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Walk into history when one visits a
home on land patented in 1650, another property
patented by Richard Lee I in 1658, a home built
in 1832, another that was built around 1667,
burned and was restored in 1827, and a historic
church. Also in this area steeped in history is
the mansion built by Thomas Lee about 1725 and
in the next county, the only Colonial church in
Virginia preserved in its entirety. Carmel
Church at the intersection of state routes 202
and 604 will serve as the information center and
box lunches will be available for garden week
visitors. |
- Wigginton Farm
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on state Route 612 is a 500-acre farm
located on land patented in 1650 by
Lewis Burwell and re-patented by Isaac
Allerton in 1665. It was called
Wigginton Farm as Henry Wigginton owned
the tract in the mid-18th century. The
oldest part of the present house dates
to about 1840. White clapboard, black
shutters and sloped roof contribute to
its comfortable 19th century farmhouse
appearance. An original mantel has a
Tudor arch over the firebox dating to
the Gothic Revival period of the times.
The older chimney is in six-course
American bond and serves fireplaces on
both the first and second floors.
Many of the interesting family antiques
were brought to Virginia from a 1752
Connecticut salt box home. Among the
prized pieces are an 8-foot, pine
twin-baby cradle, circa 1850, and a
wooden medicine cabinet belonging to
Elizabeth Churchill Berkeley Cooke of
Dewberry in Hanover County, great-great-grandmother of Mrs. Seeley.
Highlighting the dining room are its
fireplace, antiques and original
watercolors. Wigginton Farm is owned by
Mrs. William G. Taylor and Mrs. Robert
G. Carden Jr. and is the home of Mr. and
Mrs. Earl B. Seeley Jr.
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- Kirnan
Located on state Route 611,
the house has been in
the present owner's family since 1800.
Richard Lee I patented a 2,000-acre
tract in 1658 and the Kirnan property
was part of that tract. Originally
called China Hall, part of the present
structure was built around 1706. During
the late 18th century, the house was
acquired by the Campbell family and it
was during their ownership the name was
changed to Kirnan after the Campbell
ancestral home in Scotland, and the
house was expanded from a
story-and-a-half side-hall plan to a
center-hall plan. The addition included
a large downstairs room, a fireplace
with an impressive overmantel and a
small adjacent room. In the dining room
and bedroom beyond are corner
fireplaces. The house was altered again
in 1852 when the enclosed Classical
Revival porch was added. Kirnan is the
birthplace of the present owner,
Genevieve Taylor Morrow, who lives here
with her husband, John L. Morrow Jr.,
and their children.
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- The Grove
The Grove on state Route 607 is on a
high bank overlooking the upper reaches
of the Yeocomico River. Built in 1832 by
David Taylor, great-grandfather of the
present owner, the house is surrounded
by approximately 150 acres. A four-story
house with an English basement, it faces
north and south to take advantage of the
exposure.
The original pine floors were always
washed with lye and never waxed. The
owners, Mr. and Mrs. William B. Taylor,
have endeavored to preserve this feature
of the floor by cleaning and applying a
natural stain and a thin coat of wax.
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- The Great House
From its location on a broad bluff in
the village of Kinsale, the Great House
on state Route 1003 has a commanding
view of the Yeocomico River and the
Potomac beyond. The original house was
built by Stephen Bailey I shortly after
he acquired the land in 1667. The
property was sold in 1778 and it is
believed it was burned by the British
during the War of 1812. The land came
back into the Bailey family when it was
purchased by Maj. Robert Bailey in 1827.
The style of the present house is
middle-to-late 18th century, so it may
be that Maj. Bailey merely renovated the
original house. Ancient cedars flank the
rear walk of the home of Francis M.
Bailey and Ann Bailey Terhune.
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The main portion has a center hall plan
and four rooms of unequal size with
three dormers on the second floor on
both the land and water sides. Each of
the bedrooms on either side of the
center hall has a fireplace. The 20th
century additions at both ends of the
Great House are in keeping with its
earlier style. Ancient cedars flank the
rear walk of this home of Francis M.
Bailey and Ann Bailey Terhune. |
- Yeocomico Church
Off state Route 606 is historic
Yeocomico church. The first church, a
frame structure, was built in 1655 and
the existing brick church was built in
1706 on the same site. The church is in
the shape of a cross with the chancel in
the east gable surmounted by a Georgian
window. The large entrance in the south
end of the church is the original 1655
one.
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Stratford Hall
...on
state Route 214 is the mansion built by
Thomas Lee about 1725. It is considered
one of the finest examples of Early
Georgian architecture in the country. It
was acquired by the Robert E. Lee
Memorial Foundation nearly 60 years ago
and has been completely restored and
maintained today as an authentic example
of a Colonial plantation. The garden at
Stratford Hall was restored by the
Garden Club of Virginia.
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Garden Tour 1987
Westmoreland
County
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