The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1960-05-24
Bren10 Plantations House Tour Set
BREMO BLUFF, May %


visitors for the first time il
many years on May % and %
along with Lower Bremo and
Bremo Recess.
The Bremo Plantations House
Tour will be sponsored by the
Episcopal Church Women of
Grace Episcopal Church. Bremo
Bluff. The houses will be open
from 10 am. to ) pm. on Sat-
urday and Sunday, May % and
%, with an outdoor luncheon
served at Temperance Spring at
the foot of Bremo Mansion hill
from II am. to 2 pm. each
dav.
The plantations known as
B I G m 0. Lower Bremo and
Bremo Recess are part of
tract Of several thousand acres.
located on the Upper James
The tract was granted in 1870
during the reign Of George the
Second, to Richard Cooke Of
Swans Point, Surrey County In
1926 a hunting lodge, now in
corporated into the Lower
Bremo house, was built. In 1903
John Hartwell Cooke, descend
ent of Richard, began construc-
ton on part of the grant north
of the river. This house he called
Recess. and in 1916 he built a
larger and more elaborate
dwelling. Bremo. Finally he
built third dwelling at Lower
Bremo. These places are today
owned and lived in by the great
grandsons and the great-grand
daughter of General John Hart
well Cooke.
The places offer a variety of
interest in distinct types of ar
chitecture - the miles Of stone
walls, the massive hand-cut
stone gate posts, the rock
barns and stables and the many
ante-bellum service buildings.
The Bremo places are now op-
Grated as modern farms vet
they preserve their priceless
antiquity.
Brem0
Bremo is owned by Mr.. and
Mrs. Forney Johnston, OF
Birmingham. Ala. who spend
part of each year there. 1t is
beautiful Palladian mansion
with columned porticos on each
side Of the house. Flanking the
central building on the east and
west are two-story brick pa
vlllions Joined to the main
structure by means of a colon
naded terrace.
General Cooke became init
mately acquainted and actively
associated with Thomas Jeffer
son whom he helped in the plan
ming of the University then
Central College, at Charlottes-
vile. When, about 1916, General
Cooke determined to build
Bremo mansion he requested
Jefferson to draw the final plans.
The jefferson plans, elevations
and interior details of Bremo
have appeared in the principal
volumes of early American ar
chitecture as an outstanding eX-
ample of design and beauty.
Recess. Wned by Phillip
Campbell. was the first residence
built by General John HartWell
Cooke on the Bremo plantation.
He lived here While the Bremo
mansion was in the process OF
construction The house was built
in 1905 and remodeled to its
present form in 1909 1t is today
one of the few old houses stand
ing in Virginia OF definite Jaco-
bean architecture.
The dwelling is brick with
clustered chimneys and curved
and steuped gables. The porch
is ornamented with pointed ar
ches flanked by extensions of
lattice work. The interior wood
work includes tripled arches of
marbelized woodwork.
A group of seven buildings. in
addition to the main dwelling,
includes a stone and brick guest
hoLse, stone stables, barn and
dairy, smokehouse, shop and
slave quarters.
Lower Bremo
Lower Bremo, owned by Mr.
and Mrs. Cary IL. Cooke, was
originally a hunting lodge on
Brealo plantation. The original
building is now the part Of the
house used for the dining room
in the present MANSION.
After the completion of Bremo
Mansion. General John HartWcll
Cooke remodeled and enlarged
this stone and brick building and
embeliished it with arches, CAB
les and chimney clusters in the
manner in which he remodeled
brenlO Recess. This became the
last home of General Cooke.
The house is set on the side
of a hill with tall shade trees.
sloplng lawns and a view Of
broad James River loWgrounds.
Immediately behind the house
rises tcrraced garden.