The Mirador Landscape

A report documenting the history of the Mirador landscape and its six generations of owners.

Written by Andrew KohrPrepared for the Garden Club of Virginia

2004 Rudy J. Favretti Fellowship

Hidden Jewel: The Mirador Landscape

Greenwood, Virginia

Mirador in 1909, painted by Hoffbaur. (couresy of Becker)

Copyright © 2004 by The Garden Club of Virginia.All Rights Reserved.

Reproduction:

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

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

Hidden Jewel: The Mirador Landscape Garden Club of Virginia Rudy J. Favretti Fellowship 2004 V

Picture

Rose Garden in full bloom, looking northeast. (Photo by author, August 2004)

VI Hidden Jewel: The Mirador Landscape Garden Club of Virginia Rudy J. Favretti Fellowship 2004

Acknowledgements

The Rudy J. Favretti Fellowship is successful in large partdue to the efforts of those who wish to see continued the tradition of thedocumentation of culturally significant and influential landscapes. The Gar-den Club of Virginia and specifically the past and present members of theRestoration Committee have supported this type of work through this fel-lowship. I will always remember the gardens and sites I have visited withGarden Club members and especially the friendships I have made during thecourse of this fellowship.

The supervision, mentorship, and friendship provided by Will Rieley,the Landscape Architect for the Garden Club or Virginia, and the landscapearchitects at the office of Rieley and Associates have been invaluable to thesuccessful completion of this project. I would like to thank all of them fortheir help with this fellowship and especially Will Rieley. His passion andknowledge of historic landscapes inspired me throughout the fellowship andhas greatly influenced me as I prepare for entry into the landscape architec-ture profession.

Much of the knowledge, photographs, and plans of theLancaster and Scott periods at Mirador can be attributed to Jeannie(Scott) Rutherfoord, past owner of Mirador, who was very interested in therestoration of the gardens and landscape. She provided me with access todrawings, photographs, and intimate knowledge of the changing Mirador land-scape. I would like to thank her for her time and interest in the project and hercare in preserving the historical record of Mirador.

I would like to extend my gratitude to Dana Angell, and the Archivestaff at the Library of Virginia for providing digital photographs of Miradorfollowing the Tree family renovation. Finally, I would like to thank StephanieJacobs at the Virginia Historical Society for providing digital images of Miradorfrom the Lady Astor photograph album.

Hidden Jewel: The Mirador Landscape Garden Club of Virginia Rudy J. Favretti Fellowship 2004 VII

Croquet lawn and serpentine wall, looking northeast.(Photo by author, July 2004)

VIII Hidden Jewel: The Mirador Landscape Garden Club of Virginia Rudy J. Favretti Fellowship 2004

Preface

Mirador has played a significant role in the history of Albemarle Countyand Virginia. Its setting at the base ofthe Blue Ridge Mountains continuesto inspire those who reside, work, and visit the estate. Despite its impor-tance as an architectural gem and former home of the famous Langhornesisters, to date there has been no document written specifically about thisestate. This report is the first attempt to tell the story of Mirador and itslandscape.

Studying the rich history of Mirador involved the documentation ofthe existing landscape, an examination of the landscape’s evolution, and anexploration of its social and cultural context . To accomplish these objec-tives, the author attempted to identify and locate resources that referencedMirador and to compile as many images of the property that extant. Thisreport makes an effort to dispel past myths about Mirador and concretizedates of construction, ownership, and events, as well as accurately identifychanges made to the landscape.

The report is divided into four major areas of ownership that parallelsignificant changes to the landscape and societal shifts at Mirador. Includedin this report is a rendered plan of the Mirador gardens that supplementsinformation in the report and provides an accurate documentation of theexisiting landscape. Taken together these elements help portray Mirador in anaccurate and fascinating light, thereby justifying it as the “Hidden Jewel” ofAlbemarle County.

Notes: The report uses a layout that is representative of the stationaryused by the Langhorne family and Nancy Lancaster while owners of Mirador.Many of the photographs presented in the report are from three sources: RobertBecker’s 1996 book Nancy Lancaster: Her Life, Her World, Her Art, Alice Winn’s1974 book entitled Always a Virginian, and photographs and drawings fromthe Jeannie (Scott) Rutherfoord collection.. Illustration credits have beenshortened to Becker, Winn, or Rutherfoord to save space and eliminate re-dundancy. Finally, every attempt has been made to locate all books, docu-ments, manuscripts, photographs, and collections that pertain to Mirador. Whilenot all have been researched for logistical reasons, they are listed in AppendixThree: Bibliography.

MiradorGreenwood, Virginia

Prepared by: Andrew KohrRudy J. Favretti FellowGarden Club of VirginiaSummer 2004 0 20 40 80

1-0" = 40-0"

Trees

AR Acer rubrum Red Maple

AS Acer saccharum Sugar Maple

ASC Acer saccharinum Silver Maple

BP Broussonetia papyrifera Paper Mulberry

CJ Cercidiphyllum japonicum Katsuratree

FA Fraxinus americana White Ash

FG Fagus grandifolia American Beech

GD Gymnocladus dioicus Kentucky Coffeetree

IO Ilex opaca American Holly

JV Juniperus virginiana Eastern Redcedar

LT Liriodendron tulipifera Tulip Tree

MG Magnolia grandiflora Southern Magnolia

MS Malus sp. Crabapple

MXS Magnolia x soulangiana Saucer Magnolia

PO Platanus occidentalis Sycamore

PS Prunus serotina Black Cherry

PSP Prunus subhirtella Weeping Higan Cherry

var. pendulla

QG Quercus georgiana Georgia Oak

QP Quercus palustris Pin Oak

QR Quercus rubra Red Oak

TC Tilia cordata Littleleaf Linden

TS Tsuga canadensis Canadian Hemlock

UA Ulmus americana American Elm

Groundcovers/Vines

HH Hedera helix English Ivy

LJ Lonicera japonica Japanese Honeysuckle

VM Vinca minor Vinca

WF Wisteria floribunda Japanese Wisteria

Shrubs

AG Abelia x grandiflora Shiny AbeliaAT Asimina triloba Common Pawpaw

AZ Azalea sp. Azalea

BM Buxus microphylla Littleleaf Boxwood

BS Buxus sempervirens American Boxwood

CA Caragana arborescens Siberian Peashrub

EA Euonymus alatus Burning Bush

HS Hibiscus syriacus Rose-of-Sharon

LA Ligustrum amurense Amur Privet

LI Lagerstroemia indica Crapemyrtle

PC Philadelphus coronarius Sweet Mockorange

RC Rhododendron carolinianum Carolina Rhododendrum

RS Rhododendron sp. Rhododendrum

SJ Spiraea japonica var. alpina Japanese Spirea

SP Syringa pekinensis Pekin Lilac

SV Syringa vulgaris Common Lilac

VAC Vitex agnus-castus Chastetree

Plant List

BM

QR

QR

AR

MXS

GD

IO

AS

BP

3-HS

3-PC4-HSHS

HS

5-HS

Groundcover is HH

AT

IO

HH

BS

IO

MG

ASBSUA

FA

FA

FA

FA

IO

HHTS

TSAS

AS

LT

2-LT

LT

FG

FA

SV

LA

CA

EA3-RC

2-RS

6-RS

5-RS

LILI

LI

17-BS

29-BS

AR

AR

FA

IOUA

BS

BP

IO

TC

MG

PO

AR

ARAR

AS

2-AR

2-BS

HH

Wooded Area: HH, VM, LJ

4-PSP

4-PSP

Brick Wall EnclosedWith BS

Brick Wall EnclosedWith BS

SVAR

LA

Cutting Garden With 19-BS

RS

RS

BS

BS

PS

4-MSQG

5-MS

SV

2-SV

4-VAC

MS

CJ

BS

BS

Lawn Bordered by BM

Sunken GardenBeds: 26-BM

SP

RSPC

PC

SP

VAC, PC

LA

2-ASC

PS

PS

MS

MS

QP

LI

5-LI

3-PC

AS

BS

BS

BS

Arbor with WF

AG

AG

SJ

HS

HS

13-JV

4-JV

"Callie's Cottage"

The Kitchen

Main House

Arch andRock Wall

Terrace

Terrace

Croquet Lawn and Serpentine Wall

Pool

Barn

GreenhouseTennis Court

Smokehousesand Arbor

Rose Garden

2 Hidden Jewel: The Mirador Landscape Garden Club of Virginia Rudy J. Favretti Fellowship 2004

1835-1892: The Building of Mirador

The property where Mirador now stands is located in western AlbemarleCounty, south of the village of Greenwood. Presently, Mirador is bounded byUS Route 250 to the south, County Road 690 to the east and County Road691 to the west. Mirador ownership has included property north to the BlueRidge Mountains. However, as is the case today, the improved land for Miradoris south of what is currently Interstate 64.

Little is known about the history of the Mirador property prior to theBowen’s ownership. The earliest records indicate that in the early nineteenthcentury a miller named William Ramsay owned the property where Miradornow stands. There is very little recorded information about Ramsay and hislandholdings. As early as 1802 he had constructed a one-story frame homenorthwest of Mirador known as Millburne. The house was expanded in 1816when Ramsay added an eight-foot wide piazza along its principal façade. Theproperty also included a barn and a combination mill and distillery on theproperty.1 Today, Millburne is located across County Road 691west of Mirador.

Additional records from the Mutual Assurance Society of Virginia in-dicate that Ramsay operated a mill on 863 acres as early as 1806 and presumablylived on the property by 1822.2 In 1830 tax listings valued his collective land-holdings in the $4,000-5,000 range which was comparable to other estates suchas the Redlands, Tufton, and even Monticello.3 This placed Ramsay in themiddle to upper half of landholders (in terms of property value) in AlbemarleCounty during the first third of the nineteenth century.

Hidden Jewel: The Mirador Landscape Garden Club of Virginia Rudy J. Favretti Fellowship 2004 3

View of Mirador looking southwest. (Photo by the author, August 2004)


1835-1892

The exact date of William Ramsey’s death is unknown. However by1835 his children had inherited the 375-acre property and in turn sold it toColonel James M. Bowen. The deed of warranty on March 1, 1835, included a“mansion house”, mills, and a half-acre reserved as a graveyard for the Ramsayfamily and their heirs.4 Bowen’s grandfather, Richard Bowen, had been a sol-dier in the French and Indiana Wars in the eighteenth century, and in 1758 hewas granted land in Virginia for his services.5 Two generations later James M.Bowen was one of four brothers who purchased property within AlbemarleCounty. Although his other brothers were successful, James was the only onewho remained in the region. Bowen was an officer in the War of 1812, andfollowing the war he and his wife Frances Stark Bowen, moved to the Pied-mont region of Virginia.6

After Bowen purchased Millburne in 1835 he and his family lived at theGreenwood estate near the base of the Yellow Mountains. It is unclear whetherhe built a new residence or simply lived in the single-story frame house con-structed by his predecessor. Whatever the situation his living arrangementswere not in an ideal location for Bowen to manage his estate, and in 1842 herelocated to a more central area of the property.7 He chose a hill that over-looked a millpond and also provided a spectacular view of the Blue RidgeMountains. He located the house, so it faced southeast towards the currentUS Route 250. At the time, this was the principal stagecoach turnpike fromRichmond to White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, in the nineteenth cen-tury.8

Bowen built his new house in the popular Greek Revival style. Thisstyle was all the more fashionable because of Thomas Jefferson’s private estateMonticello, located in the eastern half of the county, as well as the Universityof Virginia also designed by Jefferson. These influences established high stan-dards for other Greek Revival residences in the area. The square house wasmade of Flemish-bond brick construction with symmetrical facades that in-cluded six-over-six double hung sash windows on the first and second floors.Basement fenestration included six-paned fixed casement windows that con-tinued the symmetrical pattern along the principal façade.


The Building of Mirador

Earliest Photograph ofMirador. Taken sometime afterCivil War. Left, shows enlclosedside entry with path leading tokitchen. (Courtesy of K. Ed-ward Lay, C-D Rom)

The first and second floor entries on the southeast elevation had archedfanlights with a rounded arch window in the attic above. There was also acentral, one-story portico with a second story porch supported by pairedDoric columns on the front elevation. The house was constructed with fourinterior end chimneys and an additional front-gabled side entry on the south-west elevation. In addition to these elements, the earliest picture of Mirador,probably taken after the Civil War, shows a covered side entry on the south-west elevation with stairs leading to a path. This path most likely led to theone-story brick double pen kitchen.9 There was also a single room framesmokehouse to the northeast of the main house.10 Bowen named his newhome “El Mirador” which is Spanish for “ the spectacular view.” Eventuallythe name was shortened to its current title “Mirador.”


1835-1892

Early maps of Albemarle County more precisely identify James Bowen’slandholdings, other Bowen family members who lived nearby, and the loca-tion of his mill. The 1866 Map of Albemarle County, Virginia, shows a Bowenliving in the present location of Mirador along the Rockfish Gap Road. Thereis also another Bowen southwest of Mirador along the Brookville andScottsville Road. This may have been another member of his family, possiblyone of his three brothers.

A second, more detailed map of Albemarle County drawn in 1875,and commonly referred to as the “Peyton Map,” shows a J. Bowen living atMirador. Immediately southwest on the opposite side of Rockfish Gap Roadis the location of “Bowen’s Mill.” North of Mirador there is a T. Bowenliving at a property called Fairview, and again there is a Bowen living south-west of Mirador in the same location as the 1866 map. The mill owned byJames Bowen is located at the intersection of two roads and appears to be theonly one within several miles of the Greenwood neighborhood. This size andlocation of his mill is another indication that Bowen contributed significantlyto the local economy.

The most informative document about James Bowen was an articlewritten by his granddaughter, Fanny Castleman. In the article she referred toher grandfather as a “domestic economist” who believed in utilizing nearbyresources as much as possible to help make Mirador more self-sufficient.11

This was a philosophy held by many early farmers during the first half of thenineteenth century in the nearby Shenandoah Valley. They created uniqueproperty lines so they could fully utilize the resources on their plantations.12

There is no record of who may have been the builder of Mirador, however,the early working landscape included brick kilns, sawmills, a carpenter shop,and a blacksmith shop which were used to make materials for the mansion andthe outbuildings.13



Portion of the 1866 Map of AlbemarleCounty. The Bowen properties are un-derlined. (Courtesy of Rieley and As-sociates)

Mirador and Bowen’s Mill.

Portions of the 1875 Peytonmap that identify the Bowenproperties. (Courtesy of Rieleyand Associates)

Site of Bowen’s Mill, opposite US Route 250.(Photograph by author, August 2004)

T. Bowen at Fairview.

Bowen, southwest of Mirador.


The early landscape of Mirador paralleled James Bowen’s sense of per-sonal responsibility he held regarding his life and family. His descendents re-membered James Bowen as an influential person who preferred to remain athome focusing on his domestic duties.

1835-1892

James M. Bowen was a man of fine businesssense and high integrity. He was on the mostinfluential men in that whole section of Vir-ginia, and could have had any office of publictrust, but he was a quiet home-loving man.14

The Agriculture Census of 1850 and 1860 validate this description. By themid-nineteenth century he owned 3,000 acres, and half were considered “im-proved,” i.e. farmland. Ten years later Bowen owned over 4,000 acres withmore than half of his property used as farmland. His three primary cropswere wheat, tobacco, and Indian corn. He also grew oats, hay, peas and beans,potatoes, butter, and honey. However, Bowen was not limited to crops andfood but had a livestock inventory that included horses, mules, cattle, oxen,sheep, and swine. These animals were used to farm the land, helped producewool or buttermilk, or were slaughtered for money.15 James Bowen was asuccessful farmer who emphasized diversity and self-sufficiency on his planta-tion.

Prior to the Civil War, Bowen used slaves to run his plantation. The1850 Slave Schedule listed fourteen slaves owned by James Bowen including threefemales. A decade later the 1860 Slave Schedule listed Bowen as owning forty-three slaves that included eighteen female slaves.16 According to Alice Winnthese slaves were housed along a road to the north of the mansion and beyondthe back gate. It is possible that this road may be the current path that lies tothe northwest and west of the mansion which connects the main house with amajority of the outbuildings and surrounding farmland. After Chiswell DabneyLanghorne purchased the property in 1892 he razed these structures.17



Comparison of the 1850, 1860 and 1870 Agricultural Censuses.


Although the early Mirador landscape emphasized farming, there wereareas of the plantation devoted to other uses. James Bowen’s wife, FrancesBowen was famous for her roses and her rose garden. However, the locationof this rose garden is unknown. During the Bowen ownership of Mirador,there was a one-half acre cemetery located on the property. The cemeterywas later moved by C. D. Langhorne after he purchased Mirador. The photo-graph referred to earlier shows plantings along a central walk that leads to thefront porch and is outlined by evergreens (possibly yews or boxwood).18 Thecentral path was terraced with stone steps that further emphasized Mirador’slocation atop its hill. In its earliest years Mirador’s variety of vegetation helpedestablish the property as one of the more beautiful landscapes in the region.

1835-1892

The trees were magnificent and such a variety.The stately oaks, immense yews, white pines,poplars, elms, gums with their rich autumn fo-liage, the mimosas, then the hollys, the boxplants, the crepe myrtle, the profusion ofsmaller plant life; then the roses – never couldbe found such perfect and healthy roses.19

Mirador was a center of activity for the Bowen family and its guests.One of its most notable visitors was the French Colonel, Claudius Crozet,who helped build the railroad through the Blue Ridge Mountains. He was inthe region from 1850 to 1860 and visited Mirador often.20 Despite the manychanges to the Mirador landscape in the nineteenth century, it was remem-bered as an extraordinary place where many social events occurred. FannyCastleman reminisced of her grandfather James Bowen’s fine riding horsesand how often the family and their guests would ride to and from the BlueRidge Mountains for an afternoon outing. There were also tennis and croquetgames, dancing in the evening, reading aloud in the winter, and familial sing-ing accompanied by Mrs. Bowen on the piano.21



The Civil War and Reconstruction era resulted in significant social andphysical changes to the Mirador landscape. Although no major conflicts oc-curred nearby, there was the usual presence of troops in the region. AliceWinn referred to the Greenwood and the Piedmont Valley as an “island in themiddle of a turbulent sea.”22 Stonewall Jackson marched his Confederate troopseastward past the gates of the estate towards Richmond in June 1862.23 Lessthan a year later, in a letter to Susan Meade Funsten in January 1863, DavidFunsten mentioned that Confederate troops were staying on or near the Miradorproperty. He also commented on the kind treatment by James Bowen.24

Claudius Crozet, frequent visitor toMirador. (Courtesy of Stephensonand McKee, Maps of Virginia)

Remnants of the terraces on the front lawn.(Photograph taken by author, August 2004)


With the end of the Civil War and with slavery abolished, Bowen wasforced to develop alternative ways to manage his farm. In November 1865 hewrote to his friend Charles Palmer requesting that Palmer send more nails tohelp with construction on his property. “I am building dwelling houses on myland for tenants and renting out small farms, from one to two hundred acres toa farm.”25 Bowen continued the letter by discussing the current labor market.“I find negro labour is done with and we must get white labour. What do youthink of the plan? I would like to be with you to hear you talk and help me toplan as to labour.”26

The changes to the Mirador landscape were seen in the 1870 Agricul-tural Census. The total acreage that he owned dropped from over 4,000 acres in1860 to 1,300 acres ten years later. Over half of his property was unimprovedand considered “woodland.” One theory is that Bowen rented his land towhite tenants, and this property was not listed as being owned by Bowen.Another theory is that Bowen’s financial resources soured with the onset ofthe Civil War, and he was forced to sell part of what he owned. Whatever thereasons, the value of his farm machinery dropped dramatically, and he wasrequired to pay his workers wages for the first time.

By 1870 Bowen no longer grew tobacco, which exhausted the land’sresources, but continued to grow wheat, corn, and oats. His livestock inven-tory remained essentially the same, and he continued to cut hay and producewool. The most drastic difference in the landscape was Bowen’s develop-ment of apple and peach orchards which produced 100 dolls of fruit in 1870.27

These orchards continued to remain a significant part of the landscape untilNancy Tree Lancaster eventually removed the orchards in the 1920’s in favorof cattle.28

1835-1892



James Bowen died in 1880, and his wife and heirs became owners ofthe Mirador and Greenwood properties. Mrs. Bowen died several years laterand the 165 acres of property that included the Mirador house was transferredto the Bowen children. Mary Bowen Funsten, daughter of James Bowen livedat Mirador following her father’s death. However the Bowen children eventu-ally chose to sell Mirador, because it had fallen into disrepair and needed agreat deal of work.29 In 1892, fifty years after the construction of the Miradormansion, the children sold the property for $9,000 to Chiswell DabneyLanghorne, a self-made millionaire and resident of Richmond, Virginia.30 Soonthereafter, Mirador would experience physical changes to the landscape andthe mansion and would become the social center of the region.


1892-1920: Mirador and the Langhorne Legacy

The Langhorne legacy at Mirador began in 1892 when Chiswell DabneyLanghorne, known as “Shilly Langan” or simply C. D. to his friends, purchased165 acres from the children of James M. Bowen for $9,000.31 Bowen estab-lished Mirador as a respectable private residence and working farm which be-gan to show its age after fifty years. Chiswell Dabney Langhorne reinvigoratedMirador through enhancements to the architecture and the landscape and es-tablished it as one of the premiere social centers of the region.

Chiswell Dabney (C. D.) Langhorne was the eighth generation ofLanghornes who descended from a Colonel John Langhorne of England. JohnLanghorne moved to Warwick County, Virginia, in 1666 and settled at hishome, Gambell, overlooking the James River. Many of C. D.’s ancestors wereinvolved in politics and played an influential role in the growth and develop-ment of Virginia as first a colony and then a state. His father was John S.Langhorne, heir to the family flourmill. Likewise his mother also came froma well-respected family. She was Sarah Elizabeth Dabney, whose father was arespected lawyer in Lynchburg. They lived at “Point of Honor” in Lynchburgprior to the Civil War.

The Langhornes were a successful family who owned mills and ware-houses and were considered leading citizens of the town.32 John and Sarahhad three children: Anne Frances, Chiswell Dabney, and Elizabeth. ChiswellDabney was born in 1843 on the Dabney’s plantation near Lynchburg. For ashort time, prior to the Civil War, the Langhornes lived at Point-of-Honor inLynchburg. Both father and son fought for the Confederate Army. In 1859 C.D. had joined the Virginia home guard, and John Langhorne served as a Majorin the 2nd Virginia Cavalry.33


C. D. Langhorne with three of his daughters Phyllis, Nancy, and Irene. (Courtesy of Winn)


In 1864 C. D. Langhorne was stationed in Danville, Virginia, and metNancy Witcher Keene, who was sixteen at the time and lived nearby. In De-cember of that year C. D. and Nancy were married. Following the war, thefamily had fallen on hard times because of the dire economic conditions inthe South. Alice Winn, a granddaughter of C. D., described his situation afterthe Civil War.

Chiswell Dabney Langhorne, my grandfather,was like all southern men penniless with a trunkof Confederate Bonds and money, an unwork-able plantation and a formerly prosperous flourmill ruined by being a Confederate Hospital forfour years. At the age of 22 seven people weredependent on him, young wife, Mother, Father,Three Sisters, and a brother.34

The Langhornes remained in Danville following the war, and C. D.’sextended family became heavily dependent on him. They lived in Danvilleuntil 1885, and during these years Nancy gave birth to seven of their eightchildren. He managed to become an auctioneer in Danville where it is said hewas creator of the “Danville System” for his method of auctioning off looseleafed tobacco.35 Nancy Lancaster, his granddaughter, described it further.

In Danville where at one time he auctionedtobacco he did it so well that people would say“let’s go and hear Chilly Langhorne auctiontobacco” just for the sake of hearing the per-formance.36

1892-1920


During his time in Danville, C. D.’s financial burden began to wear onhim, and he moved his family to Richmond in 1885. The Langhornes contin-ued to struggle for five years until 1890 when C. D. convinced his friend,Colonel Wallace from Baltimore, to give him a job with the railroad eventhough he had no prior railroad or engineering experience.37 C. D. Langhornewas incredibly successful as a contractor for the railroad, and within two yearshe was a millionaire. With a change of fortune the Langhornes were regularvisitors at White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, in the 1890s, a resort thatwas known as the “Newport of Richmond society.”38 The Langhorne familyalso began to look for a second home to escape from the city during the sum-mers and in 1892 decided to purchase Mirador.39

The Mirador Family: A Cast of Characters

Mirador was known as a simple and elegant plantation during the Bowenownership of the property. However, when C. D. Langhorne purchased theproperty in 1892, he and his wife brought along their large family of eightchildren and several servants. Each member of the Langhorne family was aunique person with their own individual story. Their charm and grace, matchedwith their confidence instilled in them by the strong personality of their patri-arch, C. D. Langhorne, led Michael Astor to describe the family as “Mr.Langhorne’s Circus.” C. D. was the ringmaster, his sons were part of the enter-tainment, and his daughters were the main event.40

The Langhorne Legacy


C. D. Langhorne (1843-1919)

His children and grandchildren described C. D. Langhorne as a hospi-table, confident man with a dominant personality who always sought to pro-vide advice to everyone, planned everything, and who expected excellence fromhis children.41 His unique personality and commanding presence were shapedas a youth, when C. D. was trained as a Virginia gentleman. He loved to ridehorses, hunt fox and quail, plan meals, host events, and exhibit a southernhospitality.42 Life at Mirador revolved around Chiswell Dabney Langhorne.Nancy Lancaster wrote:

I don’t think any place was more stimulatingthat Home where Grandfather ruled the roostor where such unexpected and amusing thingshappened . . . There was great neighborliness –Mirador was a center, with my Grandfather’sdominant and witty personality and myGrandmother’s quiet humor and witty person-ality.43

Despite this great neighborliness, there was also simplicity and disci-pline. Every morning the children were expected to be appropriately dressedfor breakfast regardless of the heat. The children were also in charge offanning C. D. as he took his afternoon nap and were to remain quiet whiledoing so.44 People came to him for advice, and he was well respected in thesurrounding community. He would frequently offer his opinion, although itwas sometimes not asked for, as in church, where C. D. would locate himselfin the third pew, so he could signal to the reverend when the sermon hadcontinued too long.45 These character traits would be passed on to his daugh-ters, and helped them become leaders in politics, fashion, and culture.

1892-1920


In 1912, after his wife had died and his children were grown, C. D.retired to “Misfit” on the south side of Rockfish Gap Road (US Route 250).In turn, he gave Mirador to his daughter Phyllis, although he continually ar-gued with her over how the estate should be managed. Seven years later atthe age of seventy-five, Chiswell Dabney (C. D.) Langhorne, the patriarch ofthe family, died. Upon his death, the Richmond Times Dispatch wrote thefollowing on February 15, 1919:

Chiswell Dabney Langhorne, famed as the fa-ther of Mrs. Charles Dana Gibson, the original“Gibson Girl” and father of America’s mostbeautiful women, millionaire, railway builder,sportsman and gentleman of the Old VirginiaSchool, is dead in his home . . . Mr. Langhornewas a social favorite throughout Virginia andMaryland, where he numbered many friendsgained through his wonderfully attractive per-sonality. It was said of him that he was thehandsomest and most likeable man of the “OldDominion.”46


Chiswell Dabney Langhorne, the patriarch of the Langhorne family.(Courtesy of Becker)


Nancy Langhorne (1848-1903)

Although C. D. Langhorne was the patriarch of the family, it was Nancy,his wife, who ran Mirador and helped balance her husband’s temperamentwith her quiet charm. Nancy Witcher Keene, “Nanaire” to her family, wasborn in 1848, and grew up at her family’s farm, Cottage Hill, in PittslyvaniaCounty, Virginia. She was displeased with the move to Mirador at first, be-cause she had spent a majority of her early life in rural Virginia and preferredthe city.47 Nanaire was a small, very beautiful woman, who was much quieterthan her husband. She and C. D. had a good sense of humor, which helpedmake Mirador a joyful place to visit and live.48 Although she did not want tonecessarily have children, Nanaire was a loving mother who protected her sonsfrom C.D.’s discipline and often gave the children and grandchildren extrafood after the meals.49 When the Langhornes moved to Mirador in 1892, itwas she who redecorated the house, and helped supervise the gardening, in-cluding her prized rose garden.50 While attending a horseshow in Lynchburgin 1903, Nanaire collapsed suddenly and died of unknown causes at the ageof fifty-five. This was a crushing blow to the family because it was Nanairewho kept the peace between C. D. and the children and who helped balancedthe strong personality of her husband.51

1892-1920



Nanaire was credited with balancing her husband’s strong personalityand keeping the peace in the family. (Courtesy of Winn)


Three Langhorne SonsKeene (1869-1916)Harry (1874-1907)Buck (1886-1938)

The Langhorne sons were continually in the shadow of their sisters’beauty and fame during their lifetime. Keene, Harry, and William Henry “Buck”would all lead relatively quiet and short lives. During their childhood andadolescent years, their father prevented them from drinking alcohol of anykind. As a result, Keene and Harry would often venture to the mountains intheir youth and drink heavily. By the time they were young men, the brotherssuffered from alcoholism and related health problems. All three brothers weremarried, but only Buck had children.52

Keene and Harry were born in 1869 and 1874 respectively, and eachworked for their father in the railroad business. As a young man, Keene pur-chased property in Buckingham County, but would visit Mirador often. Hewas married to Sadie Reynolds near the turn of the century, and he died nineyears after Harry in 1916. While attending the University of Virginia in the1890’s, Harry contracted tuberculosis and was often confined to a cabin inthe Blue Ridge Mountains. Towards the end of his life he married GenevievePeyton, however after a few short years of marriage Harry died in 1907.53

The youngest brother William Henry, or simply Buck, was born in1886 and was close to many of his nieces and nephews because of his age. Hemarried Edith Forsythe in 1907 and had five children. Buck worked for Gov-ernor Stuart and was eventually elected to the state legislature. He became sopopular that people throughout the state came to his district to vote for him.He was clearly the most successful Langhorne son and lived until 1938.54

Although the Langhorne sons never matched the fame of their sisters, theyinherited their parents’ character traits that had made the Langhorne family sowell known.

1892-1920



Harry and fiance Genevieve Peyton.(Courtesy of Winn)

Keene, the oldest Langhorne son.(Courtesy of Winn)

Buck, youngest Langorne son and state senator.(Courtesy of Winn)


Elizabeth (1867-1914)

Elizabeth, the eldest Langhorne child, was born in 1867, and like hermother, she too was petite and very beautiful. When she was eighteen, shemarried T. Moncure Perkins who was distantly related to her mother’s side ofthe family.55 The Perkins lived in Richmond, but often came to Mirador tovisit. In 1914, after separating from her husband, Elizabeth continued toremain in Richmond with her three children: Chiswell, Nancy, and Alice.Later that year, Mr. Perkins and Elizabeth died within two weeks of eachother, and Nancy and Alice were sent to New York to live with their AuntIrene. Nancy would later own Mirador for thirty years, and Alice would pub-lish a book in 1974 that detailed the life of the Langhornes at Mirador.56

1892-1920



Elizabeth, the oldest Langhorne daughter.(Courtesy of Winn)

Alice and Nancy Perkins, Elizabeth’s daughters.(Courtesy of Winn)


Irene (1873-1956)

Irene was the second oldest daughter, born in 1873, and was consid-ered the most beautiful of the five sisters. Years later she confided in her sister,Nancy, that C. D. would parade her around the county in a carriage to showoff her beauty.57 This led to Irene receiving sixty wedding proposals from avariety of well-to-do bachelors. Irene was sent to New York to attend board-ing school, and while there she was chosen to lead the cotillion at the Patriarch’sBall in 1893. A year later she met and married Charles Dana Gibson. Thisproved to be quite a controversy because Gibson was a New Yorker, and mar-rying a northerner was against southern tradition. The wedding took place in1895 at St. Paul’s Cathedral in Richmond. Following the honeymoon, theGibsons returned to New York to a home that was given to them by C. D. andhad been designed by the architect Stanford White.58

The Gibsons spent most of their time in New York where Charles’career would flourish. Gibson was an illustrator and later creator of the GibsonGirls, which was the ideal representation of the Victorian woman (based inlarge part on his wife Irene). They spent their summers in Maine, hostingdignitaries, politicians, and other celebrities. Irene also followed in her mother’sfootsteps and maintained a beautiful garden there.

When her sister Elizabeth and her ex-husband died in 1914, Irene andCharles adopted Elizabeth’s children Alice and Nancy. Because of their con-nection to high society, Irene became involved in politics and charities suchas the Protestant Bib Sisters in New York City. Later she and Nancy helpedraise money for the restoration of Robert E. Lee’s boyhood home, StratfordHall.59 The Gibsons returned to Mirador often, and after her husband’s death,Irene came to stay at Mirador for extended amounts of time until she died in1956.

1892-1920



Charles Dana Gibson, creator of theGibson girls. (Courtesy of Becker)

Irene and C. D. Langhorne on Miradorsteps. (Courtesy of Becker)

Irene, inspiration for the Gibson Girls.(Courtesy of Winn)


Nancy (1879-1964)

Nancy “Nannie” Langhorne, the middle Langhorne daughter, wasborn in 1879. As a child Nancy attended a prestigious boarding school forwomen in Richmond operated by Virginia Randolph Ellett. She became veryreligious at a young age and considered Reverend Neve of the Immanuel Epis-copal Church as her mentor into adult years. Nancy was completely oppositeof Irene, but had the same physical traits as her sisters. She had a sharp witand was very self-confident with an outgoing personality that she undoubt-edly received from her father.

While visiting Irene in New York, Nancy was introduced to a familyfriend, Robert Gould Shaw II. In 1897, Nancy and Shaw were married in thedrawing room at Mirador. Although this was a great occasion, Nancy still feltthe burden of being referred to as “the beautiful Irene Langhorne’s sister.”60

During their short marriage of five years, they had one child, Bobby. Follow-ing the divorce, Nancy met William Waldorf Astor in 1905 while crossing theAtlantic to England. They were married a year later, and moved to Cliveden inEngland. Cliveden became known as one of the last “power houses” of GreatBritain. Prestigious individuals from all across the world visited Cliveden in-cluding Winston Churchhill, Charles Lindbergh, Rudyard Kipling, and JohnSargent among others. Because of Nancy’s position and contacts, she be-came a leading advocate for women’s suffrage, equal rights, and temperance.61

In 1919 she was elected as the first woman to the House of Com-mons and served for twenty-five years. Soon thereafter Nancy LanghorneAstor became one of the most famous women in the world, and a womanwho fought for international peace and improved social conditions in hercountry. In addition to her role as a politician she also was a mother of fivechildren. Although Nancy spent most of her adult life in England, she re-turned to her childhood home often and recalled Mirador fondly in her mem-oirs. “I have never been as happy as I was there.”62 When she died in 1964,she was mourned internationally.

1892-1920



Nancy, after her marriage to Waldor Astor.(Courtesy of Becker)

Nancy as a teenager on her horse Queen Bee.(Courtesy of Becker)


Phyllis (1880-1937)

Phyllis was the fourth Langhorne daughter born in 1880, and was veryclose to her sister Nancy who was only a year older. Like Nancy, Phyllis led anactive life in her youth. Both Nancy and Phyllis also road horses very well andcompeted in many horse shows as young women.63 Phyllis however was verydifferent than her other siblings. She was as witty as her sister Nancy, but shealso looked more like her mother Nanere than the other daughters. Phylliswas considered wistful, introspective, and melancholy – a more romantic per-sonality.

Similar to Nancy, Phyllis’ first marriage was a short lived one to a NewYorker named Reggie Brooks. Nearing her divorce of Reggie in 1914, she fellin love with Captain Henry Douglas-Pennant, however he died in France.64

In 1917 Phyllis married Lord Robert Brand, a successful businessman andpolitician. Brand was an Oxford Scholar, military hero, and nicknamed the“The Wisest Man in the Empire.”65 It was Brand who warned England andthe Allies after World War I that Germany would rise again to conquer theworld.

In 1912, prior to her divorce from her first husband, C. D. gave Miradorto Phyllis as a gift, and he then retired to Misfit.66 Eventually in 1920 Phyllissold the property to her niece, Nancy (Perkins) Tree, because she and LordBrand were rarely in the United States. Phyllis died seventeen years later in1937 at the age of fifty-six.

1892-1920



Phyllis, an excellent horse rider who was often reserved andmelancholy.. (Courtesy of Winn)


Nora (1889-1955)

The youngest sister, Nora, was born in 1889, the only Langhorne childborn in Richmond. Nora was the most carefree and generous of the Langhornesisters, and this would eventually lead to consequences in her relationshipslater in her life. At one time, Nora was engaged to three men at once.67 Norawas also known to have a wonderful stage presence and loved performing infront of others, whether it be playing the piano or imitating famous people.

In 1908 she married Paul Phipps, an architect from New York. Theyhad two children, one of whom was Joyce Grenfell, the actress. Phipps wouldlater help Nora’s niece, Nancy Perkins Tree, redesign her homes at KelmarshHall and Ditchley Park. However, during her marriage to Phipps, Nora metLefty Flynn, a former Yale football player and actor. They ran away together,and were married in 1932. Charles Gibson found them in the western UnitedStates singing for money and convinced Nora to come back to her other hus-band. Although she rejoined Phipps in England, Nora eventually ran awayagain to marry Lefty.68

1892-1920



Among Nora’s many talents was the abilityto entertain. (Courtesy of Winn)

Nora, carefree and generous.(Courtesy of Winn)

Nora on the steps of Mirador. (Courtesy of Winn)


1892-1920

The Mirador Staff

The Langhorne daughters, their husbands, and their children were thecentral characters during their time at Mirador. However, there was also alarger family network that included numerous ex-slaves and other free African-Americans who were viewed as members of the family by their employers.They were called “Mammy,” “Aunt,” or “Uncle,” and many were nannies forthe Langhorne children and grandchilden. They included:

• Aunt Liza Pie - nanny for Nancy Lancaster and Nora Langhorne• Margaret Wallace - nanny for Alice Winn• Liza Piatt - Nancy Astor’s nurse• Lou Dense - nanny and cook• Aunt Ann Brodie - cook• Auntie Veenie• John Pate – stableman• Emily Pate - housemaid• Blanche and Mote Whiting• Richard Wood and son Stewart Wood - butlers• Mignon and Beatrice - daughters of the Woods• Aunt Veeny Barbour• Mrs. Callie Brown and her daughter Frances69

Stewart Wood, butler for theLanghorne family and head of thestaff during the Tree ownership.(Courtesy of Becker)



The Mirador staff at the turn of the century.. (Courtesy of Becker)

Aunt Veeny Barbour on Mirador steps beforeporch wings were added. (Courtesy of Becker)


Life at Mirador

Beyond its beautiful landscape, Mirador is remembered as an active,vibrant estate throughout all the seasons. It was this beauty that helped shapethe lives of the Langhorne children. During “At Home Days” in the warmermonths, Mirador welcomed its neighbors each Wednesday to play tennis andcroquet.70 The children were involved in horse shows, playing tennis, court-ship, and a myriad of other activities.

There was never a dull moment at Mirador. Outof doors there was a grass tennis court whichwas not even regulation size and which had acedar tree planted in the middle of one sideline. There was a squash court also and ofcourse horses to ride. There were fox huntsand partridge shooting for the brave who wouldtry to keep up with the Langhorne’s sports-manship. In the evening there was dancing tothe strumming of guitars and banjos played bymembers of the family and visitors and walksaround the lawn in the moonlight.71

Life at Mirador was equally exciting in the wintertime. During theChristmas season, “Mirador seemed to have a crystalline sparkle.”72 The Christ-mas tree was located in the squash court (location unknown) and the familyand the servants would each have their own celebration. On Christmas Day,following church, neighbors would come to lunch at Mirador.73

1892-1920



Preparations for a barbeque at Mirador, early twentieth century.. (Courtesy of Becker)


Surrounding Landscape

Following the Langhorne’s purchase of Mirador in 1892, the familyused the property as a summer home for two years before permanently mov-ing to the estate. Early descriptions of Mirador and the surrounding agricul-tural community help place the estate within a larger context. These descrip-tions are provided by Elizabeth (Langhorne) Perkins’ two daughters: Nancy(Perkins) Field Tree Lancaster, former owner of the property, and her sister,Alice (Perkins) Winn. These women spent a considerable amount of time atMirador during their youth and have described the property in various letters,stories, and books written during their adult life.

Despite Mirador’s rural character, many families lived nearby andGreenwood became the center of life. When the Langhorne family came toMirador they would travel via train to the Greenwood Station and then con-tinue their journey on horseback two and a half miles south to the estate.Greenwood Station at this time consisted of a post office, Bruce’s GeneralStore, a blacksmith’s shop, and several residences.74 A significant part of theexperience of visiting Mirador was the ride from the Greenwood Station tothe property. In one of her essays, Nancy Lancaster described the experienceof visiting Mirador as a child:

Through some untidy woods we came at lastto the rolling fields of the Mirador farm. Onthe right was the wonderful view past Miradordown the valley to Humpback, its outline stand-ing out against the star-lit sky the exact spotwhere the sun sets behind the Blue Ridge. Weturned right-handed around the farm fields, pastMisfit and, after crossing a stream, we bore tothe right through the Mirador gates…Thehouse, which was ablaze with light, was the mostwelcoming sight in the world to us.75

1892-1920



Greenwood remains a small village today.. (Photograph taken by author,August 2004)

The road most likely taken from Greenwood by visitors to Mirador.(Photograph taken by author, August 2004)


The Changing Landscape

When C. D. Langhorne purchased the property, there were severalintact features of the landscape that remained from the Bowen family. First,there was a wooden gate and an old brick wall bordered by boxwood at themain entry of the property. This wall was surrounded by “old cedars” thatblew down in the 1911 hurricane. It was under the cedar trees that the C. D.Langhorne purchased Mirador.76 Descriptions of the property included refer-ences to crapemyrtle trees “on the lawn” and althea bordering the walk to thecottage where Nancy Lancaster was born.77 It is highly likely the Perkinssisters were born in the old kitchen, which was used as a guest cottage duringthe Langhorne ownership of Mirador. The descriptions of vegetation refer toareas southeast and southwest of the house respectively. Lancaster also men-tioned the existence of the millpond at the base of “Mirador Hill.”78

C. D. Langhorne expanded the main house to compensate for hisgrowing family and his recreational activities. First, he added wings on eitherside of the property in 1897 to provide more interior living space.79 C. D.extended the front porch on the southeast facade to provide additional out-door seating opportunities along the principal elevation. Pictures show thatthe porch was supported by brick piers with latticework. It also had spindledbalustrades along the deck.

1892-1920

The Kitchen, an original structure, where the Perkins childrenwere born. (Photo by author, August 2004)



Photograph showing cement walk, absent of boxwood.(Courtesy of Virginia Historical Society)

Extended front porch. (Courtesy of Vir-ginia Historical Society)

Photograph of millpond, prior to intense planting during Treeownership. (Courtesy of Virginia Historical Society)


C. D. replaced the small wooden gate at the main entry with a largestone arch with “Mirador” inscribed in the keystone. He also used leftovercement to repave the brick path from the bullring to the front porch. Theorigins of the bullring are unknown, but was most likely constructed by theprevious owner James Bowen. Along this path there were boxwood whichC.D. had removed because they smelled like “wet-dog.”80 He also placed akennel for foxhounds “in the field behind the cottage” in preparation forhunting at Afton with his neighbor Mr. Goodloe.81 It is unclear whether thisis southwest or northwest of the brick cottage.

1892-1920


A picture of Mirador following the renovation by the Trees.(Courtesy of Becker)

Closeup of stairs , showing brick pier, concrete steps, and acentral section of brick stairs. (Courtesy of Becker)

Brick Concrete Brick



During the renovation, C. D. removed the former slave cabins alongthe road north of the main house.82 There is little information about thelocation of slave quarters during the time James Bowen owned the property.However, Alice Winn stated that “near the back gate there used to be a streetof log cabins for the slaves.”83 A side road to the west of the guest cottageintersected the main roadway near the entry arch and extended north past thecottage towards the fields. This road intersects with two others with one roadheading northwest toward the mountains (This might be the location of theformer slave dwellings).

These slave cabins were replaced by two wooden cottages for the ser-vants on either side of the smokehouse.84 Near the back gate, possibly locatedat the intersections of these paths, there was a woodpile which was a gather-ing point for the servants throughout the day. This is evidence that the backgate was most likely located at the intersection of roads north of the house.Nancy Lancaster detailed the existence of other buildings and features on thelandscape in her essay describing Mirador:

1892-1920

There were buildings for servants, a barn, adairy, smoke house, and the brick cottage.There was a family graveyard which Grandfa-ther moved to the Church. The Garden was atthe back surrounded by a picket fence. It hadtwo squares of flowers (one still remains) and avegetable garden beyond.85



The intersection of three paths, possible location of back gate.(Photo by author, August 2004)

Slave quarters may have been located on this road..(Photo by author, August 2004)


Lancaster’s description is significant, because it helps identify the struc-tures and landscape elements on the property. The “barn” Lancaster men-tioned is likely the same one, noted by Alice Winn, that was located south-west of the mansion, opposite the front lawn. According to Winn there was alarge red barn that housed “the carriages, buggies, station wagon, buckboard,tandem cart, and four-in-hand.”86 This barn was most likely replaced by thenew brick stable Phyllis constructed in 1908.87

The “smokehouse” was immediately northwest of the main house,and Alice Winn described it as being encompassed by an orange trumpet plant.Most likely this was Campsis radicans commonly known as Trumpet Vine.88

The “brick cottage” is the guest cottage southwest of the main house, re-ferred to earlier that was used by the Perkins when they visited and where thePerkins’ daughters were born. It was on the back porch of the cottage wherethe Langhorne children and grandchildren were able to observe the day-to-day activities that was present along the western path that led to and from theMirador fields and orchards.89

1892-1920

Brick barn, south of the main house, constructed by Phyllis in 1908.(Photo by author, May 2004)



Smokehouse on right was constructed by the first owner James Bowen.(Photo by author, August 2004)

Side road, adjacent to the cottage, i.e. kitchen, used as a path for work-ers to move throughout the farm. (Photo by author, August 2004)


The graves of the Bowen and Funsten families are located in the cem-etery of the Immanuel Episcopal Church. The location of the gravestones isfurther evidence that they were once located at Mirador and later moved totheir present location. Several of the Bowen family graves have multiple grave-stones for the same individual and are oriented in a north-south direction asopposed to the other graves which face east-west.

The locations of the dairy, graveyard, and vegetable garden are un-known. The “Garden” surrounded by a picket fence is also described by AliceWinn. She recalled the “old-fashioned” garden enclosed by a white picketfence laid out in squares vegetables and flowers and bisected by herringbonebrick paths.90 Lancaster and Winn are most likely referring to the existing rosegarden that lies north of the main house.

A final important feature of the landscape is the large fruit orchardthat were planted at the back gate and continued to the forested areas andmountains north of Mirador. This orchard consisted primarily of AlbemarlePippin apples. There is also evidence that James Bowen had an orchard atMirador as early as 1870. When Nancy Lancaster purchased the property in1920 there were approximately 7,000 trees in the orchard.91

1892-1920

James M. Bowen grave.(Photo by author, July 2004)



Existing Rose Garden, possibly same location as Nanaire’s rose garden.(Photo by author, August 2004)

Remnants of furit orchard that at one time contained 7,000 trees.(Photo by author, August 2004)


Chiswell Dabney Langhorne’s legacy at Mirador lasted for nearly thirtyyears. During that time he established himself as one of the most influentialmen in Virginia, and his daughters became famous for their beauty and activesocial lives. Mirador itself became the center of life in western AlbemarleCounty. Following Nora’s marriage to Paul Phipps in 1912, C. D. Langhorneofficially gave Mirador to his fourth daughter Phyllis who was close to theend of an unhappy marriage. C. D. Langhorne then moved across the streetto a farm he called “Misfit.”

Although he had officially retired from running the farm, he oftenobserved with his disapproval many of the improvements and changes hisdaughter made. There is no information concerning the Mirador landscapeduring Phyllis’ ownership of the property, other than an account by AliceWinn, who wrote that she “remade the Mirador garden.” 92 This may in factrefer to the formal garden within the white picket fence, or it may also refer toa Nanaire Langhorne’s rose garden, also located somewhere north of the house.

In 1916 C. D. Langhorne began to place portions of his property into a trust.Prior to his death in 1919 C. D. returned to Richmond, and the Misfit propertywas sold to Nancy and Ronald Tree of England. Soon thereafter, the Treeswould purchase Mirador. By this time, Phyllis had divorced and then wasremarried to Lord Robert Brand of England. Because his political interestswere in England and C. D.’s death in 1919, Phyllis sold the property to herniece, Nancy Tree and husband Ronald.

Mirador rose to prominence during its ownership by the Langhornefamily. It was the collective experience of the people, the house, and thelandscape that produced wonderful memories for its many occupants andvisitors. Nancy Tree’s memorable childhood at Mirador, influenced her andher husband to purchase the property in 1920. Her feelings are summed up inan essay she wrote years later about Mirador.

1892-1920

“Mirador to me was the place that healed all my misery and where, after any storm of life,I longed to be.”93



Southeast elevation, after the renovation by the Trees in 1921.(Courtesy of The Library of Virginia)


1920-1950: Nancy Tree and Mirador’s Golden Age

When the Trees purchased Mirador in 1920, the property had regainedits beauty and charm through the tireless efforts of Phyllis (Langhorne) BrooksBrand, the fourth daughter of Chiswell Dabney Langhorne. The improve-ments included a newly constructed barn south of the main house. In addi-tion, she restored many of the existing gardens to their original form. Whenher niece Nancy Tree purchased the property in 1920, she would reinvigoratethe estate. The Trees would make Mirador well known for its gardens andlandscape as well as the people who inhabited it.

Nancy was born in 1897, the oldest daughter and second child toElizabeth Langhorne and T. Moncure Perkins. The birth took place in theguest cottage at Mirador where Elizabeth stayed when visiting her parents.94

Her mother, Elizabeth, was the oldest of the Langhorne children and the onlyone to marry a Virginian. Her father, T. Moncure, owned a meatpackingfactory in Richmond, Virginia, and rarely visited Mirador with his wife andchildren. Nancy had two other siblings, an older brother Chiswell, and ayounger sister Alice.

The Perkins lived on Franklin Street in Richmond, Virginia, which wasknown to be the center of the social scene during the late nineteenth and earlytwentieth centuries. Nancy’s grandmother, Alice Lee Moncure Perkins livedacross the street from her son and his family. Nancy grew up attending board-ing school both in Richmond and France. Although Nancy had fond memo-ries of Richmond, she fell in love with Mirador at a young age. ElizabethPerkins and her children spent a great deal of time at Mirador, and Nancybecame close with her grandfather and her aunts, especially her Aunt Irene.95


The Perkins family at Mirador: From left: T. Moncure,Nancy, Chiswell, and Elizabeth. (Courtesy of Winn)

Nancy Perkins on her seventh birthday.(Courtesy of Becker)


The stories and the houses have gripped mesince I was a child; and they influenced my ideaof beauty, and what is beautiful in a house, morethan anything else ever has. Mother used to takeus to see the old houses in Virginia when wewere children . . .”96

She was also exposed to many of the famous Virginia estates, whichshe visited with her mother throughout her childhood and adolescent years.

Specifically these plantations included Bremo, Carter’s Grove,Merrywood (the Perkins family estate), Rosewell, Westover, Sabine Hall, Bran-don, Tuckahoe, and Monticello.97 It was her experience seeing these greatestates as a young child that helped develop a context of Nancy’s vision forMirador and her other gardens later in life.

In 1910 the Perkins family, including Alice and Nancy, traveled to Eu-rope for two years.98 During her visit, Nancy attended school in France, stayedat a convent in Switzerland, and visited her Aunt Nancy Astor at Cliveden inEngland. She had the opportunity to meet royalty from several countries andwas exposed to French, Italian, and English gardens. Specifically, Nancy wasmost influenced by two places: Chenonceaux and Cliveden. Chenonceauxwas an estate originally owned by Diane de Poitier, and located near Tours,France. She stayed with family friends at Chenonceaux and immediately fell inlove with the walled gardens, boxwood mazes, and fruit orchards.99

At her aunt’s home at Cliveden the gardens included complex par-terres, fountains, and a balustrade located along a terrace in the lawn.100 Al-though Nancy Lancaster never mentioned either garden specifically in her res-toration of Mirador, the notion of large scale, grandiose country estates, thatincluded deliberate and symmetrical viewsheds, undoubtedly guided her ideasfor Mirador.

1920-1950


Mirador’s Golden Age

Chenonceaux, visited by Nancy Lancaster in her youth.. (Courtesy ofwww.actuanet.com/ tonnellerie/francais/pres.htm)

Cliveden gardens, home of Lady Astor. (Courtesy of Becker)


When Nancy returned to the United States in 1912 at the age of fif-teen, her parents had separated, and two years later they died within two weeksof each other. Her Aunt Irene and husband Charles Dana Gibson raised herin New York City.101 Nancy attended a boarding school in Middleburg, Vir-ginia, and returned to New York in 1915. In the months following, she andher cousin “Babs” Gibson were invited to numerous debutante balls. It wasat this point she was introduced to New England’s high society.102

During the summer months Nancy spent much of her time at IslesboroIsland, Maine, and at Mirador with her Aunt Phyllis. In 1915 at Islesboro shemet Henry Field, grandson of Marshall Field, and two years later they weremarried in New York City. However, after only four months of marriage,Henry died suddenly of complications from surgery. While in mourning Nancytraveled to the Far East with her friends, and later on a trip to England shemet Ronald Tree, a cousin of the Field Family. They soon became closefriends and in early 1920 Nancy, Ronald Tree, and two of their friends traveledto North Africa.

When they returned she and Ronald were married in May 1920.103

Prior to the wedding, Nancy had purchased the “Misfit” property oppositeMirador on State Road 250, which had previously been the home of her grand-father, C. D. Langhorne. After the wedding they moved to New York Cityand later that year purchased Mirador from her Aunt Phyllis.104

1920-1950



Nancy and her first husbandHenry Field. (Courtesy of Becker)

Nancy and Ronald Tree on their wedding day.(Courtesy of Becker)


1920-1950

The Delano Restoration

Nancy Tree and her husband Ronald commissioned William Delano,an architect from New York, to renovate the house which had gone unchangedfor over thirty years. Delano was a rising star in the architecture professionand a partner in the firm of Delano and Aldrich. He was a graduate of Yaleand the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In 1903 he had become a professor ofdesign at Columbia University and several years prior to his work at Mirador,had served as a member of the United States delegation to the Paris PeaceConference.105

In 1921 Delano was commissioned to renovate the Mirador estate.Although he had designed numerous residences for wealthy clients, the Treeproperty was his first project in Virginia. He worked closely with Nancy toredesign the house and landscape at Mirador. On the principle (southeast)elevation, designs called for the removal of the attic window and replacementof the second story fanlight with a six-over-six double hung sash window tomatch the adjacent fenestration. In an effort to return Mirador to a morecolonial appearance, the front porch wings were removed so that only thecovered portico remained.

Delano and Nancy also extensively renovated the northwest elevation.Previously her Aunt Phyllis had partially enclosed the rear porch. Nancy wantedto continue this theme by fully enclosing the back porch, thereby addinganother fifteen feet to the rear of the house. Delano designed a new stoneporch with metal railing that ran the entire length of the northwest façadewhich was supported by brick arches underneath. Steps were placed at bothsides of the porch and led to a path and garden below. With the expandedlength of the building, Nancy asked Delano to enlarge the entry hall andinclude a skylight that provided additional light for the interior space.106

Although many praised the architectural renovations as a positivechange for Mirador, there was some criticism to the work Nancy and Delanohad done. One of these critics was Angus McDowell, a former suitor of theLanghorne sisters who wrote to Nancy expressing his distaste with the changeswhich affected his memories of Mirador.



Nancy plus Billy Delano have of course madeit all quite lovely, but feel I must resent the im-provements, but at night from the front of thehouse, except for the fact that the trees havegrown, one could imagine it was just the same,one cannot see the stable has gone, or that theends of the porch have been chopped off, orthat the bucket with the dipper is no longer onthe back porch, and certainly the descendantsof the crickets, tree-frogs, and fire-flies carryon the tradition of any variation from what usedto be.107

The southeast elevation following the renovation.. (Courtesy ofChristian and Massie, Homes and Gardens in Old Virginia)

The northwest elevation with new porch and arcaded basemententry.. (Courtesy of Becker)


Delano’s work was not limited only to the main house, but he alsofocused his efforts on other structures on the property. It is known that Delanodesigned the large livestock facility north of the main house which included alarge cobblestone courtyard and central fountain.108 The barn and outbuild-ings are reminiscent of the main house at George Washington’s Mount Vernon.Whether Delano designed the lesser important buildings on the property suchas the greenhouse, loafing barn or machine shed is unknown. However, hemay have designed the farm manager’s house and the building referred to as“Callie’s Cottage” southwest of the kitchen. Both structures are brick anddate back to the 1920’s. There is, however, no documentation whether or notDelano was ever commissioned to design these structures.109

The barn courtyard, designed by William Delano, date unknown.(Photo by author, August 2004)

1920-1950


Farm buildings, north of the barn and the main house.(Photo by author, August 2004)

Farm manager’s house, northwest of the main house.(Photo by author, August 2004)



William Delano and Nancy Tree worked closely on the redesign ofthe landscape at Mirador. A major goal of this work was to strengthen thevista of the Blue Ridge Mountains that stood north of the property. Thetennis court that was located to the north of the house and faced north-southalso heavily influenced the design of the gardens. Because of the tenniscourt’s location, it created an odd angle with the remainder of the yard. Nancywrote in a letter to Jeannie Scott, a later owner of the property, “The entireplan of the garden as I had it was governed by the great full angle of thetennis court.”110 Because of this obstacle, Nancy again turned to WilliamDelano. “To balance it I had Billy Delano a great architect draw the placeand that was the key to why we tried to balance it on the other side.”111

The garden lawn was divided into two sections. The first was a sunkengarden bordered by a five-foot high brick wall. The wall extended to thesouthwest beyond the house, and was flush with the house on the northeastside. There was originally no brick wall along the southeast side, east of thehouse. A brick path that led from the driveway ran southeast to northwestand defined the western third of the garden. The eastern two-thirds of thesunken garden was in line with the house. The entire sunken garden was alawn outlined by dogwood trees and boxwood. There was an arched formalentry on the southwest facade that included a metal gate with the word“MIRADOR” within its frame. Other less important entries were locatedalong the northwest and southeast facades. There was also a one-story brickbuilding built into the southwest wall.

Mirador gate, southwest fa-cade. (Courtesy ofRutherfoord)

1920-1950


Sunken Garden

Smokehousesand Arbors

FountainLady’s Slipper

Rose Garden

Tennis Court

Lily Pond

Sandpile

Vegetable Gardens

Key Gate

Sketch of garden by Nancy Lancaster, no date. Map is labeled to show the major areas of the Treeand Delano plan. (Courtesy of Rutherfoord)



Arbor and Central Lawn

Beyond the gate, Delano mirrored the existing smokehouses and placedan arbor with wisteria between the two structures to establish the view. Be-tween the smokehouses and the sunken garden was a turfed area enclosed bya boxwood hedge. This area was often used as an area to sit and relax whileenjoying the view of the gardens and the mountains in the distance.112 Thesecond section of lawn extended north beyond the arcade to pair of stairsthat flanked a central fountain. Two rows of apple and pear trees along theexterior of the lawn further guided the eye. Intermingled with the trees wereperennial borders. Large hedges of privet or boxwood outlined the north-west-southeast paths that led from the sunken garden, past the smokehouses,and north to the tennis court. To account for the angle of the tennis court, asecond arbor enclosed with wisteria was located adjacent to the court, andhoneysuckle was allowed to grow along the court enclosure. This partiallyhid the tennis court and guided the eye through the arbor towards the moun-tains beyond.213

View of rear lawn from arbor, no date.(Courtesy of Rutherfoord)

1920-1950


Arbor , no date. (Courtesy of Rutherfoord)

Central lawn and fountain, left, no date.(Courtesy of Rutherfoord)

West walk with borders, looking south, no date.(Coutesy of Rutherfoord)



The Cross-Axes

William Delano, influenced by his training in classical architecture,suggested working with the cross-axes throughout the plan. Although someof these elements do not exist today, Nancy Lancaster drew sketches of theoriginal plans for Jeannine Scott while at Mirador in the 1980s. These plans,although rough, provide a general framework for the layout of the garden, andespecially the axes which Delano emphasized.114 A small, round lily pondsurrounded by willow trees was placed northwest of the sunken garden andarbor. On the east side of the central lawn, Delano created a grass opening inthe shape of a lady’s slipper. This area was shaped by dogwood, mockorange,and bridal wreath and extended northwest from the rose garden. At the northend of the lady slipper was a set of brick stairs that led to the raised elevationaround the tennis court.

Immediately south of the steps was another path running southwestto northeast connecting the central garden to the eastern two paths. A her-ringbone brick path led northeast from the rose garden and intersected a cross-axis path and a brick structure known as the “key gate.” This key gate facednorthwest, and was meant to establish an additional viewshed for those wholooked northwest through the key shaped opening. A final northwest tosoutheast path led from the key gate northwest toward the roadway. Al-though it is unclear by the early records of the garden, this was probably thearea where the vegetable garden was located. At the end of this path, nearthe roadway was an arbor and sand pile for the children.215

View of lawn andborders, eastern end of garden, no date.(Courtesy of Rutherfoord)

1920-1950


View of Rose Garden Entry, possibly looking south, no date.( Courtesy of Rutherfoord)

Rose Garden entry, looking south or west, no date.( Courtesy of Rutherfoord)



The Rose Garden

Northeast of the sunken garden and nearer to the house was a rosegarden. The rose garden was connected with paths that ran northeast-south-west in front of the smokehouses. Annette Hoyt Flanders, a Landscape Ar-chitect from New York, designed this garden. Flanders who had a MastersDegree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Illinois, had experi-ence working all across North America including Canada and Hawaii. In herself-titled pamphlet, Landscape Architecture, Flanders noted job number 53 as“the cutting garden at ‘Mirador.’”116 The original plan for the Rose Gardencalled for thirty-six different varieties of roses laid out in formal parterres.117

A birdbath served as the central feature of the garden, with “Lead Figures”located at certain points along the gravel paths. Interestingly, Nancy Tree,her friends, and her family never mentioned Flanders in their letters whendescribing the gardens. Rather, they credit Nancy or Delano with the results.Irene Langhorne Gibson wrote to Nancy in the 1940’s after a visit to Mirador,“Now your plans for all your garden planting have come true. The garden isa dream.”118

Rose Garden, looking east with greenhouse in back-ground. (Courtesy of Rutherfoord)

1920-1950


Rose Garden plan by Annette Hoyt Flanders, no date.(Courtesy of Rutherfoord)

Center of garden with birdbath.(Courtesy of Rutherfoord)

Portion of plant list. (Courtesy ofRutherfoord)



Serpentine Wall

Several years later, following the Delano restoration, Nancy placedan enclosed croquet lawn and serpentine wall to the east of the house thattransitioned to steps leading to the millpond. The serpentine path was in-spired by Jefferson’s walls at the University of Virginia and was bordered bymagnolias. This was a controversial design, however after its construction,many of the Tree’s family and friends including Bessie Martin, congratulatedher on her efforts.

The planting along the serpentine wall hasgrown out of recognition. You were certainlyfar seeing when you did that, and I thought itwas so unnecessary as did many others. I re-member the Fox boys arrived with bricks andmortar, and there was right sharp argumentgoing on but you had the vision.119

View of serpentine wall and croquet lawn, looking northeast.(Photo by author, August 2004)

1920-1950


Path heading northeast from serpentine walk, down hilltoward pond. (Photo by author, August 2004)


Path of leading up embankment into croquet lawn. (Courtesy ofRutherfoord)


Nancy Tree - Garden Designer

In 1923, following the initial renovation of the mansion and grounds,Nancy Tree began expanding the horticultural variety on the property throughthe propagation of annuals and perennials. The trees and shrubs were or-dered from a variety of nurseries all across the eastern United States.

The list of perennials included:

· Campanula persicifolia (peach, bells, blue, white)· Coreopsis lanceolata grandiflora· Delphinium (Blue and White Chinese)· D. belladonna (sky-blue)· D. bellamosum (deep blue)· Lilac Queen Wihelmena· Lilac Gold Medal Hybrids· Sweet Rocket (lilac and white)· Foxglove· Lupinus polyphyllus· Aquilegia· Anemone St. Brigids

The annuals used for bedding during 1923 included:· ageratum· sweet alyssum· candytuft· petunia· Phlox drummondii

1920-1950


Later, this list was expanded and many of the annuals were used toborder perennials or were planted in the cutting garden.120 Nancy Tree keptvery specific records about the maintenance of the grounds and the vegeta-tion at Mirador. Samples of these records were given to Jeannie Scott, a formerowner, in the early 1980’s by Nancy Tree Lancaster. The eighteen pages ofnotes outline specific directions for the planting of the gardens and the land-scape. In addition to the formal areas of the garden previously highlighted,Nancy Tree had extensive plans for the less formal areas of the property. Shelists seventeen different areas of the landscape: Entrance Driveway, LawnInside Gates to Steps, Front Porch, Lawn Outside Dining Room, SunkenGarden, Hillside, Pond Planting, Orchard Garden, Vegetable Garden, BerryGarden, Rose Garden, Shrub Garden, Pond Garden, Back Yard, ShrubberyPlantings Near Squash Court, The Present Nursery, and Road to ______House.121

Some of the locations such as the Sunken Garden and the Pond Plant-ing (refers to the millpond) are well known locations. Other areas such as theSquash Court and the Shrub Garden are unknown. The Berry Garden mayhave been associated with the Vegetable Garden as well as the Orchard Gardennear the Greenhouse. Her notes also referred to an existing greenhouse aswell as a greenhouse to be built later. The current greenhouse located north ofthe swimming pool is most likely the planned greenhouse Nancy Tree referredto in her letters. Mentioned several times also is a swimming pool which mayin fact be the one in the present location, immediately north of the croquetlawn and serpentine wall.122

Road from greenhouse, an area where several of the above mentionedgardens may have been located, looking northwest, no date.(Courtesy of Rutherfoord)



Nancy Tree’s notes indicate she paid a great deal of attention to theless public places on the property. This included enhancing the existing for-ested areas along the south and east ends of the property. “Have the hillsidea wood and plant in it thickly: Mt. Ash or Rowan Trees, Mt. Beeches, pines,oaks, linden, maples, tulip poplars, red gums, judas or red bud, dogwood andshad blow or amelanchair, hemlocks, paulouma.”123

In her notes, Nancy also mentioned William Delano again in her noteson the Sunken Garden and her gardener Dowsett. Once the Trees moved toEngland, Dowsett continued to maintain the gardens. Phyllis Brand referredto “Dowsett” as a person who had “kept the garden looking lovely andgreen.”124 In 1942 letters from Aunt Irene and Dinah Bridge mentioned theYancy (or Yancey) brothers maintaining the grounds. Bridge also noted thatthere were three gardeners working at Mirador in April 1942 (Dowsett andthe Yancy brothers).125

In addition to the guests who often visited and the gardeners whomaintained the property, there was also a supporting cast of people whoworked for the Trees at Mirador. The most notable is Stewart Wood, anAfrican-American who supervised the mansion and grounds in the absenceof the Trees. Two of the workers at Mirador, Jenny White and a Scottishwoman named Helen, came to work there when Phyllis Brand owned theproperty. The remaining workers, including Stewart, had lived in the vicinityof Mirador throughout their lifetime and were fixtures at the estate. Nancy,who grew up with many of these people, viewed the workers at Mirador as anextended family who were interdependent upon each other.126

1920-1950


Although the Trees were away from Mirador during much of the timethey owned it, the friends of the Trees from America and abroad continuedto use the house and grounds. Irene Gibson, Nancy’s Aunt, was a frequentguest at Mirador and described many of the people and events that tookplace there in the 1930’s and 1940’s. In a letter prior to 1941, Irene wroteabout a party hosted by Nancy Astor at the Farmington Country Club whichwas followed by a visit with Phyllis and Bessie Martin, a childhood friend, toMount Arey and Sabine Hall at the northern neck of Virginia.127 In a laterletter to Nancy Tree, Irene noted that Lord Halifax, Great Britain’s ambassa-dor to the United States, and his wife came to visit.128 In 1946 ElizabethVarner, a cousin of Nancy’s, summed up the experience of many visitors atMirador during the Tree’s ownership. “You don’t know how much I love be-ing at Mirador. Many many thanks.”129

House party on front lawn. Nancy Tree seated in middle.(Courtesy of Becker)



Reflections of Mirador

During the ownership of Mirador by Nancy Tree Lancaster, majorchanges occurred to both the house and the surrounding gardens. Many ofNancy’s plans for the landscape took several years to develop. A majority ofthe descriptions about Mirador exist in letters from family and friends to NancyLancaster between the years 1937-1942. It was at this time that the propertyhad reached its greatest stature as a beloved landmark by people throughoutthe United State and Europe. Many of these recollections described the land-scape of Mirador relative to Nancy’s plans for the estate.

Two of the most oft mentioned areas are the serpentine wall and themillpond below Mirador Hill. The serpentine wall (which was Nancy’s ideaand imitated the design of Jefferson’s wall at the University of Virginia), cre-ated a transition from the central grounds to the millpond and the naturalisticlandscape east of the mansion. In Aunt Irene Gibson’s letters to Nancy from1937-1942, she described the serpentine wall as “lovely and every vine andbush there fat and tall” and “the serpentine walk it is a miracle, everything sothick.”130 In a letter from Ronald Tree he also mentioned magnolia trees andwillow trees lining the serpentine wall.131

The millpond below the serpentine wall was also mentioned in lettersfrom Irene Gibson and Ronald Tree. Ronald wrote in April 1942, “The lakeis almost hidden by immense weeping willows, and the hill side by Dogwoodand Judas in full bloom.”132 These descriptions of the naturalistic setting bythe millpond are very different than the formal gardens in the immediate vi-cinity of the main house and reflect Nancy’s intentions to maintain the natu-ralistic context for significant portions of the property.

1920-1950


Serpentine wall with rose vines on wall and magnolia and weeping willow treesabove, no date. (Courtesy of Becker)

Mirador Pond, winter time, no date. (Courtesy ofJeannie (Scott) Rutherfoord))

Mirador Pond and hillside in bloom,no date. (Courtesy of Becker)



The anchor of these formal vistas was the area immediately north ofthe main house and referred to as the “sunken garden.” Nancy used thesunken garden to establish a viewshed of the mountains to the north, usingboxwood and dogwoods to outline the area. Irene described it in April 1942.“As you walk down the steps it is dense in full bloom. The Scotch Broom islovely…The Key Gate is perfect. Those standard Wisteria in the walledgarden are fine. Dogwood in full bloom back of the Box.”133 This is the onlymention of the key gate, although it stood on a significant northwest-south-east axis in the garden. Later that month Ronald Tree described the walledgarden again when he wrote, “The sunk garden is dead white with a great wallof dogwood – easily 20 feet high.”134

There were also other areas on the property described by Nancy’sfamily. These included gardens which were devoted to flowers and othervarieties of plants, whereas the sunken garden was strictly a lawn borderedby shrubs and small trees. In April of 1942 Irene described a garden with“the flowers so rampant and so colourful, all is growing.”135 Irene could havebeen describing the perennial borders north of the smokehouses, where sheoften sat and relaxed while visiting Mirador. Dinah Bridge, a cousin of Nancy,wrote in that same month, “The garden is the sweetest I have ever seen. Thepansies, the daffodils, all the different blossoms, everything is blooming.”136

This description could refer to any number of locations within the formalarea of the property. It also alludes to Nancy Lancaster’s proclivity to havinga wide variety of plants in her yard.

Finally, Ronald Tree wrote again in April of 1942, “in the kitchengarden there is a riot of tulips, great mauve tree-paeonies, violets, and maucephlox.”137 Ronald is probably referring to the vegetable garden or the rosegarden located on the eastern edge of the axes. It is evident that the propaga-tion of the perennials and annuals at Mirador that began in the 1920’s hadpaid great dividends.

1920-1950


View of seating area and lawn from foun-tain, no date. (Courtesy of Rutherfoord)

Picture of Key Gate and herringbone brick path during 1980’s. (Cour-tesy of Rutherfoord)



Other areas of the Mirador landscape were discussed in letters to NancyTree during the late 1930’s and early 1940’s. Irene Gibson referred to thebarns at Mirador in two of her letters. Included in these references were visitsto the barns to see the new cattle.138 Irene and her sister also wrote about anarea of cedar trees that were planted near “Callie’s cottage.”139 These treeswere along the west entry into Mirador and still exist today. Callie’s cottagepresumably was a residence located southwest of the older brick cottage andguest quarters. One of the employees at Mirador was Callie Pearl who was acleaning woman for the Trees.140 It may have been where Callie resided whileshe worked at Mirador.

Finally, Ronald Tree included a description of apple trees in the gar-den “back of the house.”141 It is unclear where this was located however, itmaybe in an area directly north of the Rose Garden where remnants of anapple orchard are present today. Although the above references are brief andsomewhat nondescript they allude to the importance of the Mirador land-scape beyond the gardens, pond, and serpentine wall.

Despite the absence of Nancy Tree at Mirador during much of herownership, the Langhorne family returned to visit often and continually heldthe property in high regard. When describing Mirador to Nancy Tree, Phylliswrote, “…Mirador looking lovely. I always feel so glad to see her. I couldnever feel anywhere else is really home but here and as if I had never leftit.”142

1920-1950


Callie’s Cottage, west of main house. (Photo by author, August 2004)

Rows of cedar trees along entry drive. (Photo by author, August 2004)



Later Gardens

Nancy and Ronald Tree moved to England in the spring of 1926 sothat he could pursue his political ambitions. Ronald Tree was soon appointedJoint Master of the Pytchley, a leading role in the royal foxhunts and a step-ping stone for greater political offices. The Tree’s first permanent residencewas Kelmarsh Hall which was loaned to them in exchange for their efforts toimprove the house and landscape. Nancy renovated the house with the helpof her uncle Paul Phipps, an architect, and William Delano. She also con-sulted Norah Lindsey, a garden designer and former apprentice of the well-known Gertrude Jekyll, to help redesign the gardens.143 Nancy included manyof the elements that were also present at Mirador: two greenhouses, a cuttinggarden, tennis court, and a brick, walled garden.144

In 1933 Ronald Tree was chosen for a seat in the House of Commons,and he and Nancy moved once again to another estate, Ditchley Park. Withinseven years Ditchley Park would become a powerful political estate, similarto what Nancy Astor’s house, Cliveden, had been in the early twentieth cen-tury. During World War II Winston Churchill often visited Ditchley Park forextended stays. There he continued to lead the country in a location that wasa safe distance from German aerial attacks.145 Ditchley had a much differentenvironment than Kelmarsh Hall, with a great deal of the landscape devotedto naturalistic pleasure grounds. The Trees hired two architects, GeoffreyJellicoe and Russell Page, to redesign the gardens. They emphasized the longvista from the main house using terraces and sunken parterres and also de-signed a large Orangery Garden. Nancy Tree also had a herb garden on theproperty which consisted of two hundred varieties of herbs.

Kelmarsh Hall, present day. (Courtesy of www.kelmarshhall.org)

1920-1950


Kelmarsh Hall gardens designed by Lindsey, no date.(Courtesy of Becker)

Ditchley Park, present day. The Trees second home in England. (Courtesy of www.ditchley.co.uk)

Ditchley Park garden designed by Jellicoe and Page, no date.(Courtesy of Becker)



Following the conclusion of World War II, Nancy had purchasedColefax and Fowler, the famed English interior design firm. In 1947 she andRonald Tree divorced. Three years later, the Langhorne family name wasofficially separated from Mirador, when Nancy Tree Lancaster sold the prop-erty to Colonel Morton Newhall and Mr. and Mrs. Marran. After she soldMirador, she was married for a short time to Colonel Jubie Lancaster. How-ever, after they divorced she moved to the coach house at Haseley Court.Nancy Lancaster continued to consult well-known garden designers whohelped her distinguish her gardeners as the premier landscapes in England.

Among her close contacts was the American born, English-trainedgarden designer, Lanning Roper. She consulted him on a project in 1968, andboth would later be influential in the restoration of the Mirador gardens.146

After many successful years as an interior designer and world traveler Nancydied in 1996 at the age of ninety-nine. Although she influenced the worldwith her interior designs and outgoing personality, Nancy Lancaster herselfwas defined and influenced profoundly by Mirador. She once said:

“Mirador, Mirth and Misery,” my aunts used tosay. Mirador is deep in me, I feel it in my boneseven now. Nothing else has ever been as im-portant. I’m not really interested in Englandor America, only in Virginia and Mirador.147

1920-1950


Looking south through Nancy Lancaster’s wisteria arbor. (Photo by author, August 2004).



1950-Present: Mirador’s Decline and Rebirth

Following the sale of Mirador by Nancy Lancaster in 1950, the prop-erty was sent into a state of decline for the next 25 years. During this time,the owners of the property, Mona Marran, her husband, and Colonel MortonNewhall, focused much of their time on raising Angus cattle. The MiradorPhotograph Album contains numerous pictures from 1949 to 1953 of the prizedMirador herd. During this time the Marrans and Colonel Newhall hosted acattle show on the Mirador property.148

Following the death of Colonel Newhall, in 1961 Mona Marran, thena widow, became sole proprietor the one hundred eighty acres. Even less isknown about Mirador after Morton Newhall’s death. Pictures taken by FerolBriggs, a local photographer, between 1969 and 1977 show the property rela-tively untouched, including the southeast elevation. The front lawn kept itsbullring, terraces, and brick steps that led to the front porch.149

Following Mona Marran’s death in 1975, the property was placed un-der the auspices of a corporation, Mirador, Incorporated. Jim Scott, a formerschoolteacher, became President of Mirador, Incorporated, and afterwardsbegan restoring the mansion. In 1981 the property was officially transferredto James Scott. Jim was more concerned about the restoration of the houserather than the landscape, but in 1981 his wife Jeannie accepted the task ofrestoring the gardens as they had appeared during the Tree years in the earlyto mid- twentieth century.


To accomplish this task, Jeannie sought the help of the former owner,Nancy Lancaster who was living in England at the time. During the next fiveyears, Nancy and the Scotts would begin a friendship, and the gardens wouldonce again regain their beauty. In their frequent correspondence, Nancysought to explain the image of the gardens at Mirador to the Scotts as well asher excitement for their interest in the gardens. In of her first letters datedOctober 31, 198-, Nancy wrote:

“. . . I am so glad to see Mirador inhabitedwith youngflesh! I thought the house paintedfar better than I had it. Of course it mustchange (all life does) but I found it difficult tosee the bones of my garden. All that was leftwas two paths and the steps!150

Beyond Nancy Lancaster’s excitement about the restoration and rec-reation of the Mirador gardens, she also advised the Scotts in the same letteron how to approach the creation of their new landscape.

“Having made gardens for nearly 100 years, Iadvise you before any planting to decide onthe Bones of the garden and to get a good land-scape gardener to help you. Flowers come laterand should be things indigenous and in boldgroups and cover the ground. Light and shadeis all important more so than color which is anaddition.151

Nancy concluded the letter by describing the significant areas of thegarden. Within this description Nancy Lancaster limits it to the formal gar-den. She does not mention her work at the pond, her vegetable or berrygardens, or the serpentine wall in her description. This is noteworthy, be-cause the Scotts would focus their work on the area that Nancy first de-scribed in her letter.


The first landscape gardener who Jim and Jeannie Scott hired wasLanning Roper. Roper was born in 1912 in New Jersey and grew up in theUnited States. A graduate of Harvard in 1933, he joined the Navy in WorldWar II in which he served as an officer. Roper concluded his military servicein 1945 in London working for military intelligence. He chose to stay in Lon-don and began volunteering at the Kew Gardens in London and later at theRoyal Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh. Following his work at the Royal Hor-ticulture Society, he began designing his own gardens in 1957.152

Lanning Roper soon established himself as a well-known landscapedesigner. He had designed many gardens for the English gentry and the afflu-ent Americans and had helped in the restoration of several gardens throughthe authorization of the National Trust of England. One of his clients wasNancy Lancaster, who lived at Haseley Court in the 1960’s. She had con-tacted Roper in 1968 to help her with her dying boxwood. He continued tohelp her in her design of the Haseley Gardens, and this began a mutual re-spect and lifelong friendship.

In the early 1980s Roper was afflicted with cancer, although he con-tinued to work sparingly on projects. In 1981 while in Virginia, NancyLancaster introduced him to the Scotts and Mirador. Though it took him aconsiderable amount of time to collect his thoughts about Mirador and itsgardens, he completed the report on October 13, 1982. Less than a year laterLanning Roper died at the age of 71.153

1950-Present


Lanning Roper, American born, English gar-den designer. (Courtesy of Rutherfoord)

Chess garden at Haseley Court, England. Boxwood were saved by Roper forthe owner Nancy Lancaster. (Courtesy of Rutherfoord)

Decline and Rebirth


In his eleven-page report, Roper outlined a plan that would bring theMirador gardens back to the beauty that the Trees enjoyed in the 1920’s.Because the Scotts were restoring the gardens, Roper began the report byestablishing guidelines when altering elements in the landscape:

As both the house and the garden are a resto-ration, it is important to use old material wherepossible and where there are brick paths to re-duce the jointing to the minimum so that themortar shows as little as possible. . . With anold garden such as Mirador, you must alwaysthink in terms of your own requirements as tosize of vegetable gardens, cutting gardens,frames, etc., and not be influenced by thepast.154

Within the report, Roper suggested keeping the front and east sides ofthe property as a parkland, and in doing so, to add more shade trees and plantsto enhance the forested affect. He also felt it was important to reemphasizethe view of the Blue Ridge Mountains north of the house. In doing so, hesuggested that the view shed along certain paths should be broken up usingflowering shrubs including Abelia, Philadelphus, Syringa, Chaenomeles, and Spi-raea in groups of three or five. He also emphasized the creation of a morecomplex landscape around the smokehouses and arbor:

There are several possibilities for treatmenthere. One would be to plant a flowering treeon each side, centered on the shed, or p o s s i -bly we could develop two formal knot gardensfor herbs and compact growing flowers andground covers in the area in front of eachshed.155

1950-Present


In addition, Roper suggested the central steps around the fountainbelow the northern most arbor be re-worked. He recommended that the LilyPond be enhanced all around with additional shrubs. He suggested as wellthat a larger collection of trees and background shrubs be used to block outunwanted views.1

Working photograph showing plans for sunken garden.(Courtesy of Rutherfoord)

Working photograph of key gate and plans for planting beds.(Courtesy of Rutherfoord)

Decline and Rebirth


It is unclear as to which suggestions the Scotts followed because therewere no plans associated with Roper’s report. The Scotts continued the resto-ration of the garden, and in 1985 consulted Vernon Russell-Smith, a lesserknown but equally talented landscape designer, to create a master plan for theMirador gardens. The plan was completed in June 1985, and includes varia-tions to the Tree’s gardens and what Lanning Roper’s report had suggested.157

According to the plan, Russell-Smith suggested dividing the long pathfrom east to the pool with a circular seating area. Additionally he designedazalea foundation beds on either side of the house. Although the circulararea was never built, the azalea beds were planted and still exist today. Aroundthe key gate, Russell-Smith emphasized planting with shrubs and trees suchas mockorange, dogwood, and maples. His design illustrated a stone paththat led north from the key gate toward the tennis court that would concludein a mass or shrubs and trees including mockorange.158

Russell-Smith conceived a sitting area south of the key gate with stone path leadingnorth. (Courtesy of Rutherfoord)

1950-Present


Azalea beds adjacent to porch with path leading to swimming pool. (Courtesy of Rutherfoord)

Path leading to swimming pool. (Courtesy of Rutherfoord)

Decline and Rebirth


Vernon Russell-Smith suggested a grass path north from the rose gar-den to a central, circular grassed area with a sundial located in the center. Thegrass path continued northwest toward the brick stairs adjacent to the tenniscourt. The circular area was also accessible via grassed paths from the south-west and northeast that connected the design to the larger grid of the garden.

Finally, Russell-Smith designed the central lawn from the smokehousesto the fountain and tennis court with cherry trees and boxwood hedges oneither side. The western most path leading to the tennis court was designedwith shrub borders. The plan also included the enhancement of the Lily Pondarea with boxwood borders and perennials. He also suggested an herb gardenopposite the rose garden with a matching arched entry. The Russell-Smithplan did not include designs for the sunken garden and neither did LanningRoper’s report.159

Plan for area north of the Rose Garden. Circular ring withsundial in center . (Courtesy of Rutherfoord)

1950-Present


Plan showing layout of central lawn with lily pond and cross-axes.(Courtesy of Rutherfoord)

Proposed herb garden, opposite Rose Garden.(Courtesy of Rutherfoord)

Decline and Rebirth


Although it is unclear how much of the Roper report and the Russell-Smith plan the Scotts implemented, they nevertheless made significant changesto the landscape. It is believed that Jim Scott removed the large bullring andgraded the terrace in front of the house. As a replacement he placed a smalleroctagonal paved area directly in front of the porch with a matching octagonalpavement inset. The Scotts also restored the other buildings on the propertyincluding the large barn and courtyard. The sunken garden remained a turfedarea with perennials along its borders, and the Scotts completed the wall onthe southwest side, connecting it to the house. During the early 1980’s JimScott added large central steps bordered by boxwood that led from the lawnarea directly into the sunken garden. Scott also removed the arched arbor andreplaced it with a square one sometime during his tenure.160

The restored barn, early 1980’s. (Courtesy of Rutherfoord)

1950-Present


Steps to sunken garden, constructed in the early 1980’s.(Courtesy of Rutherfoord)

The sunken garden with perennial borders and central lawn, early 1980’s.(Courtesy of Rutherfoord)

Decline and Rebirth


While the Trees owned Mirador, Nancy had a large vegetable gardennear the greenhouse. Jeannie Scott began her own, smaller vegetable gardensouth of the greenhouse. There were seven to thirteen rows spaced six toseven feet apart with stone walkways between them.161 These paths are simi-lar to the ones that Russell-Smith suggested in his plan.

The Scotts made a significant effort to restore Mirador while addingpersonal touches. The efforts they made with the gardens helped bring themback to life. Jim Scott continued to own Mirador until 1992 when he sold theproperty to Hope and Paul Burghardt. The Burghardts have taken steps toprotect Mirador by placing a conservation easement on the one hundred acresstretching from State Road 250 north to Interstate 64. They have also fo-cused their efforts on establishing Mirador as a place where they can exhibittheir love for animals, i.e., horses, swans, Pekinese show dogs, Chinese pheas-ants, and peacocks. They have also continued to maintain the gardens in thespirit of previous owners Nancy (Tree) Lancaster and Jeannie (Scott)Rutherfoord.

The Rose Garden, early 1980’s. (Courtesy of Rutherfoord)

1950-Present


The vegetable garden, south of the greenhouse, early 1980’s.(Courtesy of Rutherfoord)

Stone pathways similar to those suggestedby Russell-Smith. (Courtesy of Rutherfoord)

Decline and Rebirth


The Mirador Landscape Today

Entry and Front Elevation

The Mirador landscape has adapted and changed throughout its his-tory. This evolution has brought about a more complex landscape that in-cludes many elements from the Bowen, Langhorne, Lancaster, and Scott own-erships. The house and front lawn are similar in appearance to the periodimmediately following the Delano restoration. The entry road and lawn con-tinue to be wooded as Nancy Lancaster had intended . Although the entrygate and rock wall are extant, the path to the house is wider and reflects thechanges made by Jim Scott in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. The bullring isgone, but remnants of the terraces continue to contour the land.

The southeast elevation as it looks today.(Courtesy of Country Life, October 2003)


Entry drive, looking southeast.(Photo by author, August 2004)

Remnants of terraces south of main house, looking southeast.(Photo by author, August 2004)


Northwest Elevation and Sunken Garden

The northwest elevation and sunken garden continue to be well-main-tained with several alterations. The current owners, Hope and Paul Burghardt,have placed a circular seating area connected in the center of the sunkengarden, northwest of the main house. The garden consists of a turfed areabordered by boxwood, while the wall is outlined with perennial beds and box-wood. The large central steps placed there by Jim Scott in the early 1980’svisually guide an individual into the secondary lawn area north of the sunkengarden. The lawn is bordered by the smokehouses and arbor.

Northwest elevation, much as it looked following the Delano restoration in 1921.(Photo by author, May 2004)

A Hidden Jewel


Sunken garden path, looking northwest.(Photo by author, May 2004)

Sunken garden with seating area and boxwood borders.(Photo by author, May 2004)



Central Lawn and Primary Axis

The northwest-southeast axis is still intact with the smokehouses andarbor, central lawn, and fountain to the north. Today there are no bordersalong the two remaining northwest-southeast brick paths. Boxwood hedgesremain around the fountain, and there are crapemyrtle trees, abelia bushes,and mockorange shrubs set further back in the general vicinity of these paths.This vegetation (especially on the western side) helps form a boundary forthe central gardens.

Crapemyrtle trees serving as a border for the westernmost path.(Photo by author, August 2004)

A Hidden Jewel


Eastern northwest-southeast path, lookingnorth toward tennis court. (Photo by author,August 2004)

Western northwest-southeast path, lookingsouth toward smokehouse and arbor.(Photo by author, August 2004)

Fountain with boxwood borders and arbor beyone, looking nortwest.(Photo by author, August 2004)



Cross-Axes Remnants

At one time the Mirador gardens included two additional northwest-southeast paths to the east of the central lawn. They were in-line with theRose Garden and the key gate. The key gate is still intact with the addition ofchicken and pheasant cages. There was also a cross axis running southwest-northeast. Today there are only remnants of these former elements includingbrick steps north of the Rose Garden and the lily pond west of the centrallawn.

The key gate, a brick structure covered in English Ivy, is situated along the northwest-southeast axis. (Photo by author, August 2004)

A Hidden Jewel


The lily pond surrounded by mockorange and abelia, facing northwest.(Photo by author, August 2004)

Steps that at one time were connected to the Rose Garden via a path,looking northeast (Photo by author, August 2004)



Rose Garden

One of the oldest and most intact features of the Mirador landscapeis the Rose Garden, redesigned by Annette Hoyt Flanders in the 1920’s. Thegarden and its distinctive white picket fence are located northeast of thesunken garden. The northeast and southwest entries contain arbors withpaths that lead to a central fountain and four parterres outlined with box-wood. Today, the garden consists of annuals and perennials within the origi-nal framework laid out by Flanders.

View of Rose Garden’s central parterres, looking southeast. (Photo by author,August 2004)

A Hidden Jewel


View of Rose Garden from back porch of main house with sunken gardenin foreground. (Photo by author, May 2004)

Rose Garden’s northwest entry, lookingsoutheast. (Photo by author, August 2004)



Serpentine Wall

Another feature of the Mirador landscape still intact is the croquetlawn and serpentine wall designed by Nancy Tree in the late 1920’s. Today,the lawn and wall are bordered by weeping cherry trees with boxwood ateither end. At the northeastern end of the grass walk, steps lead down to oneof two ponds on the estate. This land around the pond was replanted withjuda and willow trees by Nancy Tree in the 1920’s. Some of this vegetation ispresent today.

Serpentine wall looking southwest. (Photo by author, July 2004)

A Hidden Jewel


Boxwood bordering croquet lawn. (Photo by author, July 2004)

Millpond at base of serpentine wall and hill. (Photo by author, August 2004)



The Broader Landscape

Beyond the immediate and more formal area around the main house,the Mirador landscape contains various other features that have significance.The vegetable garden created by Jeannie Scott in the early 1980’s south of thegreenhouse is now a cutting garden. There are no longer stepping stones, butrather rectilinear beds with annuals and perennials separated by grass paths.Remnants of the old apple orchards are located in the vicinity of the green-house and continue to run northwest-southeast along an axis similar to thatof the gardens.

A recent addition to the landscape is Black’s Tavern, a pre-Civil Warstructure moved from the adjacent Seven Oaks estate in 2001. It stands on ahill overlooking the second millpond on the property. The other outbuildingson the property continue to be used and well maintained, including the Will-iam Delano designed barn that overlooks the estate. There are also severalspecies of animals residing on the estate including horses, show dogs, pheas-ants, and peacocks. In 1994 the Burghardts constructed a training facility fortheir Pekinese show dogs. These features, in addition to the elements of theNancy Tree gardens, have created an intricate and fascinating landscape thatwill continue to make Mirador the Hidden Jewel of Albemarle County wellinto this century.

A Hidden Jewel



The cutting garden, formerly Jeannie Scott’s vegetable garden, south of the green-house. (Photo by author, August 2004)

Remnants of the appleorchard, looking north-west. (Photo by author, July 2004)


Black’s Tavern with the second millpond in the background, looking northeast.(Photo by author, August 2004)

Black’s Tavern and the Mirador farmland, looking southeast.(Photo by author, August 2004)

A Hidden Jewel


The Mirador farm complex with Delano designed barn in center, looking west.(Photo by author, July 2004)

The Pekinese show dog training facility built in 1994, facing southwest.(Photo by author, August2004)



Endnotes

1 K. Edward Lay, The Architecture of Jefferson Country (Charlottesville, VA: UniversityPress of Virginia, 2000), 119.

2 Grosskopf, Thaler, and Trischman-Marks, researchers, “The Road to Rockfish GapSurvey,” December 1991, p. 2, in Papers of K. Edward Lay, Accession #12817-a, Special Collections,University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, VA.

3 Lay, 318.

4 Deed Book 32, page 60, Clerks Office, Albemarle County Courthouse, Charlottesville,VA. Chiswell Dabney Langhorne, who purchased the property in 1892, moved a cemetery toImmanuel Church down the road. After an on-site investigation, there were no graves indicatinga known Ramsay family member. One conclusion is that neither Ramsay nor his heirs were everburied on the grounds around Millburne and Mirador. Another possible conclusion is that theywere moved by C. D. Langhorne and are now located in an unknown location on the churchproperty. However, the Bowen family graves were also moved and were found during the visit,leading the author to believe that there was another cemetery on the property, or the Ramsays werenever buried at Mirador.

5 Bessie Carter Funsten, “Mirador,” in Edith Tunis Sale, ed., The James River GardenClub, Historic Gardens of Virginia (Richmond, VA: The William Byrd Press, 1930), 234.

6 It is unclear whether Richard Bowen ever moved to the region following his acquisi-tion of property. Nothing is known about Bowen’s immediate family, including James Bowen’sfather. Because Bowen was the only one of his brothers to remain in the region, the author hasconcluded that Bowen and his brothers were possibly the first generation of their family to moveto the region, and it was only James Bowen who found the region suitable to his liking or hisfinancial well being.

7 Fanny Starr Bowen Funsten Castleman, “El Mirador,” 1925(?), TMs, 1, in Land Papers,1635-1950, Accession # 6589, -a, -b, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library,Charlottesville, VA.

8 Castleman, 2.

9 Photograph of Mirador, n.d., in K. Edward Lay, The Architecture of Jefferson County,CD-Rom Database, 2000.

10 The main house, kitchen, and smokehouse are the only existing structures from theBowen time period. While it is certain that there were other outbuildings on the property, thewhereabouts of these are unknown.


11 Castleman, 1.

12 Kenneth Koons, and Warren Hofstra, eds, After the Backcountry: Rural Life in theGreat Valley of Virginia, 1800-1900 (Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Press, 2000), 53.

13 Castleman, 1.

14 Ibid. His privacy and preference to remain at home rather than run for political officesis probably the reason so little is known about Bowen or the early Mirador landscape.

15 1850 Albemarle County Agricultural Census and 1860 Albemarle County AgriculturalCensus, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, VA.

16 1850 Slave Schedule, 351 and 1860 Slave Schedule, 105, The Library of Virginia, Rich-mond, VA.

17 Alice Winn, Always a Virginian (Lynchburg, VA: J. P. Bell Company, 1975), 54.

18 Photograph of Mirador, n.d., in K. Edward Lay, The Architecture of Jefferson County,CD-Rom Database, 2000.

19 Castleman, 2.

20 Funsten, Gardens of Virginia, 234. Crozet was also well known for his survey workand cartography abilities according to Richard W. Stephenson and Marianne M. McKee, eds.,Virginia Maps (Richmond, VA: The Library of Virginia, 2000), 127.

21 Castleman, 3.

22 Winn, Always a Virginian, 52.

23 Ibid.

24 David Funsten, to Susan Meade Funsten, January 1863, in David Funsten, Papers,1851-1868, Section 1, Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, VA.

25 James Bowen, Mirador, VA to Charles Palmer [Richmond, VA], 10 November 1865,in Palmer Family Papers, 1782-1894, Sections 1-2, Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, VA.

26 Ibid.

27 1870 Albemarle County Agricultural Census, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, VA,and Castleman, 2.


28 Robert Becker, Nancy Lancaster : Her Life, Her World, Her Art (New York: A.A. Knopf,1996), 131.

29 Pendleton Hogan, “El Mirador: a Colonial Mansion in the Piedmont Lands,” Ameri-can Motorist 7, no. 8 (November 1932): 17.

30 Ibid.

31 Castleman, 3.

32 Elizabeth Coles Langhorne, Nancy Astor and Her Friends (New York: Praeger, 1974),4.

33 Becker, 59. The Langhornes were also cousins to Confederate General Jeb Stuart ontheir father’s side.

34 Alice Moncure Perkins Winn, Three Centuries of Virginia Ancestors, Rev. 1988, no pagenumber, Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, VA.

35 “Descendents of John Langhorne, 1640,” http://www.livelyroots.com/langhorne/index.htm (accessed 1 July 2004).

36 Nancy Lancaster, “Chiswell Dabney Langhorne,” no date, 5, in Nancy Lancaster,Papers, 1933-1967, Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, VA.

37 Coles, 5-6.

38 Becker, 57.

39 Nancy Lancaster, “Greenwood,” no date, 1, in Nancy Lancaster, Papers, 1933-1967,Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, VA. It is never mentioned exactly how C. D. Langhornediscovered Mirador. However, the Langhorne family traveled through Albemarle County to reachWhite Sulphur Springs during their vacations and he possibly discovered the property during oneof these trips.

40 Ibid., 29.

41 Lancaster, “Chiswell Dabney Langhorne,” 1.

42 Becker, 14-15.

43 Lancaster, “Greenwood,” 4.

Endnotes


44 Nancy Witcher Langhorne Astor, Viscountess, Astor Story (dictated ca. 1953), 23, 27,Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, Virginia.

45 Becker, 16.



48 Becker, 19.

49 Ibid., and Nancy Lancaster, “Nanere,” no date, 2, in Nancy Lancaster, Papers, 1933-1967, Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, VA.

50 Becker, 19.

51 Lancaster, “Nanere,” 2.

52 Becker, 25-28 and Winn, Always a Virginian, 39-41.

53 Ibid.

54 Ibid.

55 Winn, Five Centuries of Virginia Families, 55.

56 Becker, 60-61, 85-86.

57 Astor, Astor Story, 24.

58 Becker, 31-32.

59 Langhorne Gibson, “Dash and Drama: Irene Langhorne Gibson, 1873-1956,” Vir-ginia Cavalcade 47, no. 1 (Winter 1998): 9-11.

60 Astor, Astor Story, 50-51.

61 Becker, 34-39.

62 Astor, Astor Story, 17.


Endnotes


64 Becker, 40-41.

65 “Descendents of John Langhorne, 1640,” http://www.livelyroots.com/langhorne/index.htm (accessed 1 July 2004).


67 Lancaster, “Greenwood,” 5-6.

68 Becker, 43-44.

69 Winn, Always a Virginian, 55; Astor, Astor Story, 18; Barbara Twigg Brown, “EarlyDays in Virginia Recalled by Girlhood Friend of Lady Astor,” Richmond Post-Dispatch, 5 October1966, Sec. F8; Lancaster, “Chiswell Dabney Langhorne,” 2; Becker, 128-129. Little is written aboutwhere any of these slaves lived. Some lived at Mirador and others most certainly lived nearby.

70 Although it is uncertain, Nancy mentioned in a letter to Jeannie (Scott) Rutherfoordon 31 October [198-] that the tennis court was built for an uncle who was an avid tennis player.This letter is in Jeannie (Scott) Rutherfoord Collection, [Collection of Photographs, Plans, andWritten Manuscripts Concerning Mirador], Georgetown, DC.

71 Brown.

72 Nancy Lancaster, “Christmas of Youth,” no date, 3, in Nancy Lancaster, Papers, 1933-1967, Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, VA.

73 Ibid.

74 Lancaster, “Mirador,” 2.



77 Ibid.

78 Ibid.

79 Grosskopf, Thaler, and Trischman-Marks, 1.


Endnotes


81 Lancaster, “Greenwood,” 1-2.


83 Ibid.

84 Winn, Always a Virginian, 53. This is the only mention of cottages for servants, andthey were most likely removed when Nancy Lancaster purchased the property, shortly before therestoration of Mirador.



87 William T. Stevens, ed, Mirador (Charlottesville, VA: Stevens and Company, 19—),np.

88 Campsis radicans is a durable vine native to the southeast United States and is commonin Virginia.


90 Ibid., 53.

91 Becker, 131.


93 Nancy Lancaster, “Mirador,” no date, 1, in Nancy Lancaster, Papers, 1933-1967, Vir-ginia Historical Society, Richmond, VA.

94 “Memories of Mirador,” E1.

95 Becker, 31.

96 Becker, 64.

97 Becker, 63-72.

98 “Graceful Lady Comes Home to Mirador,” E1.

99 Becker, 74-75.

Endnotes


100 Becker, 82-83.

101 David A. Maurer, “Graceful Lady Comes Home to Greenwood,” The Daily Progress,23 October 1994, Sec. E, page 1.

102 Becker, 90.

103 Becker, 97-100.

104 Maurer, 1.

105 Peter Pennoyer and Anne Walker, The Architecture of Delano and Aldrich (New York:W.W. Norton and Company, 2003), 186.

106 Becker, 121-124.

107 Angus McDonnell, Mirador, VA, to Nancy Astor, England, 16 May 1942, typed byNancy Lancaster, in Nancy Lancaster, Papers, 1933-1967, Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, VA.

108 Pennoyer and Walker, 186.

109 The farm manager’s house is in line with a southeast northwest axis created by thekey gate and path.

110 Nancy Lancaster, [England], to Jeannie Scott, Mirador, VA, 31 October [198-], 1, inJeannie (Scott) Rutherfoord Collection, [Collection of Photographs, Plans, and Written Manu-scripts Concerning Mirador], Georgetown, DC.

111 Ibid.

112 Dinah (Brand) Fox Bridge, Mirador, VA, to Nancy Lancaster, England, 18 April 1942,typed by Nancy Lancaster, in Nancy Lancaster, Papers, 1933-1967, Virginia Historical Society, Rich-mond, VA.

113 Becker, 124.

114 Nancy Lancaster, [Sketch of Mirador Gardens], no date, in Jeannie (Scott) RutherfoordCollection, [Collection of Photographs, Plans, and Written Manuscripts Concerning Mirador],Georgetown, DC.

115 Ibid.

116 Annette Hoyt Flanders, Landscape Architecture (New York: Privately published, 1932),Job #53.

Endnotes


117 Annette Hoyt Flanders “Rose Garden Plan,” no date, in Jeannie (Scott) RutherfoordCollection, [Collection of Photographs, Plans, and Written Manuscripts Concerning Mirador],Georgetown, DC.

118 “Aunt” Irene Langhorne Gibson, Mirador, VA, to Nancy Lancaster, [England], 4April [194-], typed by Nancy Lancaster, in Papers of the Langhorne Family, 1899-1984, Accession #10758, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, VA.

119 Bessie M. (Martin) Hobson, various letters to Nancy Lancaster, [England], no date,5, typed by Nancy Lancaster, in Nancy Lancaster, Papers, 1933-1967, Virginia Historical Society,Richmond, VA.

120 Becker, 126.

121 Nancy Lancaster, [Notes on Mirador Gardens], in Jeannie (Scott) RutherfoordCollection, [Collection of Photographs, Plans, and Written Manuscripts Concerning Mirador],no date, Georgetown, DC. The final area of the garden, was only partially legible, and a blankspace was left in its place.

122 Ibid.

123 Ibid., 7.

124 Phyllis (Langhorne) Brooks Brand, Mirador, VA, to Nancy Lancaster, England, nodate, typed by Nancy Lancaster, in Nancy Lancaster, Papers, 1933-1967, Virginia Historical Society,Richmond, VA.

125 Gibson to Lancaster, 4 April [194-], 1, and Bridge to Lancaster, 18 April 1942.

126 Becker, 127.

127 “Aunt” Irene Langhorne Gibson, Mirador, VA, to Nancy Lancaster, [England], 14October [19—], typed by Nancy Lancaster, in Papers of the Langhorne Family, 1899-1984, Accession# 10758, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, VA.

128 Gibson to Lancaster, 4 April 194-, 1.

129 Elizabeth Langhorne (Perkins) Varner, Mirador, VA, to Nancy Lancaster, [England],6 May 1946, typed by Nancy Lancaster, 1, in Nancy Lancaster, Papers, 1933-1967, Virginia HistoricalSociety, Richmond, VA.

130 Gibson to Lancaster, 4 April [194-], 1, and Gibson to Lancaster, 14 October 19—.

Endnotes


131 Gibson to Lancaster, 14 October [19—], and Arthur Ronald Lambert Field Tree,Mirador, VA, to Nancy Lancaster, [England], 26 April 1942, typed by Nancy Lancaster, in NancyLancaster, Papers, 1933-1967, Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, VA.

132 Tree to Lancaster, 26 April 1942.

133 Gibson to Lancaster, 4 April [194-].


135 Gibson to Lancaster, 4 April [194-].

136 Bridge to Lancaster, 18 April 1942.


138 Gibson to Lancaster, 14 October [19—], and Gibson to Lancaster, 18 – 1937.

139 Gibson to Lancaster, 18 — 1937 and Brand to Lancaster, no date.

140 Becker, 129.


142 Brand to Lancaster, no date.

143 Becker, 159.

144 Ibid., 176.

145 Ibid., 249.

146 Jane Brown, Lanning Roper and his Gardens (New York: Rizzoli, 1987), 112.

147 Becker, 3.

148 Mirador Photograph Album 1947-1953. Accession #12643. Special Collections, Univer-sity of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, VA. Because of logistical problems, the author could notobtain copies of any photographs in this photo album. It is important to note that the Marransand Colonel Newhall had a unique living arrangement within the main house.

149 Ferol Briggs, Jr., Albemarle County, Book B, 1998. Albemarle County HistoricalSociety, Charlottesville, VA. While it was possible to obtain copies of these pictures, the qualityand content was such that the author felt it unnecessary.

Endnotes


150 Lancaster to Scott, 31 October [198-], 1.

151 Ibid.

152 Jane Brown, Lanning Roper and His Gardens (New York: Rizzoli, 1987), 18, 22, 37, and50.

153 Ibid., 115, 206.

154 Lanning Roper, “Report on the Gardens at Mirador,” 13 October 1982, in Jeannie(Scott) Rutherfoord Collection, [Collection of Photographs, Plans, and Written ManuscriptsConcerning Mirador], Georgetown, DC.

155 Ibid., 7.

156 Ibid., 7-11.

157 Vernon Russell-Smith, “Suggested Layout for Garden,” June 1985, in Jeannie(Scott) Rutherfoord Collection, [Collection of Photographs, Plans, and Written ManuscriptsConcerning Mirador], Georgetown, DC.

158 Ibid.

159 Ibid., and Roper.

160 Jeannie (Scott) Rutherfoord, interview with author, 10 August 2004, Georgetown,DC, oral interview.

161 Ibid.

Endnotes

?-

1835

Owner:WilliamRamsey

Known as Millburne

Sold:3/1/1835

375 Acres

1835-

1880

1880 -

1892

1892-

1908

1908-

1920

1920-

1950

1950-

1960

1960-

1975

1975-

1981

1981-

1992

1992-

Present

Owner:James M.

Bowen

Mirador Built

c. 1842

Willed toHeirs:

6/10/1880

Owner:BowenHeirs

HeirsincludedFunstens

Sold:7/2/1892

Owner:C.D.

Langhorne

Transferred:12/5/1908

Owner:Phyllis

LanghorneBrooks

Given to Daughter

MarriedRobertBrand

Sold:12/11/1920

Owner:Nancy

Tree(Lancaster)

Remodeled1921

by Delano

Sold:10/4/1950

Owner:Morton L.Newhall

Sold portion

of property;

Sold:8/8/1960

Owner:Mona Marran

Newhalllived on siteuntil death

in 1961

Willed toMirador, Inc:

5/1/1975

180+ Acres

Owner:Mirador,

Inc.

Falls intoDisrepair

Sold:9/1/1981

Owner:James Scott

Pres. of Mirador, Inc

RehabsProperty

Sold:12/15/1992

Owner:Hope

and PaulBurghardt

Portion ofpropertyunder

easement

Appendix One: Mirador Chronology

Hidden Jewel: The Mirador Landscape Garden Club of Virginia Rudy J. Fravretti Felllowship 2004 126

Chiswell Dabney Langhorne(1843-1919)

Anne Witcher Keene(1847-1903)

m.1864

m.1885

Elizabeth(1867-1914)

Keene(1869-1916)

T. Moncure Perkins(1861-1914)

m.1895

Irene(1873-1956)

Charles Dana Gibson(1867-1944)

1. m.1897

Nancy(1879-1964)

Robert Shaw(1871-1930)

1. m.1901

Phyllis*(1880-1937)

Reginald Brooks(1876-1945)

1. m.1909

Nora(1889-1955)

Paul Phipps(1880-1953)

2. m.1906

Waldorf Astor(1879-1952)

2. m.1917

Robert Brand(1878-1963)

m. Sadie Reynolds

ChiswellNancy Lancaster**

Alice Winn

Irene (Babs)Langhorne

Bobbie Shaw PeterDavid (Winkie)

Joyce GrenfellTommy Phipps

DabneyPhylisHarry

KeeneDouglas

BillPhyllis (Wissie)

DavidMichael

John Jacob (Jakie)

2. m.1932

"Lefty" Flynn(1880-1950)

Virginia FordDinah Bridge

Jim

Harry(1874-1907)

m. Genevieve Peyton Buck(1886-1938)

m.1907

Edith Forsyth

Appendix Two: Langhorne Famiily Tree

* Phyllis Was Given Mirador by her Father Chiswel Dabney Langhorne in 1914.

** Nancy Lancaster owned the property from 1920-1950.

Hidden Jewel: The Mirador Landscape Garden Club of Virginia Rudy J. Fravretti Felllowship 2004 127


Appendix Three: Bibliography

Books

Becker, Robert. Nancy Lancaster : Her Life, Her World, Her Art. New York:A.A. Knopf, 1996.

Brown, Jane. Lanning Roper and His Gardens. New York: Rizzoli, 1987.

Christian, Francis Archer and Susanne Williams Massie, eds. Homes andGardens in Old Virginia. Richmond, VA: J. W. Fergusson and Sons,1931; reprint, New York: Bonanza Books, 1981.

Flanders, Annette Hoyt. Landscape Architecture. New York: Privatelypublished, 1932.

Fox, James. Five Sisters. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2000.

Grigg, John. Nancy Astor, a Lady Unashamed. Boston: Little, Brown, 1980.

Griswold, Mac and Eleanor Weller. The Golden Age of American Gardens.New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1991.

Koons, Kenneth and Warren Hofstra, eds. After the Backcountry: Rural Life inthe Great Valley of Virginia, 1800-1900. Knoxville, TN: Universityof Tennessee Press, 2000.

Langhorne, Elizabeth Coles. Nancy Astor and Her Friends. New York:Praeger, 1974.

Lay, K. Edward. The Architecture of Jefferson Country. Charlottesville, VA:University Press of Virginia, 2000.

Masters, Anthony. Nancy Astor, a Life. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson,1981.


Mirador: A Virginia Historic Landmark in Celebrated Albemarle County. Nodate. Special Collections, University of Virginia Library,Charlottesville, VA.

Nutting, Wallace. Virginia Beautiful. Framingham, MA: Old AmericanCompany, 1930.

Pennoyer, Peter and Anne Walker. The Architecture of Delano and Aldrich.New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2003.

Sale, Edith Tunis, ed., The James River Garden Club. Historic Gardens ofVirginia. Richmond, VA: The William Byrd Press, 1930.

Stephenson, Richard W. and Marianne M. McKee, eds. Virginia in Maps.Richmond, VA: Library of Virginia, 2000.

Stevens, William T., ed. Virginia House Tour. Charlottesville, VA:Stevenpost Productions, 1952.

——, ed. Mirador. Charlottesville, VA: Stevens and Company, no date.

Sykes, Christopher. Nancy: The Life of Lady Astor. London: Collins, 1972.

Wheeler, Roy, ed. Historic Virginia. Charlottesville, VA: Roy WheelerPublishing Company, 1950.

Winn, Alice. Always a Virginian. Lynchburg, VA: J. P. Bell Company, 1975.

Journal Articles

Delano and Aldrich. “Mirador, The House of Mrs. Ronald Tree, Green-wood, Va.” Southern Architect and Building News (June 1928): 41-46.

Gibson, Langhorne. “Dash and Drama: Irene Langhorne Gibson, 1873-1956.” Virginia Cavalcade 47, no. 1 (Winter 1998): 4-13.


Green, Bryan Clark. “Mirador, Virginia: The Home of Mr. and Mrs. PaulBurghardt.” Country Life (16 October 2003): 78-83.

Hogan, Pendleton. “El Mirador: a Colonial Mansion in the PiedmontLands.” American Motorist 7, no. 8 (November 1932): 17, 45.

“Mirador Albemarle County Virginia.” Town and Country (May 1992).

Patterson, August Owen. “The Langhorne Home in Greenwood, VA.”Town and Country (June 1928): 42-50.

Taylor, Katie. “Retreat for the Gibson Girl.” Virginia Living 2, no. 2(February 2004): 80-87.

Newspaper Articles

Brown, Barbara Trigg. “Early Days in Virginia Recalled by Girlhood Friendof Lady Astor.” Richmond Post-Dispatch, 5 October 1966, Sec. F8.

Friedman, Dan. “Mirador Radiates the Aura of the Old South.” The DailyProgress, 21 August 1977, Sec. F.

Maurer, David A. “Graceful Lady Comes Home to Greenwood.” The DailyProgress, 23 October 1994, Sec. E, page 1, 3.

Mullen, Betsy Powell. “Memories of Mirador.” Richmond Times-Dispatch, 23April 1996, Sec. E, page 1, 2.

“Noted Artist to Live at Mirador.” The Daily Progress, 22 September 1937.

Bibliography


Electronic Resources

Lay, K. Edward. The Architecture of Jefferson County. CD-Rom Database,2000.

“Descendents of John Langhorne, 1640.”http://www.livelyroots.com/langhorne/index.htm (Accessed 1 July2004).

Government Documents

1850 Albemarle County Agricultural Census. The Library of Virginia, Rich-mond, VA.

1850 Albemarle County Slave Schedule, 351. The Library of Virginia, Rich-mond, VA.


1860 Albemarle County Slave Schedule, 105. The Library of Virginia, Rich-mond, VA.


Deed Book 32, 60. Clerks Office, Ablemarle County Courthouse,Charlottesville, VA.



Government Documents









Will Book 2, 60. Clerks Office, Ablemarle County Courthouse,Charlottesville, VA.

Unpublished Manuscripts

Album Amicorum, 1909-1948. Handwritten, photocopy. Virginia HistoricalSociety, Richmond, VA.

Astor, Nancy Witcher Langhorne Astor, Viscountess. Astor Story. Dictatedca. 1953. Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, VA.

Baylor, Ellen Carter Bruce. Commonplace Book 1752, 1906. Virginia Histori-cal Society, Richmond, VA.

Bibliography


Castleman, Fanny Starr Bowen Funsten. “El Mirador.” 1925(?). TMs. InLand Papers, 1635-1950. Accession # 6589, -a, -b. Special Collec-tions, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, VA.

Grosskopf, Thaler, and Trischman-Marks, researchers. “The Road toRockfish Gap Survey.” December 1991. In Papers of K. EdwardLay. Accession #12817-a. Special Collections, University ofVirginia Library, Charlottesville, VA.

Lancaster, Nancy. “Chiswell Dabney Langhorne.” No date. In Lancaster,Nancy. Papers, 1933-1967. Virginia Historical Society, Richmond,VA.

——. “Christmas of Youth.” No date. In Lancaster, Nancy. Papers, 1933-1967. Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, VA.

——. “Grandmother.” No date. In Lancaster, Nancy. Papers, 1933-1967.Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, VA.

——. “Greenwood.” No date. In Lancaster, Nancy. Papers, 1933-1967.Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, VA.

——. “Mirador.” No date. In Lancaster, Nancy. Papers, 1933-1967. Vir-ginia Historical Society, Richmond, VA.

——. “Nanere.” No date. In Lancaster, Nancy. Papers, 1933-1967. Vir-ginia Historical Society, Richmond, VA.

——. [Notes about Garden]. No date. In Rutherfoord, Jeannie (Scott).[Collection of Photographs, Plans, and Written Manuscripts Con-cerning Mirador]. Georgetown, DC.

“Mirador.” 1983. National Register of Historic Places, Washington, D.C.

Unpublished Manuscripts


Roper, Lanning. “Report on the Gardens at Mirador.” 13 October 1982.In Rutherfoord, Jeannie (Scott). [Collection of Photographs, Plans,and Written Manuscripts Concerning Mirador]. Georgetown, DC.

Winn, Alice Moncure Perkins. Three Centuries of Virginia Ancestors. Rev.1988. Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, VA.

Letters

Bowen, James M., Mirador, VA, to Mr. Charles Palmer, [Richmond], 10November 1865. In Palmer Family Papers, 1782-1894. Sections 1-2.Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, VA.

Brand, Phyllis (Langhorne) Brooks, Mirador, VA, to Nancy Lancaster,England, no date. Typed by Nancy Lancaster. In Lancaster, Nancy.Papers, 1933-1967. Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, VA.

Bridge, Dinah (Brand) Fox, Mirador, VA, to Nancy Lancaster, England, 18April 1942. Typed by Nancy Lancaster. In Lancaster, Nancy.Papers, 1933-1967. Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, VA.

Funsten, David, VA, to Susan Meade Funsten, VA, January 1863. InFunsten, David. Papers, 1851-1868. Section 1. Virginia HistoricalSociety, Richmond, VA.

Funsten, Mary Bowen, Mirador, VA, to Mr. [Charles] Palmer, [Richmond,VA], 17 June 1853. In Funsten, David. Papers, 1851-1868. Section1. Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, VA.

Gibson, Irene “Aunt” Langhorne, Mirador, VA, to Nancy Lancaster, [England], 4 April [194-]. Typed by Nancy Lancaster. In Papers of theLanghorne Family, 1899-1984. Accession # 10758. Special Collec-tions, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, VA.

Bibliography


Gibson, Irene “Aunt” Langhorne, Mirador, VA, to Nancy Lancaster, [England], 14 October [19—]. Typed by Nancy Lancaster. In Papers ofthe Langhorne Family, 1899-1984. Accession # 10758. SpecialCollections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, VA.

Gibson, Irene “Aunt” Langhorne, Mirador, VA, to Nancy Lancaster, [England], 18 —— 1937. Typed by Nancy Lancaster. In Papers of theLanghorne Family, 1899-1984. Accession # 10758. Special Collec-tions, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, VA.

Gibson, Irene “Aunt” Langhorne, to Nancy Lancaster, [England], no date.Typed by Nancy Lancaster. In Papers of the Langhorne Family, 1899-1984. Accession # 10758. Special Collections, University ofVirginia Library, Charlottesville, VA.

Hobson, Bessie M. (Martin), various letters to Nancy Lancaster, [England],no date. Typed by Nancy Lancaster. In Lancaster, Nancy. Papers,1933-1967. Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, VA.

Lancaster, Nancy, England, to Lord Robert Brand, England, no date. Typedby Nancy Lancaster. In Lancaster, Nancy. Papers, 1933-1967.Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, VA.

——, England, to Jeannie Scott, Mirador, Virginia, 31 October [198-]. InRutherfoord, Jeannie (Scott). [Collection of Photographs, Plans,and Written Manuscripts Concerning Mirador]. Georgetown, DC.

McDonnell, Angus, Mirador, VA, to Nancy Astor, England, 16 May 1942.Typed by Nancy Lancaster. In Lancaster, Nancy. Papers, 1933-1967. Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, VA.

Tree, Arthur Ronald Lambert Field, Mirador, VA, to Nancy Lancaster,[England], 26 April 1942. Typed by Nancy Lancaster. In Lancaster,Nancy. Papers, 1933-1967. Virginia Historical Society, Richmond,VA.

Letters


Varner, Elizabeth Langhorne (Perkins), Mirador, VA, to Nancy Lancaster,[England], 6 May 1946. Typed by Nancy Lancaster. In Lancaster,Nancy. Papers, 1933-1967, Virginia Historical Society, Richmond,VA.

Photographs

Astor, Nancy Witcher Langhorne Astor, Viscountess. Photograph Album.Ca. 1910s. Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, VA.

Briggs, Ferol Jr. Albemarle County, Book B. 1998. Albemarle CountyHistorical Society, Charlottesville, VA.

Bennett, Carroll F. Scrapbook. 1935. Virginia Historical Society, Richmond,VA.

Mirador Photograph Album 1947-1953. Accession #12643. Special Collec-tions, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, VA.

Maps and Drawings

Flanders, Annette Hoyt. “Rose Garden.” No date. In Rutherfoord, Jeannie(Scott). [Collection of Photographs, Plans, and WrittenManuscripts Concerning Mirador]. Georgetown, DC.

Lancaster, Nancy. [Sketch of Mirador Gardens]. No date. In Rutherfoord,Jeannie (Scott). [Collection of Photographs, Plans, and WrittenManuscripts Concerning Mirador]. Georgetown, DC.

Michler, N. Map of Albemarle County, Virginia. 1866. Photocopy. Rieleyand Associates, Charlottesville, VA.

Peyton, G., C.E. A Map of Albemarle County, Virginia. 1875. Photocopy.Rieley and Associates.

Bibliography


Russell-Smith, Vernon. “Suggested Layout for Garden.” June 1985. InRutherfoord, Jeannie (Scott). [Collection of Photographs, Plans,and Written Manuscripts Concerning Mirador]. Georgetown, DC.

Interviews

Rutherfoord, Jeannie (Scott). Interview with author. Georgetown, DC.10 August 2004. Oral interview.

Scott, Elizabeth. Interview with author. Charlottesville, VA. 15 July2004. Oral interview.

Varner, Betsy. Interview with author. Charlottesville, VA. 15 July 2004.Oral interview.

Collections

Astor, Nancy Witcher Langhorne Astor, Viscountess. Papers, 1910-1931.Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, VA.

Bagby Family Papers, 1824-1960. Section 261. Virginia Historical Society,Richmond, VA.

Funsten, David. Papers, 1851-1868. Section 1. Virginia Historical Society,Richmond, VA.

Gordon Family Papers, 1844-1951. Section 15. Virginia Historical Society,Richmond, VA.

Lancaster, Nancy Keen (Perkins) Field Tree. Papers, 1933-1967. VirginiaHistorical Society, Richmond, VA.

——. Papers, 1965-1981. Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, VA.

Collections


Land Papers, 1635-1950. Accession # 6589, -a, -b. Special Collections,University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, VA.

Palmer Family Papers, 1782-1894. Sections 1-2. Virginia HistoricalSociety, Richmond, VA.

Papers of Floyd E. Johnson. Accession #11765, -a. Special Collections,University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, VA.

Papers of K. Edward Lay. Accession #12817-a. Special Collections,University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, VA.

Papers of the Langhorne Family, 1899-1984. Accession # 10758. SpecialCollections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, VA.

Roper, Lanning. [Corespondence and papers related to garden designs].Royal Horticultural Society, Lindley Library, National Archives,London, England.

Rutherfoord, Jeannie (Scott). Collection of Photographs, Plans, andWrittenManuscripts Concerning Mirador]. Georgetown, DC.

Bibliography

The Mirador Landscape

Documents

Transcript of The Mirador Landscape