Piedmont hills down to the seaport in Alexandria. 

In 1761, William Rust (1720-1799) acquired the house and 400 acres.  After he passed away, the house, a barn, and vineyard were conveyed to Vincent Bogges and his wife Ann Rust Bogges.  In 1822, she conveyed it to her grandson, Samuel Bogges.  In 1835, he sold the property to John M. Harrison.  Harrison and Tyler family members owned it from 1822 to 1926.  The Harrisons gave it the name of Windsor Farm.

In 1926, the Harrisons sold it to Dorsey Cullen.  Newspaper coverage picks up here.   Colonel and Mrs. Dorsey Cullen ran the farm.   A native of Richmond, Colonel Dorsey (1868-1938) was a retired Army veteran (Infantry).  His service of 35 years included the Boxer Rebellion and the assault of San Juan Hill during the Spanish-American War, and the Philippine Campaign.  He was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.

An article in the “Collyer’s Eye and the Baseball World” (June 21, 1930, The Analyst) reported on his new breeding methods.  Dorsey had 40 years experience in developing horses.  His pride and joy at the time was Baby Grand, who sired a number of notables.   Racing fans in Saratoga knew his name.  Readers of the Fauquier Democratic learned that same summer that ill health forced Colonel Dorsey to retire from the business. 

In 1935, the Cullens sold Windsor Farm to Mr. and Mrs. Charles V.B. (Van Brunt) Cushman (1902-1987).  In 1936, they gave a house warming where “the entire country-side turned out.” 

The 1940 Census shows Cushman, wife Elizabeth, children - Philip, Charles Jr, Hope, Carolyn, and Robert.  Charles is listed as a Stock Breeder.

In June 1941, Anne Hagner of The Washington Post wrote a series of articles on the breeding farms in the area.   She quoted Cushman as saying, “I’m going for quality not quantity these days.”  His favorite was the seven-year-old Double Scotch, a bay stallion, one of the few sons of Stimulus.  Cushman said the stud had been busy the past few years.   Double Scotch had won at Suffolk Downs, but a broken small bone forced his retirement to Windsor Farm. 

In 1942, Charles received a commission in the United States Army Air Force Intelligence service.   He was stationed at Naval Air Station Anacostia, now part of Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling.  His wife and family moved to Alexandria to be near him.   After the war, they returned to Windsor Farm.  In 1949, Major and Mrs. Cushman entertained about 75 guests after the Trinity Horse Show.

In his “Horses and People” column (August 24, 1956), Walter Haight wrote that Cushman, in 1929 at Saratoga, paid $75,000 for a Whisk Broom II colt he named New Broom.  The whopping sum stood as a US record for more than 20 years. 

Windsor Farm was back in the news in October, 1955.  A front page article in the Fauquier Democratic noted Colonel Cushman had contracted to sell the farm to H. Austin Kaye, a New York stock broker, and his wife Louise H. Kay.  The article described the residence as a “lovely old home which the Cushman’s remodeled and redecorated during their ownership.”

The following July, Kaye sold the farm equipment at auction, a listing of 35 items.   A few months into hunt season, the Piedmont Hunt club met at Windsor Farm.   In the next several years, the paper reported on the Kaye’s trips to New York and hosting at their farm. 

On March 9, 1977, the Piedmont Virginian published a letter to the paper from Florence Kaye of Windsor Farm.  She revealed she was born and raised in Europe.   Florence Kaye fell off the radar, but reappeared in the Rappahannock News on December 1, 1999.  Kaye and Aileen Campbell were scheduled to read at the Old Sperryville Bookshop.  Kaye’s new book was titled, “The Tale of the Unicorn,” and described as “both a children’s story and an adult allegorical fable.”   The reader learned Kaye lived in Scotland during World War II.    Living there inspired her to write the book.

In 1985, David George Bell acquired Windsor Farm and its 218 acres.  In 1996, he sold it to John Richard Bingle.   The acreage was reduced to 115.  In 2006, Bingle conveyed the property to Frank and Margaret O’Neill.  In 2006, they placed it in conservation easement with The Land Trust of Virginia.   Lowe acquired it thereafter.

 

North of Upperville: Part Three, Llangollen

We are taking a six-part look at some of the area north of Upperville.

In Part One we looked at the first mile or so of Trappe Road.   In Part Two, we looked at Ayrshire.  Today we head to Llangollen, about a mile  up the road from Ayrshire.

Part Four:  Windsor Farm

Part Five: Cleremont 

Part Six:  Trappe

 

Like its neighbor Ayrshire, Llangollen stands tall in the pantheon of grand historic mansions in horse and hunt country.   Its 12,500 square feet is kingly in size, and who else has the base of the mountains in the back yard, as well as a world class set of polo facilities in the front yard?    

The driveway here spans 4,000 feet from the road.  Normally, such a distant, combined with terrain and trees, would make the house invisible.   But here the house, with 17 fireplaces and a rich history can be seen from the road.   

What can’t be seen is the massive, 24-stall horseshoe-shaped stable behind the house.   Also on the grounds is a 5/8 mile training track, three polo fields, a polo arena, a training barn with indoor track, a diary barn, ice house, and tenant houses.  It all adds up to a current value of about $26.5M, perhaps the highest figure in horse and hunt country.

Llangollen is certainly extravagant, but it can take us back to the early days of Middleburg.   We are blessed to have the recent nomination form for the National Register of Historic Places.  

The first part of the house, a small patent house, dates to c. 1795.  Lt. Col. Leven Powell (1737-1810) acquired and expanded the house and farm land.   Another Federal-style expansion came in 1830 and a final one took place in the early 20th-century into a Colonial Revival-style house. 

In 1787, Powell etched his way into history by subdividing 50 acres of his land halfway from Winchester to Alexandria, and creating half-acre lots.  Thus was born the town of Middleburg.  He gave the town a Federal flavor, naming streets such as Washington, Madison, and Constitution.

Rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, Powell served in the American Revolution under General George Washington and held public office in the US House of Representatives.   Founders Online tells us in 1787, Washington experimented with planting buckwheat after Powell sent him 50 bushels and a letter of advisement.

Lesser known is that part of Powell’s story took place in Alexandria.  Ethelyn Cox (Historic Alexandria, Street by Street) tells us he owned the commodious and attractive clapboard house at 200 Duke Street.

The NRHP form gives us terrific info on Powell.  He tapped into the merchant trade in Alexandria that was prosperous during the seaport’s Golden Age.   Colonel Powell’s son, Cuthbert Powell (1775-1849) inherited the Llangollen property in 1810.  He later expanded the house.  Cuthbert Powell was born and practiced law in Alexandria, as well as serving as mayor.   Cox shows him living at 229 S. Pitt. 

Also a merchant, Cuthbert owned a store at the southeast corner of Fairfax and Queen.  In their “A Seaport Saga,” Smith and Miller have a photo of the building and tell us it was one of the city’s early buildings.   The brick and stone structure was demolished in 1915.

Founders Online notes Powell served as a director of the Alexandria Library Company and officer of the Sun Fire Company in 1803.  His political career included councilman (1806), mayor (1808), State Senator (1815-1819), House of Delegates (1828-1829), Virginia Congressman (1841).  Cuthbert married Catherine Simms, the daughter of Col. Charles Simms, a close friend and pall-bearer of George Washington.   

Powell split his time between his Alexandria townhouse and Llangollen.  He continued to expand his Llangollen acres, dotted with tenant farmers.  

Cuthbert moved permanently from Alexandria to Llangollen around 1830.  The number of ships sailing on the Potomac had been reduced during what might be seen as its “Wilted Age.”  Cuthbert’s oldest son, Charles Leven Powell (1804-1896), also split time in Alexandria and in Loudoun County.   Some of Cuthbert’s other children were born in Alexandria.  His brother Burr (1768-1839) Powell was an early esteemed citizen of Middleburg. 

Cuthbert passed away in 1849, and was laid to rest at Llangollen.  The Cuthbert Powell Cemetery, near the house, is a contributing site.  

George S. Ayre enters the picture after the Civil.   He owned the house and lands between the end of the Civil War and the late 1800s.   As the nomination form points out, economic hardship continued in the 1880s with workers seeking employment in more urban areas.  

Towards the end of his life, Ayre retreated to his other home, Snowden, in Fauquier County.   Eugene Scheel wrote about it in The Washington Post (November 15, 2003).   The dwelling burned down in 1913.   Scheel saw the ruins in the 1970s, located 1.5 miles south of Paris and in State Meadows Park.   

In 1911, Harry Toulmin, a native of Alabama who lived in Washington, acquired Llangollen.   He likely added the Colonel Revival front porch and lived there until selling it in 1922.

The wealthy Northerners kept coming to horse and hunt country in the first half of the 20th century.   In some cases they acquired older mansions, put big money into modernizing and expanding them, started fox hunts in front of them, and held social gatherings inside them.   Some also became breeders of thoroughbred horses.

One of the most celebrated arrivals came in 1930 when millionaire John “Jock” Jay Whitney and his wife Liz made for splashy newcomers.   Coming from silver spoons in Maine and New York, Whitney was an Oxford-educated financier and newspaper publisher.  He was described as being “as close to royalty as American racing ever had.”  Llangollen was his wedding gift to Liz, whose mother, Elizabeth Altemus Eastman, blazed trails in Philadelphia as a leader.   Liz was a fearless rider who competed in shows and raised thoroughbreds.  The couple updated and added on to the mansion and built a large horseshoe shaped stable.

On November 17, 1931, the Whitney’s hosted a day like no other in these parts.   The event was a set of four steeplechase races that drew a star field of thoroughbreds and 20,000 spectators.   By way of comparison, at the time, Leesburg’s population was 1,600 and Alexandria had 24,000.   One reporter quipped, “Where they stayed, I’ll never know.”

The lucky ones stayed in the mansion.  Social celebrities came from Washington, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Kentucky.   Among the Washington guests were the Secretary of the Navy.   Perhaps some guests showed off a new automobile while other traded stories about the long distance from Washington and the condition of the roads.

The newspapers from Richmond to New York splashed full page ink with large photos. 

The Evening Star: Aristocratic Days in Old Dominion Revived by Races.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch: The eyes of the sporting world will turn Tuesday to Llangollen.

The Washington Post: Sporting people came from all parts of the United States. 

The New York Daily News: With the 35,000 Society Bluebloods at Jock Whitney’s Hunt Meet.

The Staunton Daily News Leader:  The races will hark to the golden era of the turf when the Virginia four-miler held sway.

The New York Daily News:  Said to be the largest private racing event held in Virginia since the Civil War.

A select number of guests stayed for a formal dinner and dance.  Liz presented the Llangollen Cup and prize money of $5,000. 

The winners were:

Word of Honor, Llangollen Open Steeplechase Cup (Three miles, won by two lengths), 6:20.

Stone Dale, Piedmont Gold Steeplechase Cup (Three Miles over Aiken type fences), 6:48.

Thornback (Owned by Elizabeth), Ayrshire Cup, four miles over timber), 9:31.

Bachelor’s Drake, Blue Ribbon Chase, 5:26.

 

Before divorcing in 1939 (he married a Roosevelt), John and Liz ruled the roost of hosting A-list hunt breakfasts and balls in these parts, as well as holding their polo and thoroughbred racing events.  Their guests included Bing Crosby, the heavyweight boxing champ Gene Tunny, Jockey of the Year Eddie Arcaro, a Vice President, ambassadors, a Count, and a Prince.   The "Smart Set" now had a Virginia playground.

While John left and chased dreams elsewhere, Liz stayed.   Helping to usher in what might be seen as the area’s golden age of thoroughbred farms, she became good friends with Paul and Bunny Mellon.  Like Paul at Rokeby, Isabelle Dodge Sloane at Brookmeade (now Lazy Lane), and Taylor Hardin at Newstead, Liz earned esteem as a premier thoroughbred owner.  She added a 5/8 training track and training barn.   

Liz cared deeply for Llangollen.  Delores Phillips (“Self-Sufficient Llangollen Covers 3,300 Valley Acres,” Evening Star, November 25, 1956) told her readers she had a collection of antique furniture, paintings, and china that outdistanced most museums.  Among her household items were a four-poster bed that belonged to Robert "King" Carter, a Gilbert Stuart painting of George Washington and many of horses.  Her dogs were Great Danes, poodles, retrievers, and terriers.  Her Diary Plant sold milk to northern Virginia and Washington.   

Liz called Llangollen home until her passing in 1988.   As noted by Drew Beard ("Virginia Hunt Country Landmark," The Land Report, August 30, 2024), the mansion and facilities fell into a state of disrepair.   In 1989, Roy Ash, co-founder of Litton Industries, acquired and restored it.   

In 2008, the Brennan family acquired and updated Llangollen, and established a world class polo facility.   

The estate is currently up for sale ($26.5M).   All eyes await, because out here, you’re not just an owner, a resident, and a neighbor.  Most  importantly, you are a steward...