~ OLD MANSION ~A HISTORY OF CHANGE IN THE VIRGINIA

LANDSCAPE

BOWLING GREENCAROLINE COUNTY, VIRGINIA

~ PRESENTED TO THE GARDEN CLUB OF VIRGINIA ~

SARAH A. TRAUTVETTERSUMMER ~ 2002

Copyright © 2002 by The Garden Club of Virginia. All Rights Reserved.

Reproduction:

All material contained herein is the intellectual property of the Garden Club of Virginia except where noted. Permission for reproduction, except for personal use, must be obtained from:

TThe Fellowship Committee, ChairThe Garden Club of VirginiaThe Kent-Valentine House12 East Franklin StreetRichmond, VA 23219www.gcvirginia.org

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND DISCLAIMERS ~

The history of Old Mansion has been attempted by few and realized by even fewer.Located just south of the town of Bowling Green in Caroline County, Virginia, Old Mansionremains a puzzle even today. As Caroline County falls into the category of “burned counties” -those which lost much of their official and original documents (land surveys, deeds, and recordsof all transactions) in the fires of the Civil War - little hard, factual evidence exists to assist theresearcher in her endeavors. Instead, articles and short excerpts in “history” books recount fables,loose factoids, and the same three ghoststories, again and again. What does exist, however, is afully intact eighteenth-century house, a beautiful - if slightly wild - landscape, a mid-nineteenth-century farmbook, and a photograph album dating from the early twentieth century. Additionally,a 1941 report by the Historic Architectural Building Survey (HABS) provided some fundamentalinformation, both written and graphic, from which I was able to begin my study. However, themost rewarding parts of this experience have been the on-site research, including land surveys,sketching, and exploration of the landscape, and the glimpse of nineteenth-century Virginia farmlife revealed in the pages of the old farmbook.

While its earlier history remains largely incomplete, this report attempts to unveil the latteryears of the landscape at Old Mansion. Additionally, I sought to clear up some of the historicalinconsistencies and erroneous claims that became clear to me during my research this summer.Under the circumstances, this is the best I think a researcher can hope to realize in a three monthspan.

Lastly, I would like to acknowledge a few individuals for their support this summer. First, Iam indebted to the Garden Club of Virginia for providing me with this wonderful opportunity andto its many members who gave me such a deep appreciation for Virginia’s diverse landscape. Inaddition, I thank both Maria Riley and Mr. William Rieley for their extensive help. Maria wasinvaluable as my surveying partner, and is to be praised for her levelheadedness, patience, andclear sense of logic. Will is the most gentle and knowledgeable of overseers; his guidance andquiet confidence in my abilities were immeasurable and greatly appreciated. And finally, I thankMr. Edward Russell, current owner of Old Mansion, for his hospitality and interest in the project;and for providing usage of the photograph album and farmbook - both invaluable to the research.Thank you all.

Figure 1. “Old Mansion” and its historic bowling green lined with Eastern Redcedars, 2002.

2

OLD MANSION ~ ITS PLACE IN VIRGINIA’S LANDSCAPE

Described as “a blue chip architectural treasure,” Old Mansion is notable for providing a completeexample of the residential house type found in the Chesapeake Bay area during the eighteenthcentury. The landscape surrounding Old Mansion is equally representative of the working estatesheld by the landed gentry at that date, with a number of twists and uniquities of its own. Beforegoing further with a description of the house and its site, however, a few points must be clarified.

Heralded as the oldest house in Caroline County still in existence (R.E. Fall, p. 18), OldMansion was reportedly built in the 1600’s, on land deeded to a Major Thomas Hoomes by KingCharles II around 1667. This claim, however, may not be completely accurate. While it is possiblethat an earlier structure may have been built on the site by Major Thomas Hoomes in the lateseventeenth century, physical evidence suggests that the existing house was actually built in theeighteenth century. The exterior walls and the two chimneys of the original portion of the houseare built of brick and it is this brickwork that clearly places construction sometime between theyears 1700 and 1750. In a good state of preservation, the patterning of the brickwork is split -with English bond (alternating rows of stretchers only and headers only) used below thewatertable and Flemish bond (each row composed of alternating header, stretcher, header,stretcher, etc.) with glazed headers appearing above the watertable. This differentiation is notableas it was the fashion in early colonial architecture to use English bond over the entire exterior untilc. 1700 when it became popular to employ the more ornate Flemish bond with glazed headers.This technique remained in vogue until about 1750 when the glazed headers (and their subsequentplaid patterning) were considered too garish. From 1750 onwards, therefore, it was common touse the plain Flemish bond above the watertable and the English bond below.

The second clarification that must be made regarding thehistory of Old Mansion is the fact that while the house hasremained in a relatively unchanged state of preservation, thegrounds surrounding the mansion have undergone considerablealteration. Little is known about the original design and intentof the landscape, yet one can make a safe assessment bystudying contemporary examples. Although a more modestexample of an eighteenth-century Virginia homestead, OldMansion contains elements found at the likes of Sabine Hall,Mount Airy, and Mount Vernon. Some existing elements justifysuch an assessment, including: bowling greens, symmetrical andgeometric formality of layout, cedar-lined drives, box-borderedsquares, and a series of terracing or “falls.” Colonial landscapeswere used both for profit and for pleasure. (Martin, p. xxiii) Andthe term “garden” became a metaphor in the minds of earlyVirginians, representing their increasing control over theenvironment and the progress of their lives in this newlandscape. Figure 2. Brick bond patterning

dating the house to c.1700-1750.

3

While information is limited regarding the early years of Old Mansion, a considerableamount is known about the mid-nineteenth century and onwards. According to a farmbook foundin the house and dating from 1844, Old Mansion was a working farm. This is not to say that OldMansion was a “ferme ornee,” or ornamental farm, like Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello but,instead, it was a farm whose sole purpose was the livelihood of its occupants. As such, the farmunderwent continual transformation and improvement all of which serve to obscure a trulyaccurate historical documentation of the site. On the other hand, however, the farmbook revealsa decade of Old Mansion’s history in great detail, with daily entries that provide evidence of boththe great variety of plants cultivated and the experience of living within this historic landscape.

In addition to the layered history is the fact that the Old Mansion that one visits today isconsiderably smaller in area than that of the nineteenth century, let alone that of the eighteenthcentury. The present site comprises some 128 acres, most of which is uncleared and inaccessible.While the supposed original grant of c. 1667 was for 17,000 acres of land, the estate in 1824totaled 2,694 acres and in the 1930’s had shrunk to 500 acres. This alteration in itself changes thecharacter of the property, fragmenting the total package and hindering a clear understanding forthe original scope of Old Mansion’s landscape. Therefore, although the house has retained muchof its eighteenth-century appearance, the landscape has experienced considerable change. Whilethe house has grown, the property has been slowly carved away, and this difference is highlyrepresentative of the modern mentality regarding the need for more interior space, and suggeststhe diminishing importance of land in today’s society.

Old Mansion, aside from its providingphysical evidence of the changing valueof land and architectural styles, offers aclear glimpse into the cultural changesthis country has undergone since itsfounding. Tracing the histories of thepeople associated with Old Mansionthroughout its lifetime, one takes ajourney through Virginia’s social history- from the Colonial period through post-Revolutionary years, and from theDepression-era of the 1920’s into thedevelopment-crazed 1980’s and ontothe present - the summer of 2002.

Figure 3. Old Mansion, c. 1925.

4

OLD MANSION ~ ITS MYTHS & LEGENDS

Many stories have arisen around Old Mansion and its grounds, recounting both ghostlymyths and historic legends about its occupants and visitors. These accounts range from the tragicto the heroic and are not to be read as anything more than entertaining lore. One essay inparticular paints a pretty ghastly image, going so far as to call Old Mansion a “haunted house.”(Taylor, p. 147) This excerpt in Taylor’s book, The Ghosts of Fredericksburg, begins with a clearsummarization of the “wide variety of inexplicable psychic phenomena” that have been attributedto Old Mansion over the years. Taylor writes that these phenomena include the following factors:“a headless horseman who dashes around an old race track in front of the house...the returningapparition of a former owner which signals an imminent death in the family in residence...thereappearance of a woman who was frightened to death there...” etc. In addition is a morehistorical legend claiming that during the Revolutionary War General George Washington and hissoldiers camped at Old Mansion (the Bowling Green) on their way to Yorktown. And it is furtheralleged that on his return trip after the surrender of Cornwallis, Washington gave a great banqueton the lawn in honor of LaFayette. (Wingfield and others) This tradition seems to be of slightlymore authentic origin as the HABS report notes that, according to Washington’s diary, he did havedinner on April 10, 1791, at what is now called the “Old Mansion.” The entry is as follows:

“April, 1791 --- Sunday, 10th. Left Fredericksburg about 6 o’clock, - myself, Majr. Jacksonand one servant, - breakfasted at General Spotswoods. The rest of my servants continued on toTodd’s Ordinary where they also breakfasted. Dined at Bowling Green, and lodged at Kenner’sTavern, 14 miles farther -- in all 35 m.” (HABS, p.5)

The last myth places Old Mansion in a patriotic lightas the house is said to have served the county in theRevolutionary cause. The Virginia Gazette of August 11,1775, describes the Caroline Independent Company, a unitmade up of local residents, as they “went through the manualexercise, with a great variety of new and useful evolutions, at theBowling Green in that county, before upwards of 1,500 spectators,who were exceedingly pleased with the dexterity and alertness of themen....” (Nichols)

Figure 9. View of the bowling greenfrom the house, c. 1920.

5

OLD MANSION ~ A PHYSICAL ANALYSIS

Old Mansion exemplifies the typical eighteenth-century Chesapeake Bay area house.Caroline County has been described as a “middle-class” county by T. Edward Campbell in hisbook, Colonial Caroline, and in this sense Old Mansion suits its context well. More modest than thelarger plantation homes built in the lower Tidewater and along the James River at that same date,Old Mansion presides upon its landscape with a quiet grace.

Set about 800 feet back from the Old Stagecoach Road (now Rte. 2) and one mile west ofMaracossie Creek, Old Mansion remains just on the outskirts of town. The house is of the earlycolonial style - a one and one-half story brick structure with five dormer windows, a jerkinheadroof, and exterior brick chimneys at each end. This particular style of using one and one-halfstories is said to have prevailed in the earliest Colonial period because of the higher tax levied byEngland on houses of two or more stories. (Wingfield, p. 357) As noted earlier, the brickpatterning is Flemish bond with glazed headers above the watertable and English bond below, andit is evident that the brick has been whitewashed at some more recent date. (Many sourcessuggest that the bricks were brought from England; however, no documentary evidence has beenfound to support this claim.) The main house has remained relatively untouched, but a frameaddition was added to the rear of the house in the late eighteenth century and a porch attached tothe front of the main house in the nineteenth century. The rear wing has a gambrel roof, anexposed exterior chimney at the far end and is constructed of wood clapboard siding. Thisaddition did have a small porch off its west side in the early twentieth century, which has sincebeen removed, and it is known that access between the main house and the wing was restricted tothe first floor.

Figure 4. Farm yard view ofhouse, showing side porch,c.1920.

Originally known as “Bowling Green,” the estate became known as the “Old Mansion” inthe early 1800’s. The name, Bowling Green, issued from the long grass sward that spreads outbefore the house - an element commonly found in eighteenth century southern landscapes. Thisgreen is bordered on either side by rows of Eastern Redcedars which, according to tradition, were

6

brought as switches from Gloucester County, England, in the saddle bags of Major Hoomes.Whether this is historical fact or fiction is unknown, but what is certain is that many of these treesstill stand today. These Redcedars are most important elements of the site and are constantlyfeatured in newspaper articles about the house and on the front of postcards. Among the otherequally notable elements of the existing landscape at Old Mansion are the groupings of statelyDwarf Boxwood that flank either side of the front facade and extend outward to the top of thedrive. In addition are about thirty-eight younger Dwarf Boxwood planted to the east of the housein a simple geometric garden layout.

Figure 7. Dwarf Boxwood in grid pattern to eastof house, 2002.

Figure 6. Dwarf Boxwood to right of house,c.1940.

Figure 5. Dwarf Boxwood to left of house, 2002.

7

In addition, a stately allee of American Holliesstretches along the southern edge of the upper terraceforming what was once referred to as “Holly Avenue.”These Hollies, originally planted in two rows aboutfourteen feet apart, seem to have been spaced sixteento eighteen feet apart in the row. According toDonald Parker, a landscape architect hired to conducta preliminary report of the grounds at Old Mansion in1978, evidence indicated that a total of ten pairs ofHollies were originally planted at the site. In 1978fifteen specimens remained and today, 2002, eleventrees are in existence (not all of these appear to be theoriginals). The sketch below indicates the location ofHolly Avenue in relation to the house and the terraces- this plan/section was made during the initial stagesof research.

Figure 9. Holly Avenue, c.1920.

Figure 8. Plan/Section sketch showing HollyAvenue and its location at the edge of the“Falls.”

8

OLD MANSION ~ ITS INHABITANTS & LINEAGE

The exact lineage of the early years of Old Mansion is yet unsubstantiated. According toRalph Emmett Fall in his compilation, People, Postoffices & Communities in Caroline County, Virginia,1727-1969, a Major Thomas Hoomes of England received a land grant in 1667 from King CharlesII for 17,000 acres located in Caroline County, Virginia. However, the HABS report of 1941claims that Major John Hoomes was in fact responsible for the original design of the house and itsconsiderable grounds; and Campbell in his book, Colonial Caroline, notes that in 1667 John Hoomes“patented 3,000 acres on a swamp leading to the northeast bank of the Mattapony... This tract wasto become known as Bowling Green, and at a later date as the Old Mansion....” In addition,Wingfield’s History of Caroline County (from which many of these histories seem to have originated)does not give the Major a first name, nor the acreage of the supposed patent, but instead states “itis quite certain that [the house] was not later than 1675.” This leads one to believe that much ofwhat has been published regarding the history of Bowling Green and, later Old Mansion, is highlyspeculative.

Further, as Caroline County is a “burned county,” little exists to clear up thesediscrepencies, and what evidence there is does not support these claims of such an early date. Forexample, the County abstracts of Old Rappahannock and Essex Counties (1657-1728), whichpredate Caroline County, do not show any patents in the name of Hoomes or Homes (or any otherpossibly related spelling), nor do they record any patent of 17,000 acres. The County Records ofEssex from 1691 and forward yield nothing, and unfortunately the County Records of Caroline donot exist prior to 1830. In fact, only the 1781 Land Tax Book of Caroline County provides anyanswers, and in Book A lists a John Hoomes with 1,844 acres, and in Book B a John Homes with2,130 acres. Thus, despite the dearth of information available regarding the early history of OldMansion and its original inhabitants, this Land Tax Book provides us with evidence of ownershipof land as early as the Revolution. (As an additional note: the 1806 Land Tax Book records anincrease in holdings from 1,844 acres for John Hoomes to 6,329 acres, and from 2,130 acres to2,549 acres for John Homes. The location of each tract was finally included in the details of the1814 Land Tax Book, allowing one to ascertain that the larger holding - that of Hoomes - was onemile south of the Courthouse, about the location of Old Mansion today, and the smaller tract wasten miles to the southwest.)

More is known about Colonel John Waller Hoomes, allegedly the single son of the recipientof the crown grant (however known dates suggest two generations divide the men). Colonel JohnHoomes was noted to have performed the duties of Post Master General for Bowling Green from1790-1796, in fact it was certified that “no contractor performed his duties with more faithfulnessand punctuality”(R.E. Fall, p. 36). In a letter from George Washington to “Colonel John Hoomes,”dated February 17, 1791, Washington refers to a “Pack (Royal Gift)” that “though sure, is slow incovering...” and he then goes on to discuss a “Bill to establish the Post Office and Post Roadswithin the United States.” This evidence points both to the fact that Colonel John Waller Hoomeswas, indeed, a Post Master General, and more importantly, that he was at Bowling Green in thesecond half of the eighteenth century.

9

Colonel John Waller Hoomes was a colorful member of Caroline’s early society. Inaddition to his role as Post Master General, Colonel Hoomes served in the Virginia Senate (Houseof Delegates) from 1791-1796 (Wingfield, p. 41), and was an avid horseman. On December 16,1803 (two years before his death), Colonel John Waller Hoomes presented the Virginia Assemblywith a petition that provided a bond of $5,000 with which to build a new courthouse, and heincluded a deed for land from his property on which it was to be built. (Fall, p. 19) The town thateventually grew up around the courthouse, therefore, adopted its name of Bowling Green fromthis property, and the estate became known as Old Mansion from that point forward. What is nowa long oval drive circling the lawn was once a race track, and reportedly one of the first on Ameri-can soil. In fact, Bowling Green and later Old Mansion, was quite a social center during the latterhalf of the eighteenth century, hosting the Virginia Jockey Club’s annual races and frequent eventsof the larger American Jockey Club.

Colonel John Hoomes played an interesting role in the history of American horse racingand breeding and became, in fact, one of the foremost importers of thoroughbred horses.According to Longrigg in his book, The History of Horse Racing, Colonel John Hoomes “had a goodstud, not large, before the Revolution, and raced his home-breds successfully in the 1780’s.”(p.206) From 1792 he began importing “high-class” horses specutively, nineteen stallions andthirteen mares by 1802, “all of which he sold.” (Longrigg, p. 206) Colonel Hoomes sought andattained the best in regards to thoroughbred breeding and importing; he had a good eye and,apparently, was not afraid to take a bit of a gamble on a horse. One example is his purchase of“Diomed” in 1798. Winner of the inaugural Epsom Derby in 1780, Diomed had become an “inand outer” (highly inconsistent), and was a long shot at the tracks. Colonel Hoomes, however, wasnot deterred and paid $250 for the horse, intending to use him for stud service. (Robertson, p. 37)Diomed performed better in America than he had in England and sired a number of successfulthoroughbreds for Hoomes, establishing his owner as one of the leading horse breeders in thecolonies.

Figure 10. Bowling Green with encirling drive - site of the former race track, 2002.

10

Horse racing in America has an interesting history and this background helps to explain thesize and shape of the old race track surrounding the green at Old Mansion. Two generations priorto the Revolution, racing in Virginia was frequent and popular but, unfortunately, it went highlyunrecorded. (Longrigg, p. 107) The density of America’s forests and the ever-present threat ofstarvation during the early years of the colonies was such that any cleared land in Virginia wasused solely for agricultural purposes. Therefore, all early horse racing in Virginia took place onwhatever open space was available, turning narrow tracts and short paths through the woods intomakeshift race tracks. Some colonies even held races down their main streets - in Philadelphia, forexample, the nick-name “Race Street” was so popular with its residents that it was formallyadopted over the real name, “Sassafras Street.” (Robertson, p. 7) Distinctly American incharacter, this form of racing was “completely new” and was comprised of “a very short dash, twohorses matched, in which the start was crucial and bumping and crossing habitual.” (Longrigg,p. 105) As tobacco farming grew in Virginia so, too, did the demand for cleared land. As a sidenote, tobacco deposits toxins into the earth that impoverish the soil, eventually rendering it uselessfor agricultural purposes. With Virginia’s increased sense of wealth and confidence, society felt itcould be more “wasteful” with the land and quickly transformed these impoverished fields intorace tracks.

By the eighteenth century, the fervor for horse racing had reached a level in Virginia thatearned considerable notice from European visitors. In 1759 Reverend Andrew Burnaby wrote,“The Gentlemen of Virginia who are exceedingly fond of horse racing, have spared no expense ortrouble to improve the breed of them by importing great numbers from England.” (Stanard, p. 254)And in 1765 a visiting English Officer wrote, “There are established races annually at almost everytown and considerable place in Virginia.” (Longrigg, p.107) Thus, it seems highly probable that,given Bowling Green’s visible location between Fredericksburg and Richmond, it should beincluded in this dubious category of “considerable” places and, therefore, would have beenassociated with some sort of a horse racing venue.

Figure 11. Image of the Caroline County Courthouse.

Excerpt from the original petition by John Hoomes for the countycourthouse, December 16, 1803, filed in the original handwritingin the Virginia State Library, Archives Dept., and stating: “...thatwhereas the above bond John Hoomes inconsideration of the seat of Justicefor the County Court of Caroline being removed to the Bowling Green didamongst other things agree to build and furnish for the use of the saidCounty a good and sufficient Court house of the same size and kind ofmaterials of the old Court house.... and upwards of four Acres of Land(sic.) are set aside for public purposes....” (HABS, p.3)

11

The layout of a race track typically found in the Virginia colonies due to this early value ofcleared land was a straight track measuring one-quarter of a mile in length. The American quarter-horse developed as a result of this trend - bred for performance and their ability to start quicklyand sprint swiftly, the quarter-horse originated in the colonies as fast, quarter-mile racers. (NewEncyclopaedia Britannica 2002, p. 333) The quarter-horse was overshadowed by the thorough-bred as race tracks increased in length and eventually changed altogether to become of oval orcircular shape.

After the Revolution, American horse racing really came into its own with the developmentof the American thoroughbred and the greater availability of open tracts of land. A seeminglynatural reaction against all things English, the Colonists resisted the recreation of the Englishsteeplechase style of racing and opted instead for a more defined format. Unlike the English racesthat took place over hill and dale and were laid out by noblemen to suit their own whims with nothought given to the spectators, the Colonists rejected such elitism. Demanding that thecontestants remain visible for the duration of the race, the Americans created circular tracks thatprovided both the necessary distance and the constant visibility of the racers. (Robertson, p. 9)This choice of the oval, therefore, has been attributed to the democratic spirit allegedly present inthis country as far back as the Colonial period.

Figure 12. View down the bowling greenshowing remains of former race track,c.1941.

The race track at Bowling Green (Old Mansion), is a curious hybrid of the quarter-miletrack and the later circular track. While the distance around its circumference measures one-quarter of a mile, the track is circular - providing a new twist on the straight quarter-mile racetrack typical of the Colonial period. (Paced measurements on site indicate the drive to be about600 feet long which, with allowances for the turns, would equal one quarter of a mile or 1,320feet.) This interesting layout suggests, once again, that the house and the landscape existing atBowling Green date from a period later than 1675 - at the very least it allows for the possibility ofconstant change and development at Bowling Green during the early years of the estate.

12

OLD MANSION ~ IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY

It is during the 1800’s that the history of Old Mansion becomes much clearer and accuratein its documentation. An extract from John Hoomes’ will, dated the first day of October 1804,reveals much information regarding the lineage of the house in the early part of the nineteenthcentury. The will states the following:

“I, John Hoomes, of the Bowling Green having my perfect senses and memory do make and ordainthis my last will and testament in manner and form following -- Imprimis, I lend unto my belovedwife Judith Hoomes during her natural life, the tract of land wherupon I now live, comprised ofBowling Green and sundry purchases so as to form one entire tract of 4000 acres,...and at herdeath I direct all the slaves and personal estate lent to her to be equally divided among my children,John, William, Richard, Armistead and Sophia....” (HABS, p.6)

According to several sources, the Colonel’sdaughter, Sophia, married a Major Allen sometimein the mid-eighteenth century and moved fromBowling Green to Oak Ridge - a mile south onwhat is now Rte. 2. (Fall, p.18) Old Mansionremained in the Hoomes family until 1842, whenthe house and its surrounding acres were boughtby William Grymes Maury, husband of AnnHoomes (exactly where Ann fits into the family isyet unclear).

Thanks largely to William Grymes Maury,a great deal can be gathered about life at OldMansion during the nineteenth century. Afarmbook found in the house describes daily life atOld Mansion from 1844 through 1854. Thesedaily entries reveal a working landscape - days fullof hard manual labor and a continual dependenceon weather conditions for the livelihood of theoccupants. In addition to William and Ann andtheir twelve children, evidence in the farmbooksuggests the presence of at least two domestichelpers, Eliza & Caty, and two field hands,Humphrey & Truman (although, due to the scopeof the described acreage it would seem likely thatmany more were actually retained - the number ofhands possibly fluctuating with the season).

Figure. 13 Page one of Wm. G. Maury’sMemorandum Book, 1844-1854.

13

Half expense report, half farmbook, the document is titled, William G. Maury’sMemorandum Book: Commencing April 3, 1844, Bowling Green, Caroline County. This Memorandumreveals much about the physical make-up of the estate, the plants found upon its soil - bothcultivated and native, and the technology of fertilization with the use of Guano, lime and ash. Assuch, the book is of great documentary value to the Researcher and to anyone wishing tounderstand more about the history of agricultural life in nineteenth-century Virginia.

The estate of “Bowling Green Farm,” as Maury refers to it, was surrounded on at least twosides by neighboring fields and plantations, and bisected by the Stage Road that ran across thenortheast edge of the property. While Maury mentions names of neighbors and owners of certain“fence-lines,” it should be mentioned that no documentation has been secured to legitimate theexact scope and locale of these land holdings. I have merely taken Maury’s words as a layer ofinformation hopefully to be built upon in future studies. Among these names are several relatives(through both marriage and blood) and the aforementioned estate of Oak Ridge; these smallconnections help to substantiate the inclusion of these findings in my report.

A listing of Old Mansion’s neighbors includes the following names: John Woolfolk(William’s brother-in-law), Dr. W.W. Roper (related by marriage), James “Jim” Gray, CharlesHoward, Chapman, Harvey, John L. Pendleton, Mrs. Vaughan, and Oak Ridge. In addition, thefollowing entry suggests that Maury’s land extended as far as the Mattaponi River. On May 30,1846, Maury wrote: “Planted pumpkins & broom corn seed / About the 15 of this month there was thehighest fresh(et) in Mattapony (sic.) known for many years did considerable damage to the crops on the River /There has been an unusual quantity of rain this spring.” It is also evident that the estate spread down toa swamp located to the south of the property; on February 3, 1848, Maury wrote: “Began to haulrails to continue the pasture fence at the lower end of the meadow to John Woolfolk’s fence in the woods side ofthe swamp.”

Figure 15. “Map of a Survey of the Mattapony River.”1826. Claudius Crozet. (Virginia in Maps, p. 168.)

Figure 14. Inset indicating townrelative to the Mattapony River.

14

OLD MANSION ~ IN DETAIL

Divisions and physical elements of the landscape that are featured in the farmbook vary inscope and type. Some of these features include: Falls, Spring, Meadows (fenced in), High land,Lawn, Schoolhouse cut, Hill cut, Horse field, Large square, Ice dam, Ice house, S. Hill, Old field,“Field across road,” Garden, Orchards (pear and peach), and Pasture. While the majority of theselocations are self-explanatory (ie: meadows, lawn, orchards, and pasture), a few require furtherdefinition.

It is my belief that the “Falls” refer to the two terraces that drop off to the south and tothe east behind the house. (Further evidence of this assessment is seen in the photograph albumthat dates from the early- to mid-twentieth century.) The shaping of sloping ground into a seriesof terraces was a common practice in Colonial landscape design - a solution to the difficulty ofcultivating on non-level ground. Such terraces were also frequently referred to as “falling gardens”and are found in such sites as the Governer’s Palace at Williamsburg, and Sabine Hall amongothers. These falling gardens typically progressed from formal to agricultural as they fell awayfrom the house - often devoted to flowers, grape arbors, and vegetable gardens as the distanceincreased. (Stanard, p.71) The fact that the term “Falls” appears both in the Memorandum and asan inscription on the photographs suggests rather conclusively that these terraces were of theoriginal landscape design and retained much of their original function up until the later years ofthe nineteenth century. Maury stated on April 30, 1845, that he “Planted Cymlin patch by the fall”and on April 9, 1847, wrote: “Set out grape vines on the fall in the garden.” The most interestingallusion made to the “Falls,” however, was made on March 24, 1851, in the following entry: “Beganto make steps at the fall to the kitchen & finished the steps & turfing the fall.”

The 1845 entry regarding the Cymlinpatch suggests that a vegetable gardenexisted on one of the falls at that time.This is consistent with my earlierconversation with Mrs. Patricia Hass - aformer owner of Old Mansion - whoremembers a large vegetable garden on thefirst fall to the south of the level plateau.A flower garden was planted on the fall tothe east as is seen in the photograph to theleft titled: “’Butter & Eggs’ on ‘Falls’”1931 April.

Figure 15. Photograph of the first fall planted with daffodils, 1931.

15

It is possible that during Maury’s tenure at Old Mansion, the vegetable garden took up theentirety of the first fall, and from the scope of his vegetable inventory this seems highly probable.A list of plants culled from the pages of the farmbook reveals both the necessity of a gardensizable enough to accommodate such an array and the diversity of culinary species grown inVirginia during the nineteenth century. The list includes: Cymlins (pattypan squash), watermelons,Irish potatoes, cabbage, asparagus, peas, beets, carrots, parsnips, black and white mustard, kale,parsley, York seed, lettuce, pumpkins, sassafras, onions, cauliflower, tomatoes, peppers, snapbeans, butterbeans, cantaloupe, and “several kinds of beans Lewis brought from Mexico & California.”(June 10, 1848)

While fewer clues remain from which to learn about the lower fall, Maury refers frequentlyto a pear orchard and pear trees on his land, at one point noting that he “Sowed 1 1/2 bushels redwheat on the hillside by the pear trees.” (October 17, 1845) Mrs. Hass recalls a pear orchard planted onthe lower fall to the east and several photographs found in the album substantiate this claim. Infact, three pear trees exist today on this lower fall and, while it might be hard to believe that thesethree trees could have belonged to the nineteenth century orchard, I have reason to believe thatthey did. Two of the existing trees run right along the edge of the fall, similar to the layout seen inFigure 17, and with the third pear tree located about ninety-two feet in distance from the southern-most speciman, these trees form three corners of a grid configuration that could be a vestige ofthe old orchard. In addition, the caliper measurements alone (1.25’, 1.5’, 1.5’) date these peartrees at least to the late nineteenth century and possibly earlier. The location of the existing treesagain suggests they were originally planted in a grid pattern and, together with our survey, thephotographs help to further verify this belief.

This L-shaped double fall terrace is still in existence. While long-since emptied of itsvegetables and flowers, the upper fall remains a valuable element within this historic landscapeproviding physical evidence of occupation since the Colonial period. The falls slope at a 2:1 ratio,

Figure 16. Pear Orchard at Old Mansion, c. 1930’s. Figure 17. Pear Orchard, April 1938.

16

typical of land that is not to be used for access but rather for the cultivation of climbing plants -vines and arbors for grapes and berries, etc. As Maury noted in his farmbook, the falls were“turfed” in areas, but his mentioning of putting steps in the fall indicates that one did not accessthe flat terraces by way of these slopes without some such intervention. Mrs. Hass, too,remembers a set of wooden steps that lead from the southern end of the Holly Avenue on the

upper terrace down to the first fall where a flower garden was located. These steps, being made ofwood, have long since decayed but the location makes sense regarding the alignment of theAvenue with the east edge, and its termination just before the southern edge, of the upper terrace.The inclines have since been taken over by an impenetrable mass of Ailanthus, poison ivy,

Figures 18 & 19. Location of the corner of the first fall with a view back to Holly Avenue and the house inthe distance, 2002.

17

blackberry vines, brambles, and other invasives, leaving the site with a generally disheveledappearance and completely obliterating any image of order. In eighteenth-century Virginia, thesefalls were frequently kept “shaved by scythes” to retain their shape and give some sense ofregularity to the landscape. (Leighton, p. 365)

The second (lower) fall was the site of a pear orchard to the south and pasture land thatextended out westward. As mentioned above, the pear orchard has left behind some evidence ofits former existence and the images below illustrate the present condition of this site.

Figure 20. View of “Pear Orchard” from eastern edge, 2002.

Figure 21. Survey showing existing pear treesas part of the original orchard.

Upper Terrace

First Fall

Second Fall

18

A common sight on early Colonial landscapes, the boxwood at Old Mansion deservesparticular attention due both to its rare size and its interesting history. While most likely planted inthe late eighteenth century, judging from the calipers of some of the trunks found duringsurveying (two trunks measuring 2 feet in diameter), the Dwarf Boxwood in front of the househas maintained most of its original form and dignity. However, while many photographs existfrom the early twentieth century depicting the location and state of the boxwood, it is difficult todeduce the formal design, if any, of its original planting. Contemporary houses were frequentlypreceded by box-lined walks or drives, and geometric plantings of boxwood were typical elementsof the Colonial “garden.” The existing box is planted in a symmetrical L pattern that extendsforward from the front corners of the house and turns to create a right angle on each side. It is notknown whether these two groupings were originally planted as squares that over the years havelost their shape due to disease or other causes. Adding complexity to the issue is the fact thatsometime in the 1930’s many of the boxwoods were removed from Old Mansion and donated tothe National Cathedral in Washington, DC, where they still border the front steps. No record

remains regarding the location of these missingboxwoods; however, due to some of the photographs,one could speculate that they were originally planted tothe right of the house. Images from the early twentiethcentury indicate the presence of a large grouping ofstately boxwoods planted near a Redcedar and abuttingthe old Ice House. As the Redcedar still exists and aconcrete foundation for the Ice House was discoveredduring surveying, one can reason that this was theformer locale of the boxwood. (see Fig. 28 as well)

Figure 23. Photograph showing the boxwood that was laterdonated to Washington Cathedral, 1910’s.

Figure 22. View of Dwarf Boxwood flanking the left of the house, 2002.

19

The majority of the photographs from the twentieth century showcase the boxwood as thechoice background for family portraits and the documentation of house parties. While providing aclear view of the characters who frequented Old Mansion’s grounds, these images also provide ahuman scale on which to judge the size of the boxwood. As the boxwood was already in the eight-to nine-foot range by the early 1900’s, one can easily date these boxwood back about two hundredyears, to 1700 or so.

Figure 24. “House party,” 1915. Figure 25. Portrait, c.1920.

Figure 26. Family portrait, 1928. Figure 27. Portrait, 1925.

Figure 28. Portrait, in front of boxwood to left of house.

20

During the early 1900’s, according to Mrs. Hass, a road was located to the left of the housethat ran from the upper fields, between the boxwood, and back around the house to the stable andbarns. While no physical evidence remains to verify this memory, the photographs reveal that aroad did indeed pass between the boxwood at one time. As Old Mansion and its surroundinglandscape was primarily a working farm during most of the nineteenth century and into the earlypart of the twentieth century, it seems fitting that a road would be used to provide direct accessbetween the fields before the house and the barns located behind and to the west; what is notclear, however, is the exact location of this road.

In Figure 29 a road is visible at the extreme left edge of the photograph and seems todisappear behind the boxwood. This road, however, is different than that featured in Figure 30; inthis image a road extends back towards the bowling green with a view of the cedars in thedistance. The location of these trees in Figure 30 negates the possibility that this is the same roadas that found to the left of the house. This fact is illustrated in Figures 31 and 32 that simulate ahypothetical view from the road to the left of the house in which the bowling green is not visible.That a road might have run around to the right of the house as well as to the left is highlyprobable, and becomes even more so when one considers that all of the outbuildings of the farmwere located to the right side.

Figure 29. A road between the boxwood, 1941. Figure 30. View back to the bowling green, 1941.

Figure 31. View through left boxwood, 2002. Figure 32. Sketch of view, 2002.

21

In addition to the double planting of Dwarf Boxwood in front of the house is a boxwoodgarden located to the east of the house on the upper terrace by the Holly Avenue. This collectionof Dwarf Boxwood is comprised of considerably smaller plants than those previously describedand is planted in a clear geometric pattern. The relative size of these boxwoods suggests that thisgarden is of a more recent origin than the plantings before the house and the position of the centerpath strengthens this assessment. A four-foot wide path divides the garden into two equal squaresand is in direct alignment with a door of the rear wing. This alignment is so evident that itnegates any claims for coincidence and, instead, intimates that the garden was planted after theaddition of the wing; thus, dating the rear boxwood garden to the early nineteenth century.

Symmetry and order were two elementscommonly found in Colonial landscapes and thisbox-bordered double-square garden provides agood example of both. A cross path, no longer asevident as the primary path, appears to have beenin direct alignment with an old Red Maple thatgraces most of the upper terrace with its shade.

Figure 33. Image showing path’s alignment with doorof wing (door outlined in red), 2002.

Figure 34. View toward house with boxwood garden to right, (note arrow pointing to location of thecross-path), 2002.

Figure 35. Image ofthe old Red Maple,2002.

22

One more living feature of the landscape deserves mention before going forward withdescription of the outbuildings at Old Mansion. The old White Mulberry located to the northwestof the house stands in much the same state as it has for about three centuries. The image belowshows the Mulberry in the 1920’s and, judging from the height and girth of the tree, it seems it wasalready well-established by that time. The Mulberry is revered for its production of silk and,according to legend, England offered her colonists a bounty of 100 pounds for each Mulberry treeplanted with the goal of one day rivaling India in silk production. Major Hoomes, however,cannot be accused of commercialism or the bowling green would be lined with Mulberries insteadof Redcedars. The more likely reason for the presence of the Mulberry tree was fruit production.A common culinary ingredient in the eighteenth century - mulberries were used in pies, jams, andwines, and often were used as a dye for textiles and wool as well. Today, the Mulberry is one ofthe remaining elements of the original landscape and, though the recipient of a lightening bolt,appears to be in excellent health.

Figure 36. View of the Mulberry with work buildings in the background, c.1920.

Figure 37. View of the Mulberry with remaningshed in the background, 2002.

Figure 38. Up close view of the Mulberryshowing a recent lightening scar, 2002.

23

As alluded to in a previous section, all of the outbuildings (or working buildings) of OldMansion were located to the west of the house. This layout is consistent with what is knownregarding the layout of houses and landscapes of the Colonial period. Typically symmetrical inplan, the main house would divide the landscape into two realms made up of a working gardenand an ornamental garden. In some cases, and at Old Mansion, the “working garden” included theworking buildings: the barn, stable, kitchen, dairy house, and any other storage sheds needed onthe farm. Maury refers to a number of buildings in his Memorandum including: a stable, a smokehouse, a kitchen, a schoolhouse, and an Ice House, all of which were common features of largeagricultural farms at that time. While two small sheds exist on the property to the west of theMulberry, nothing remains of the stable, schoolhouse or kitchen. A fire-insurance plat datedNovember, 1805, locates in a rough plan both the kitchen and a “Wooden Lumber House”(possibly the barn) to the west of the house, again suggesting the segregation of the working areafrom the more formal parts of the landscape.

This 1805 plan places the kitchen at a distance of 54feet off the front corner of the main house and the“Lumber House” at a distance of 53 feet from theback corner of the main house. Both buildings wereorthogonally aligned with the west side of the house.The siting of the Lumber House coincides with adescription given by Maury of his stable and itssurroundings: “October 10, 1845, Sowed the red earlywheat in the meadow below the stable....” and is consistentwith photographs from the twentieth century. Theland drops off just behind the barns seen in thephotograph below and this sloping open area mightvery well have been Maury’s “meadow.”

Figure 39. Fire-insurance plat for Old Mansion,November 1805.

Figure 40. Photograph of an outbuilding at OldMansion, c.1920, possible site of the “Lumber House.”

24

While the exact locations of the kitchen, stables, and barn (lumber house) are still largelyspeculative at this point, the Ice House has left behind more comprehensive clues. Lackingelectricity and the technical know-how required for refrigeration as we know it, colonists dependedon the ice house for the storage of ice. Common elements in the colonial working landscape, icehouses assured a continual supply of ice throughout the year. Numerous references have been leftfrom which one can presume the existence of an Ice House at Old Mansion from at least the1840’s. Once again, the farmbook reveals some solid evidence that adds dimension to ourunderstanding of Old Mansion and its grounds.

In an entry dated January 11,1849, William Grymes Maurydescribes the construction ofan Ice House. He writes:“Began 12 o’clock to make IceHouse, finished next day 12o’clock.” and January 12, “Began12 o’clock to haul ice.” An icehouse built in one day wouldhave to be of rather crudedescription, quite possiblywithout a foundation.

This assumption is given credibility in later entries that describe the eventual siding androofing of the Ice House, and these did not occur until two years after intial construction. In thewinter of 1851 Maury finished his Ice House; in an entry dated January 10, 1851, he wrote:“Hauled tar to fill up between the watlings (sic.) of the Ice House,” on January 15, “Covered Ice House withcorn stalks,” and on February 25 “Finished the roof over the Ice House.” The initial Ice House,therefore, most likely resembled a shallow hole in the ground lined with brick and “fenced” in witha series of rails through which an insulating material would have been woven.

Figure 41. Page from the Memorandum Book with the 1849 entry of constructing the Ice House.

Figure 42. View of the “working garden” atOld Mansion, c.1920, with locator plan.

Ice Pond

Barn Kitchen

25

What is missing from Maury’s trail of clues, however, is the location of this nineteenth-century Ice House. While documentation of the exact siting is no longer in existence, frequentreferences are made in the farmbook to an Ice Pond. As it is logical to assume that an Ice Housewould most likely be located near or on the route to the Ice Pond (for ease of accessibility andtransfer) one can begin to reason the approximate location of the Ice House. In addition, MrsHass remembers an Ice Pond located to the west of the outbuildings that remained in use throughthe early twentieth century and this is verified by photographic evidence in the family album.Whether this twentieth-century Ice House is the same structure or even in the same location asMaury’s has yet to be proven but it does give one something tangible with which to work.

The photographs locate the Ice House to thewest of the main house and tucked in the shadeof some very large boxwood and a stately cedar.Interestingly, during our survey of the site aconcrete foundation was uncovered in this samearea and is under a cedar. The foundation isrectangular, measuring 9 feet by 15 feet with asmall projection on one of the longer sides thatwas most likely the entrance.

The discovery of this foundation providesadditional evidence confirming the location of thestructure in the photographs. In a few caseshandwritten text accompanying the images labelsthe little shed “Ice House” and this furthersubstantiates the theory that the foundation and theIce House are one and the same. The fact that the“entrance” of the foundation is oriented towardswhat could have been a road makes sense with thelayout of the landscape at Old Mansion, as well.

Figure 43. View of Ice House c.1920.

Figure 44. Ice House foundation, detail ofentrance, 2002.

Figure 45. Man in front of Ice House, surrounded by boxwoodand cedar, c.1920.

26

The road to the Ice Pond would most likely havelead from the entry drive around behind the workingbuildings and down into the meadow to the Ice Pondlocated to the west. A photograph from the 1920’s titled“Arthur Cherry on Road to the Ice Pond” verifys theexistence of such a road while the orientation of theaforementioned foundation suggests the direction of itsroute. A photograph from c.1910 illustrates a divergenceat the top of the drive where wheel tracks can be seenturning off to the right away from the top of the circle.This path would have run directly in front of the IceHouse on its route down to the barns and eventuallyhave arrived at the Ice Pond.

Figure 46. Sketch with possible locationof the Road to the Ice Pond by the IceHouse.

Figure 47. View showing wagon tracks turning awayfrom the drive towards the Ice House, c.1910.

Figure 48. “Arthur Cherry on Road to the Ice Pond,”c.1920.

27

Currently, a trace of this road to the Ice Pond extends from the entry drive to the rightbetween the boxwood and a scrubby border of Hackberry and Linden trees. This ghost path runsdirectly in front of the Ice House foundation and continues to the end of the white board fencingon the west edge of the “working garden.” The road then leads down in front of the two existingsheds into the meadow, disappearing into the dense woodland that is at present inaccessible due ablockade of Ailanthus, Sumac, brambles, and Poison Ivy. The Ice Pond is located just beyond thispoint and it would be interesting to investigate further during a season when entry is more feasible.

Figure 49. View of possible “trace road” leadingdown to the Ice Pond from the entry drive, 2002.

Figure 50. View of road leading down to the IcePond, 2002.

28

OLD MANSION ~ IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

William Grymes Maury continued to farm at Old Mansion until 1862 when the house andland passed to his son-in-law, James Thomas White. White had married Maury’s second daughter,Finella Maury, and they continued Old Mansion’s legacy as a working farm with cotton andtobacco as the primary crops. It is their daughter, Anne Maury White (born c.1878), who wasresponsible for Old Mansion’s nomination to the National Registry of Historic Places. In 1969Anne Maury White left the house and its land to the children of her first cousin. The beneficiariesof this trust were: John Howe Cecil Jr., Patricia Cecil Hass, John B. Cary Jr., and Jane Abert Cecil.And it is Mrs. Hass who has provided some of these clues regarding life at Old Mansion in theearly part of the last century.

Mrs. Hass and her family spent many childhood summers at Old Mansion visiting theircousins and exploring a landscape very different from their Richmond neighborhood. According toMrs. Hass, the farm comprised some 500 acres made up of hay and corn fields and pasture landthat extended all the way back to the site of the current bypass. A large herd of Holstein cattledominated Maury’s old “field across road,” and was sheltered in one of the barns located to theright of the house. The landscape to the left of the house had become a true farm yard where theformer well was replaced by a watertower, complete with windmill, and hens and chickens ranfree. The rear wing was rented to tenants who worked the land and Mrs. Hass remembers its littleporch being the perfect place for holding watermelon seed-spitting contests.

Figure 51. Pat and Jane Cecil shucking corn, c.1931. Figure 51. Pat and JaneCecil with lone Locust, 1938.

Figure 52. Harvesting the fields, 1938. Figure 53. Hay bale, c.1935.

29

Aside from its strong agricultural bent, one gets the feeling from the photographs that OldMansion definitely witnessed the “Roaring Twenties” and all of the intemperance and thrift thataccompanied that period. The landscape lost a bit of its formality with the 1930’s removal ofboxwood to Washington, DC, the planting of Locusts before the house (c.1920), and the loss ofseveral large Redcedars from around the bowling green. An air of economy prevailed and, whilethe vegetable garden and some crops were maintained, the 500 acres were slowly sold off forprofit so that by the 1950’s only the current 128 acres remained.

The small boxwoods that currently line the front walkare a later twentieth-century addition, planted around 1970 toreplace the ailing Locust trees. According to photographs andtwo existing stumps, a single row of Honey Locusts once linedthe path before the house. It is clear from the images that theirdemise was progressive over time, adding to the slightlydisheveled appearance of the house, and that one tree stoodalone for a considerable time. Just the fact that it was not adouble row of trees, an allee, but a single row of four againsuggests an element of indigence in the landscape.

Figure 54. View back to house showing single row of Locusts lining front walk, c.1925.

Figures 55 & 56. Views of original four Locusts lining the front walk at Old Mansion, 1925.

30

OLD MANSION ~ THE HOUSE AND LANDSCAPE TODAY

The same black cloud that required the selling of land in the 1920’s and 1930’scontinues to plague Old Mansion. In February of 1969 Miss Anne Maury White granted theCommonwealth of Virginia an easement that insured perpetual rights of preservation to 110 acresand was intended to protect the historic setting and atmosphere of the property at Old Mansion.While this easement was the first such grant made to the Historic Landmarks Commission and ispart of the Virginia Outdoors Plan implemented in 1966 to encourage the preservation of open-spaces, the power of development seems to be above any such plan. Dr. Edward P. Alexander,Chairman of the Historic Landmarks Commission, described the grant as “a generous expressionof historic interest by the donor,” and referred to Old Mansion as “a beautiful and importanthistoric site that will offer benefits to be shared by Virginians, and other Americans, forgenerations to come.” (The Caroline Progress, Feb. 19, 1969) Old Mansion was among the first fifty-six sites and structures to be placed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and was added to theNational Register of Historic Places in 1969, as well. As it turns out, such assignments of valuedid not come a minute too soon.

Located on Route 2, the main local connector between Fredericksburg and Richmond, OldMansion sits on very valuable real estate. Developers have snatched up land all along this north/south spine, building residential communities and commercial strips every five miles. This gradualencroachment reached Old Mansion twelve years ago when plans for a bypass that would link U.S.301 northwest of Bowling Green with State Route 207 south of town became public knowledge.Apparently plans had begun back in 1963 but were abandoned in 1969 at the granting of thehistoric easement. (Satterthwaite)

The issue resurfaced when the BowlingGreen Town Council and the Caroline CountyBoard of Supervisors endorsed completion of thebypass along its original route even though itwould sever one-fifth of Old Mansion’s estate.Merchants on Main Street, however, who dependon tourists for business, voiced their concernsaying that the town had been bypassed enough inthe past. Much debate and argument ensued andfinally the Virginia Historic Landmarks Boardvoted unanimously to keep the easement.Members of the Board said they were left littlechoice but to reject the release of the historiceasement protecting Old Mansion. As onemember stated, “I can’t think of any serious-minded person who would trust us (with aneasement) if we were to grant this.”

Figure 57. Map showing intended bypass cutting across Old Mansion’s property.

Bypass

Old Mansion

Town

31

The landscape at Old Mansion is multi-layered; it has withstood considerable change inregards to both its users and its uses and, in this sense it represents the changing landscape ofVirginia since the early Colonial years. Strategically located between Fredericksburg andRichmond, Old Mansion has witnessed the Revolution, the Civil War, the Industrial boom, theGreat Depression and, presently, the greed of developers. This architectural “treasure” and itssurrounding landscape will continue to be threatened by the onslaught of development unless aconcerted effort is made at a number of levels. Local officials and Town Council members mustbe educated about the importance of this site to the nation’s architectural and landscape heritage.Old Mansion should be included in literature highlighting Virginia’s historic sites, and Colonialarchitecture in particular. In short, more research is required to flush out the full lineage of thehouse and a survey should be done that documents the estate’s total acreage. At present theproperty is largely inaccessible and, therefore, this summer’s documentation focused mainly on theareas closest to the house. There is much to be learned from Old Mansion about the architectureand the landscape of our nation, about the agriculture and the social culture of Virginia. I havevery much enjoyed this chance to explore Old Mansion and only hope that this summer’s work willserve to secure the future and continued unveiling of this unique example of Colonial life inVirginia.

Figure 58. Care-free life at Old Mansion, c.1920.

Figure 59. Laying down the tennis court at thetop of the bowling green, c.1915.

Figure 60. Tennis at Old Mansion, c.1915.

32

SOURCES & CREDITS

1. American Society of Landscape Architects. Colonial Gardens. Washington, D.C.: United StatesGeorge Washington Bicentennial Commission, 1932.

2. Campbell, T. Elliott. Colonial Caroline. Dietz Press, 2001.

3. Craig, Dennis. Horse-racing: The Breeding of Thoroughbreds and a Short History of the English Turf.London: J. A. Allen & Co., 1963.

4. Fall, Ralph Emmett. “Mr. J. Woolfolk’s Stagecoach Line, Caroline County, Virginia,” VirginiaCavalcade, Summer 1977.

5. Fall, Ralph Emmett. People, Postoffices & Communities in Caroline County, Virginia, 1727-1969.Georgia: WH Wolfe Associates, 1989.

6. Hume, Audrey Noel. Archaeology and the American Gardener. Virginia: Colonial WilliamsburgFoundation, 1974.

7. Leighton, Ann. American Gardens in the Eighteenth Century, For Use or For Delight. Amherst: TheUniversity of Massachusetts Press, 1986.

8. Loder, Eileen P. Bibliography of the History and Organisation of Horse Racing & Thoroughbred Racingin Great Britain and Ireland. New York: J. A. Allen & Co., 1978.

9. Longrigg, Roger. The History of Horse Racing. London: Macmillan, 1972.

10. Maccubin, Robert P., and Peter Martin. British and American Gardens in the Eighteenth Century.Virginia: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 1984.

11. Martin, Peter. The Pleasure Gardens of Virginia. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1991.

12. Maury, William Grymes. “Memorandum, Bowling Green Farm.” 1844-1854.

13. New Encyclopaedia Britannica, v. 1 & v. 9. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., 2002.

14. Nichols, Ashton. “Where the Spirit Lives On,” Free Lance-Star, June 17, 1976.

15. “Old Mansion, Caroline County, Virginia.” Historic Architectural Building Survey Report, 1941.

16. Pepper, Mabel Gentry. “Historic Boxwood from Old Mansion,” The Atlanta Journal,January 28, 1934.

17. Report on the Town of Bowling Green - County of Caroline Voluntary Settlement Agreement. Virginia:The Commission on Local Government, 1996.

18. Robertson, William H. P. The History of Thoroughbred Racing in America. New Jersey:Prentice-Hall, 1964.

33

19. Satterthwaite, Amy. “Bypass Hits Dead End,” Free Lance-Star, February 17, 1988.

20. Sarudy, Barbara Wells. Gardens & Gardening in the Chesapeake, 1700 - 1805. Baltimore: Johns HopkinsUniversity Press, 1998.

21. Stanard, Mary Newton. Colonial Virginia, Its People & Customs. Philadelphia: J.B. LippincottCompany, 1917.

22. Taylor, L.B., Jr.. The Ghosts of Fredericksburg. Progress Printing Co., Inc., 1991.

23. Virginia Gardens. Maine: American Society of Landscape Architects Publications Board, 1938.

24. Wingfield, Marshall. A History of Caroline County, Virginia, from its Formation in 1727 to 1924.Virginia: Press of Trevvet Christian, 1924.

25. Camille Wells, Architectural Historian and Distinguished Lecturer at The University of Virginia.

26. County Records: Caroline County Land Tax Books 1787-1821Essex County: Deeds, Wills, Inventories,

Abstracts of Land PatentsOld Rappahannock County: Deeds, Wills, 1654-1691

Abstracts of Land Patents 1657-1692

34

APPENDIX ~ FARMBOOK 1844-1845 (EXCERPTS)

1844 –April 10 Sweet potatoes and corn

16 “Sally went to Bowling Gr. for first time.”26 Planted Cymlins (pattypan squash)27 “Sowed 8 Bushels oats in ice pond.”

May 6 Sowed oats in meadow8 “Sowed 3 Bushels oats on garded (sic.) spots in the corn field the other side the road by

way of experiment to improve the land.”9 Planted cotton & Watermellons (sic.) & Irish potatoes by the spring20 “Finished replanting corn in meadow.”21 “Ditto corn in horse field.”

June 18 “Began to throw dirt to corn in the field over the road.”July 8 “Finished filling out middles on the high land.”

11 “Finished filling out middles in meadow.”Aug. 16 “Began to put up plank fence below the new gate.”

28 “Put up 3 stacks Blade fodder by the Pear trees”Sept. Pulled up & stacked crops (corn, fodder, cotton)Oct. 1 “Began to sow wheat in meadow / Harvesting of last corn.”Nov. 1 “Finished sowing wheat in corn land below the orchard in late white wheat / Sowed

about 10 Bushels & 2 ½ in the lot joining cherry trees / Sowed 45 Bushels in all.”16 “Finished gathering all the corn except the meadow / Finished picking out cotton.”20 “Finished making People’s shoes.”23 “… Put 150 Bushels in new corn house.”

1845 –Jan. 3 “Sowed cabbage seed in John Woolfolk’s tobacco plant patch by the large hickory /

Sowed cabbage seed in the plant patch in the Garden.”6 “Sowed early York cabbage seed.”16 “Moved & put up the fence from my fence to John Woolfolk’s, say 130 pannells (sic.).”

Mar. 1 “Finished listing and throwing out middles in the schoolhouse cut with doubleplough.”

29 “Finished the fence to the lower gate 106 pannells (sic.); put up last year 157 on thesame ditch making 263 in all.”

Apr. 3 “Finished listing corn land and breaking up middles.” “Sally folded a mare colt / “Finished planting corn / Planted 2 rows beginning inthe row next to the large persimmon tree….”

24 “Began to sow oats by the spring.”30 “Planted Cymlin patch by the fall.”

May 2 “… Finished hauling & spreading pine leaves on about 3 acres land next to the Stageroad…”

6 “Sowed 5 Bushels oats on it and 12 Bushels lime.”

10 “Truman finished ditching the meadow up to the stable / Took 2 ½ days to side thecorn in schoolhouse cut with 4 ploughs / Began to side corn in Hill cut / Plantedpeas.”

12 “…except the cut next to Milford Mead.”Aug. 13 “Began to shrub the ditch in meadow next to Chapman’s (took 5 days).”

27 “John A. Taylor began in said ditch with 2 hands besides himself bargained to do thebal. @ 4 ct./yard.”

Oct. 6 “Sowed 300 lbs. Guano on 2 acres of land after ploughing it with double ploughsbetween the Walnut tree & large Cherry tree next to the road & 250 lbs. on one acrefrom said Walnut tree to the large Cherry tree this way / Sowed 30 Bushels of limeon 1 ¼ acre of land next to the fence having 3 corn rows between the lime & GuanoBegan to sow wheat next to the fence on the limed & Guano land 1 bushel to theacre & harrowed it in.”

10 “Sowed the red early wheat in the meadow below the stable took 3 bushels from thehead of the ditch next to schoolhouse to the Ice Dam & 1 ½ from the head of saidditch to the line fence next to John L. Pendleton.”

15 “Sowed 1 ½ bushels from the large walnut tree to the top of the hill by the old wheatyard / Had several light frost but not to kill vines of any description.”

17 “Sowed 1 ½ bushels red wheat on the hillside by the pear trees.”21 “Sowed 4 ½ bushels red wheat in the bottom from the large walnut tree to the road

leading to the schoolhouse.”Nov. 27 “Planted out peach orchard of choice selection trees / Covered the strawberry vines

with litter & bark / Covered asparagus beds with litter & bark.”Dec. 11 “Covered the vegetables with brush / Finished shucking corn / James Gray took his

beef I fattened for him the 9th.”26 “Clowdy (sic.) threatening, snowed a little in the morning very cold wind north all day.”31 “Sent bull cow to Holly Hill.”

1846 –Jan. 12 “Began to shrub the road fence in the pasture / Have one lamb.”Feb. 10 “Sent 512# cotton to Collins’s mill with the bags say 500 lbs. nett (sic.).”

17 “Received all cotton from the mill 207 lbs. in all.”23 “Repaired the garden fence.”

Mar. 20 “Sowed peas, beets, carrots, parsnips, B. mustard, cale (sic.), parsley & early Yorkseed / Set out lettuce.”

Apr. 1 “Finished the meadow fence 457 panels from Oak Ridge line to the upper line.”May 30 “Planted pumpkins & broom corn seed / About the 15 of this month there was the

highest fresh (et) in Mattapony (sic.) known for many years did considerable damageto the crops on the River / There has been an unusual quantity of rain this spring.”

Oct. 1 “Began to rick up the tops on the high land / Gathered the winter pears / Began tofeed a stear (sic.) I got of Geo. Hoomes to fatten / He’s to have 1 side of the meat.”

5 “Began to gather apples.”20 “Sowed red forward wheat in bottom leading to Roper’s line.” (referring to Dr. W.

Roper – related through Maury’s wife, Ann Hoomes)

22 “Sowed white wheat on the hill.”24 “Sowed white wheat in the two small bottoms.”28 “Sowed white wheat by James Gray.”

Nov. 12 “Sowed 2 bushels wheat by Howard from the lower end of his garden to the wood /Sowed about 350 lbs. Guano on near 2 acres of land by Charles Howard’s beginninga few corn rows beyond the large pine stump at the head of the gully, to the lowercorner of said Howard’s garden / harrowed it in.”

24 “Put away the cabbages on the 21st, say about 2000 heads some very good.”

1847 –Jan. 1 “Finished hauling manure on the garden below the falls.”Mar. 30 “Sowed peas, snap beans, parsnips, beets, carrots, sassafras, onions, parsley,

colliflower (sic.) & tomatoes / Planted Irish potatoes yesterday.”Apr. 6 “Set out rasberrys (sic.) & gooseberry bushes.”

9 “Set out grape vines on the fall in the garden.”12 “Began to plant corn by the cedar lawn / Made an estimate of the number of yards of

ditching in the little meadow from the head, to the fence there is about 1980 yds.”14 “Finished planting from Cedar Row to pasture fence & the little bottom by the fence.”

May 21 “Sowed oats in peach orchard, 2 ½ bushels, strawberrys (sic.) began to ripen.”June 10 “Took Mary Hill Maury’s woman Eliza from Joseph Wright the 25th of May.”

1848 –Feb. 3 “Began to haul rails to continue the pasture fence at the lower end of the meadow to

John Woolfolk’s fence in the woods side of the swamp.”Mar. 27 “Sowed black & white mustard… / Ploughed the garden except where the

vegetables are / Began to feed the cattle with top fodder.”Apr. 5 “Moved the schoolhouse.”

21 “Finished putting 7 flour barrels of ashes & plaster ¼ in corn hills on the poor hillsidesnear the place where the schoolhouse stood.”

June 10 “Planted several kinds of beans Lewis brought from Mexico & California.”17 “Planted baden corn in pasture joining the meadow & swamp.”

July 5 “Planted musmellon (sic.) & cucumber seed for pickles.”12 “Replanted beans by the stable.”

Aug. 18 “Began to put up 2 log houses 30 feet by 13 for servants.”26 “Finished putting up bodies & rafters.”

Sept. 8 “Finished putting up another log body for servants 14 by 13.”Oct. 3 “Began to take chimney down in Caty’s & Eliza’s house.”

13 “Caty & Eliza moved into their new houses the 9th of this month.”26 “Sowed 1 ½ bushels wheat which makes 14 sowed on the level from the 2 small new

houses to the Gate.”Nov. 22 “Covered the strawberry vines with manure & pine tags / Pulled up the onions

which were quite green.”

1849 –Jan. 11 “Began 12 o’clock to make Ice House, finished next day 12 o’clock.”

12 “Began 12 o’clock to haul ice.”14 “Finished by 12 o’clock filling Ice House.”15 “Began to put the outer circle to Ice House.”

Feb. 12 “Finished shrubing (sic.) along the line fence next to Oak Ridge.”Mar. 24 “Covered Ice House with corn stalks.”Apr. 11 “Planted peach stones in the orchard where the trees are to grow.”May 10 “Began to sow oats in meadow below the spring.”

12 “Finished sowing the meadow & the bottom up to John L. Pendleton’s line fence inoats took about 19 bushels / Planted pears.” (Pendleton was a Clerk of the countycourt, became Postmaster of Edmundsbury in May 1807 – Fall p.125)

June 12 “Replanted corn in meadow of the Origan kind.” (Origan corn is a variety that hadbeen crossed with oregano)

July 28 “Set out the large square in cabbage plants say 1450.”Sept. 4 “Began to fallow for wheat by Charles Howards.”Nov. 11 “Sowed 2 bushels wheat began in Jim Gray’s cut.”

1850 –Jan. 25 “Began to plough again / Finished the cow shelter.”Feb. 2 “Finished ploughing the fresh land on Milford Road / Began to plough in the

orchard lot.”20 “Finished the line fence next to Fanny Bowler’s house which ought to have been done

last year / Began to drop rails along the road fence beginning at the lower end at theOak tree.”

26 “Finished ploughing in the garden.”27 “Sowed peas ten rows / Finished shucking corn & housing the same.”

Mar. 27 “Snowed all day very cold & has been near a fortnight.”28 “Filled the Ice House with snow. A novel circumstance.”

Apr. 10 “Began to replace the fence between Dr. Roper & myself.”11 “Louisa Bullard came here to live.”

May 7 “Planted cotton seed / Ditto crowder peas in garden.”Nov. 1 “Began to sow wheat by the Cedar Row.”

28 “Finished sowing wheat / Sowed about 56 bushels in all & used about 4 tonsGuano.”

Dec. 3 “Sowed 4 bushels plaster on about 3 acres of wheat commencing by the Cedar Row& ending by the young apple trees the last row, half of that was not sowed next theroad / I think one row beyond that the Guano commenced.”

1851 –Jan. 10 “Hauled tar to fill up between the watlings (sic.) of the Ice House.”

15 “Covered Ice House with corn stalks.”Feb. 6 “Finished ploughing all the high land except 4 or 5 acres left to put Guano next to

John L. Pendleton’s grave yard.”7 “Humphrey is to clean out the main water ditch in my meadow joining John Woolfolk

from his fence to the crop ditch above the Sickamore (sic.) tree @ 1 ½ cents per yard /He finding himself with the understanding that if the job should prove heavy to add ½cent more the balance / The ditches @ 1 cent per yard that I may have cleaned out / I

am to shrub all the ditch as far down as the land is cleared, from there to JohnWoolfolk’s fence he is to trim himself, to commence the work early next week &continue the same when the weather will permit his working thereon.”

24 “Humphrey began to clean out ditches in meadow below the stable.”25 “Finished the roof over the Ice House took 300 feet of _______ plank”

Mar. 15 “The five last rows of Irish potatoes planted today, were the white that came fromWashington.”

18 “Peach trees began to bloom several days ago.”24 “Began to make steps at the fall to the kitchen & finished the steps & turfing the fall.”

Apr. 3 “Made 19 secret ditches on the north side of the meadow from the spring below theIce Dam to the Sickamore (sic.) tree / Made 5 secret ditches on the ditch leadingfrom the Willow spring / Finished working the Raspberry vines & hops.”

4 “Humphrey finished cleaning out the ditch from the gate to the pole fence yesterdaymorning then helped me to make the secret ditches named above & today commencedcleaning the ditch for plank fence.”

9 “Loped the catalpa trees.”

1853 –Dec. 2 “Stocked the Ice Dam.”

15 “Salted up pork.”22 “Fixed the Ice House ready to receive ice.”

Jan. 12 “Finished putting all the ice in the house, it looks about 3 feet of being to the top ofthe watling (sic.).”

13 “Began to shrub on the level next to S. Hill.”16 “Began to plough on the said level.”

- Garden inventory: Beets, parsnips, carrots, sassafras, tomatoes, peppers, radishes,parsley, Irish potatoes.

Mar. 17 “Clover seed, about 162 tons, on about 7 acres of old field.”

1854 –Mar. 23 “Finished ploughing high land for corn.”

28 “Ploughed all the thick patches except the peach orchard, began that today.”Apr. 8 “Began to plough the meadow… / Sowed late peas / Ditto snap beans / Planted

cucumber seed.”13 “Finished planting corn in first cut on hill next to Harvey’s, sowed in drill 482 lbs.

beans there is 5 ½ acres there.”May - Garden inventory: Butterbeans, watermelon (sic.), Cymlin, cantelope (sic.), cabbage

(about 1100 plants), peas, lettuce, strawberries- Corn in meadows (planted & replanted)

25 “Set out early York plants & other kind.” (Type of cabbage)June - Garden inventory: Pumpkins, beets, snap beans, potatoes

10 Sheared sheep17 Planted peas and beans in each orchard

July 6 “…planted the large square for late cabbages 15- or 1600 plants in the square.”