Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-02
HISTORIC VIRGINIA
GARDENS OPENED
More Than 100 Homes to Be
on Display During Week
of April 28.

RICHMOND, Va, February More
than 100 historic homes and gardens OF
Virginia will be thrown open to the
public, many of them for the first time
during the week of April 28-May 3, and
VIII welcome visitors, as result of the
work of the Garden Club of Virginia
which has obtained the permission OF
the owners to open them to the public
Tor this one short period during the
year.
Names both famous in history and
names which have faded from the gen.
eral memory Of man, were born in these
homes, which dot the oldest part OF
Colonial Virginia. Among them are In
cluded Gunston Hall, where George
Mason wrote the bill of rights, and
where he is said to have had the finest
Chippendale room in America Mont
peiier, where James and Dolly Madison
IL ed for many years, is another show
place which the public will see for an
abbreviated period. Her wonderful
gardens, laid out by French engineers,
remain the wonder of Virginia, although
the box cannot compare with that of
Castle Hill, not far away, where for
more than two centuries it has grown
in wonderful profusion, until its walks
and drives are veritable tunnels through
lanes OF close, green loneliness.
British Held at Castle Hill.
It was at Castle Hill that Gen Tarle-
ton and his British raiders were de-
layed while Jack Jouett, Virginia's Paul
Revere, rode and warned the Virginia
General Assembly of its danger and
saved Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry,
and so other patriots from capture.
Monticello, the home of Thomas
Jefferson, at Charlottesville, is also in
oh lAl ~ he Nrfr1 e.. Il
Westover, home of the founder of the
city of Richmond. This famous old
gentleman reposes peacefully in the
midst of the Westover gardens under
an imposing tombstone which will be
seen by those who pass through the
wisteria arbors which lead to it during
garden week.
Among the 100 homes to be visited
there are so many that are famous
that all cannot be mentioned. There
Is York Hall, more commonly known
as the Mason House. at Yorktown,
where CORVALLIS surrendered. This
house bears in its walls the cannon
balls of the Revolutionary gunnerS. Its
secluded gardens behind high brick
walls, have been maintained for hun
dreds of years as perfect today as when
they were laid out when Virginia was
loyal colony and its owner was its
secretary.
Other Historic Homes.
Woodlawn. the home built by Wash
9ngton for Nellie Gusts; Stratford, the
birthplace of two signers of the Declara-
ton of Independence, and of Robert Z.
Lee, the South's greatest soldier; Wake
1leld, the birthplace of George Wash
ington, and the Mary Washington
House, the home of Washington's
mother, and Kenmore, his sisters home,
are all to be open to the public
Along the banks of the historic James
River there is ancient Tuckahoe, where
Thomas jefferson went to school when
p child; Brandon, the seat of the Har-
rison family, and Claremont Manor,
with its dungeons and its romantic his
tory; Appomattox Manor and Carter
Grove, with its deep-cut scars of Union
Cavalry SaberS, still visible on the
stairs; Bacon's Castle, where centered
the first revolt in America against Eng
lish rule. in 1876: famous Shoals Bay,
seat of the annual Grape myrtle festi-
val: Shirley and Upper Brandon. Old a
century before Columbus discovered
America, were Agecroft Hall and the
Virginia House, ancestral homes, moved
TO Virginia from England a few years
ago. and which will be among the
houses open to the public.
Old in History.
The antiquity of some of the places
10 be open is stressed by their history
There is the Carlisle House, headuuar-
tiers OF Gen. Braddock when England
prepared for her disastrous campaign
against the French, when Washington
was yet a stripping Then there is
Prestwould, which William Byrd is said
70 have lost at a game of cards before
the City or Richmond was thought of
There Is the home of Daniel Morgan,
built by Hessian prisoners, and Carter
Han. constructed by a son of the King"
carter, whose pleasure seemed to be in
building his children marvellous homes
Mirador, the American home of Lady
Nancy Aston, is included in the list
Three Hills, the home of Mary John
ston; the Long Bridge Ordinary, Violet
Bank, headquarters of Lee during the
battle of Petersburg, and Red Hill, the
resting place of Patrick Henry, are only
lew OF the many homes to be seen.
Open for Second Time.
This is the second time in the history
Of Virginia that the people who own
historic places throughout the State
have agreed to open them for the
convenience of the public Last year. at
the first attempt, many were opened
ana VISITORS came from every State in
the Union to see the historic gardens
and estates around which so much his
tory has been written. Great fear was
telt that the owners would never allow
similar week to be held under Garden
Club auspices, for it was felt that so
many visitors might cause the gardens
10 be damaged. However, most of the
old gardens of Virginia have success
fully withstood the depredations of SOL
ulers of two wars. Once an entire d.
vision camped around Westover, and
the old home came very near to being
p ruin after the fences had been fed to
the flames of campfires and the chairs
and tables and floors had been SCARED
by Cavalry boots and the spurs of hard
riding raiders. Some of the estates saw
their gardens selected for camp sites or
plowed up by cannon balls, and both
wars took their toll of the historic old
homes of Virginia
Happily, however, plans of most of
these old homes and of many of the
gardens, were retained by relatives or
friends OF the occupants, and a veritable
period of reconstruction has set in.
Many old foundations throughout the
State have been unearthed and historic
homes are rising on them again.
Proceeds of the historic garden tour
Are to be used by the Garden Club of
Virginia for the restoration of the gar
den at Stratford. which was almost en-