Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-08-26
GRAPHIC DESCRlPTIO OF THE JAMES
AND MANY HISTORIC HOMES ON IT.
Relics Of Early Settlements the Beautiful Colonial Homes and
Rare Old Paintings of Early Virginia Famiies--Where
the First North American Legislature Assembled.

well worth visit.
The old houses were built to endure.
The foundation walls are four feet
thick, and the outer walls of the
house itself from eighteen inches to
two feet. 1t is as strong and solid and
well-preServed as 1T was the day it
came from the builders hands. You
have only to ask to see the art gal
leries and you are cordially welcomed
within. The entire lower floor is
wainscoted to the ceiling, and the
stairway is very graceful. and every
where. looking down upon you, are the
family portraits of the Carriers. the
Byrds. the Randolphs. the Washing
tons, the Wickhams and other families
with whom the Carriers have inter-
married. Here is PeaIe's full-length
portrait of Washington, showing him
standing amid the smoke of battle.
Here, also, is a portrait of the founder
Of the house. He sleeps under a great
tomb i'll the graveyard nearby, and the
inscription upon 1t describes him as
Edward Hill, ESQ, colonel commander
City and Surrey" He dyed the SOth
day of Nov. in the SD VI. of his age,
Ammo Dom. 1I00.' His granddaughter
married into the Carter family, and
they have retained the place. Have
you ever seen Indictments before? 1t
is exceedingly improbable. Look over
the doorways and you will see them
now.
A STORY FILLED WITH PATHOS.
Almost before Shirley is out of sight,
you are at MISSIONER, the home of Col
onel Byrd, author of the famous West
over papers, "a Virginian of Virginians
and the perfect flower of his day" as
a contemporary said of him; and the
house also of his daughter, Evelyn,
whose pathetic story is known to every
maiden in Virginia. The house stands
only about n hundred yards from the
I'll. =. lou rA1. -.,f
stretching down to the waters edge.
It was built by one Theodorick Bland
about 1865. Bland is buried here, under
a great stone. which bears his coat
of arms. After his death, the Byrds
bought the place, and it was they who
made it famous. 1t also is n stately.
square red brick, With an avenue of
magnificent tulip trees running the en-
tire length of the grounds and closed
at either end by an elaborate gate of
hammered iron, with the arms of the
Byrd family above them. 1t was also
built TO stand, and n shell from Il
Union gunboat, which struck one
corner of the house during the war, d1u
no more than pierce little hole in
it.
OF course the house has it's ghost
all of these old houses doubtless have
one, Mt least. This one is said to be
the ghost of the fair Evelyn. whose
body lies buried in the family grave
yard She is supposed to make her
exists and her entrances through an
old drain. whose mouth. half choked
with driftwood, may still be seen open
ing into the water. 1t is nearly six feet
high and leads to two little chambers
at the bottom of a deep shaft. a
quaint staircase. cut into the wall,
leads to the top of this, and you are
A secret passage. 1T is said,
leads to 1t. although no one
knows for what it is used.
| Evelyn Byrd was the Colonels daugh-
ter and one of the most famous of the
| Virginia bellies. Her father took her
with him to England while she was
still q mere girl and presented her to
| the court of George l. All the men
were at her feet in n trice, and she
fell in love with the Earl of Peters
borough. He was in love with her also
but her father would not permit her
to marry him because of his religion
and brought his daughter back home
| 10 Virginia with him. Tradition says
| that she died of a broken heart, and
| die she certainly did short time after
| her return.
PORTRAIT OF SIR GODFREY.
| What is said to be the most beauti-
full portrait in all Virginia is one of her
| painted by Sir Godfrey Kneller. and
one of his masterpieces. 1t hangs in
| the hallway at Brandon, across the
river. She is dressed as a shepherdcss
"a Vatican shepherdess-in a gown
of pale-blue satin, opened at the throat
| her crook across her lap and Il bunch
of roses In her hand. Her dark, lus-
trous eyes gaze right out OF The canvas
and the glow of the setting sun is on
her face and in her hair. 1t Is n won
! derful picture. Here also are preserved
several of her gowns and the fan OF
lace and ivory which she carried when
she was presented at court
| Just within sight from the Westover
! gardens upon the river bank stands
Berkeley, the residence of BENJAMIN
| Harrison, one of the signers of the
| Declaration of Independence and o,
his son. William Henry Harrison
ninth President of the United States
1t is brick residence. with gambrel
roof. and stands in the midst of n
Berkeley was one of the great social
! centres of the State in it's day, and
! still remains in the Harrison family
! though not as beautiful as either Shir-
ley or Westover. II was at Westover
by the way, that Benedict Arnold at
| tempted TO land the British troops
| The widow of Colonel Byrd was his
cousin. and for time was suspected
of being in collision with him. Fer
| papers were confiScatcd and examined
| by the Continental Congress. but no
proof of her guilt was found among
| them.
The Harrisons are also represented
by Two historic mansions on the south
ern bank of the rver-Rrandon and
Upper Brandon. Both arc still mag
nihcent residences. though they were
both greatly damaged during the civil
war. their woodwork Scared and torn
by shells and bullets and many panels
of the fine interior woodwork torn out
by the soldiers. Neither has fully re-
covered from the ravages of war, even
yet, but Brandon shows least trace OF