Richard Harrison Photography

Sep. 22nd 2014

Richard Harrison is a photographer that has been following our first blog almost since the beginning of our journey. Richard currently travels the United States taking some of the most amazing photographs. So when he requested to come to Belle Grove Plantation to stay and take some photographs, I was over the moon.

Here are just a few of his photos of Belle Grove Plantation.
Along The Morning Lane - Belle Grove

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You can see more of Richard’s work on his website –  richardharrison.smugmug.com
To see his blog and his post about Belle Grove, along with more photos of Belle Grove –  richardbegone.com

Thank you Richard for such amazing photographs!

Posted by Michelle Darnell | in Photography | Comments Off on Richard Harrison Photography

Photography Shoot at the Plantation

Aug. 7th 2013

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On Saturday we had the honor in hosting Chamberlin Photography for a Photography Shoot at Belle Grove Plantation!

The photographers and models were wonderful and the photographs were just beautiful!

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Thank you to Chamberlin Photography for making Belle Grove Plantation look so good!

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To see other photographs by Chamberlin Photography of Belle Grove Plantation and others

please visit their website at 

http://www.chamberlinphotos.com/

Coming soon to our Online Store!

Home Page

Prints by Chamberlin Photography!

https://www.bellegroveplantation.com/online-store

Posted by Michelle Darnell | in Darnell History | 17 Comments »

And We Have Lift Off!

Aug. 1st 2013

Home Page

Our Official Belle Grove Plantation Bed and Breakfast Website has been Launched!

https://www.bellegroveplantation.com/

This has been an awesome day!

The website was designed by Adam and company

Bull and Company

with Bull & Company MediaWorks

http://www.bandcmediaworks.com/

Photography was provided by

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Chamberlin Photography

http://www.chamberlinphotos.com/

and

Rebekah Beasley

Rebekah Beasley Photography

http://rebekahbeasley.com/

Thank you to everyone for all your hard work and for giving of your talents to help us create a wonderful website!

You can now make reservations online!!

To see what we are up to at the Plantation

Facebook Link

Please visit our Facebook Fan Page

or

Visit our Website!

Home Page

Posted by Michelle Darnell | in Darnell History | 57 Comments »

Chamberlin Photography

Jul. 7th 2013

Mark and Mary

One of the awesome Wedding Professionals that we met on June 30th is Mark and Mary Chamberlin of Chamberlin Photography in Stafford, Virginia. Mark and Mary Chamberlin officially started their business in June 2012. Mary stated out as a high school and American Legion Baseball Photographer and was asked to do her first wedding in the fall of 2009. Mark began shooting with good “ole film” and developing his own work when he was just a teenager. When they came together, in 2011, they were excited to be able to combine their individual talents and begin to create art that they felt would be timeless. Having each found their niches and supporting one another’s passion and creativity, they have found the incredible joy of working side by side.

Mark grew up in Athens, Greece and served in the Air Force for 22 years, retiring as a Major. Today he is a budget analyst. Mary was a stay-at-home mom and volunteer for 17 years. She now focuses, full-time, on the business. Mary is a member of the Rappanhannock Medical Reserve Corps. Both are members of the Stafford 6:3 Networking and are team sponsors for Stafford Baseball.

They always have their cameras with them. When they are not working, they love to explore new places and create even more art. They have an extensive fine art gallery and this month are featured artist at the Griffin Bookstore and Coffee Shop in Fredericksburg.

When Mark and Mary came to Belle Grove Plantation for the Vendor Fair, we asked them to point their lens at our beloved plantation to see what they saw. We have taken thousands of photographs of Belle Grove, but when we saw the beautiful pieces of art that Mark and Mary had created, it was as if we were seeing Belle Grove Plantation for the first time!

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By the way, these are the babies for this year!

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We are excited to have Mark and Mary working with us at Belle Grove Plantation! We know through their lens, they will be able to find those special shots of events and weddings that will be treasured photographs for years to come!

Thank you Mark and Mary Chamberlin for your wonderful work!

Please stop by Chamberlin Photography at 

http://www.chamberlinphotos.com/

Be sure to watch for their photographs on our Official Website once it launches!

To see more photographs of Belle Grove Plantation

Facebook Link

Please visit our Facebook Fan Page!

Posted by Michelle Darnell | in Darnell History | 18 Comments »

New Babies

May. 17th 2013

We have some exciting news!

The Osprey’s eggs have hatched! I have been watching over the week and Dolley has been standing more to the side of the nest than sitting on it. It also looks like she is feeding them too! Because they are still nesting on our chimney in the formal dining room, I can hear them as I sit at the table working. It is so sweet to hear their little chirping sounds! We haven’t seen them peek over the top yet, but we can’t wait to see them!

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If you look close  you can see a fish in Dolley’s claws!

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Dolley is looking right at us!

When the power company checked the nest in March, we had three eggs. If we end up with three babies, we would like to give them names. So we thought it would be fun to have you name them!

So what three names would you like to see them called?

You can enter your ideas here or go to our Facebook Page to add them there!

Facebook Link

Posted by Michelle Darnell | in Darnell History | 39 Comments »

Results are in!

May. 6th 2013

Just received my results from my ServSafe Food Management Course exam…

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I passed!

This is just one more step closer to our opening!

I don’t know about you, but the wait is killing me!

We still have some things to complete around the Mansion and grounds before we can open the doors. We were hoping to be open by May 1st, but that isn’t possible with some of the delays we have hit. Could it be by Memorial Day Weekend? I sure hope so, but there is still so much to be done!

This week, I am back in Chesapeake working on our website! We have the layout design completed and all we have to do is add text, photos and the reservation software. Sounds easy right? Argh! With the phone ringing and things going every which way, it has been hard to focus on what to say!

Yes, that’s right; Michelle is speechless… for once.

But I am determined to complete it this week. We still need more photos of the Mansion… with furnishing. So that is going to have to wait until we get that part done. The interior designer is on standby at this point. We still need to finish some minor plaster repairs before we bring in the furnishings. Everything is so connected to the next!

HPC was able to get ONLY 2 high quality pens to commemorating the battle of Gettysburg - July 1-3, 1863 in this the 150th Anniversary of the battle from the small section of blood stained floor planking from the Sheaffer Farmhouse, which was used as a Union Field Hospital during and after the Battle of Gettysburg.

HPC was able to get ONLY 2 high quality pens to commemorating the battle of Gettysburg – July 1-3, 1863 in this the 150th Anniversary of the battle from the small section of blood stained floor planking from the Sheaffer Farmhouse, which was used as a Union Field Hospital during and after the Battle of Gettysburg.

This Saturday we are heading back to the plantation. It is a jammed packed day. We have Bob from The Historic Pen Company coming in to pick up the last of the Witness Tree wood from our trees. We are so excited to see what wonderful pens he will be producing from our wood! The best part is, the tree will still be with us… just in another form. I know allot of you have asked about pre-ordering the pens. Once I get all the information on them, I will let you know!

We also have a member of a Photography Club coming to see the plantation! I can’t wait to see how he views our beloved plantation through his lens! We are working on planning an event with this club at the plantation soon!

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Last, but not least, we have a journalist from the King George Journal Newspaper coming to do a follow-up article on our progress to opening. It is so exciting to see how everyone is looking forward to the opening! I will post the article once it is printed.

Some more exciting news!

We have started planning some events for this year!

Mrs. Madison

Mrs. Madison

We are excited to announce that we will be having Mrs. Madison stopping by Belle Grove Plantation in August for afternoon tea! This event will be two parts. At noon on August 24th, we will have a young girl’s afternoon tea with Mrs. Madison. Girls from 8 to 16 years can come to the plantation and enjoy tea and conversation with Mrs. Madison. At 4:00 on August 24th, we will have a Ladies Afternoon Tea with Mrs. Madison. This will be a full afternoon tea and conversation with Mrs. Madison.

The Historic Performer for Mrs. Madison is portrayed by Dr. Lynn Uzzell. From her website, dolleypmadison.com:

“Lynn Uzzell received her B.A. in speech communications at Black Hills State University, and her M.A. and Ph.D. in politics at the University of Dallas. Her doctoral dissertation explored the debates at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. She has taught courses in Political Philosophy, the American Political Tradition, American Rhetoric, and Leadership and the Humanities at Baylor University, the University of Virginia, and the University of Richmond. Dr. Uzzell is currently the scholar in residence at James Madison’s Montpelier and senior editor of ConText, an online resource for James Madison’s Notes of the Constitutional Convention. She has been portraying Dolley Madison for Montpelier since 2010.”

Mr. and Mrs. Madison (Dr. Lynn Uzzell and John Douglas Hall)

Mr. and Mrs. Madison
(Dr. Lynn Uzzell and John Douglas Hall)

We are also excited to announce that we will be having Mr. and Mrs. Madison at Belle Grove Plantation on September 15th for their 219th Wedding Anniversary. We will be having an Anniversary Lawn Dinner with food, music and good conversation with the Madisons!

We will release information about tickets and reservations soon!

Be on the look out for more events and classes to come!

We are also booking social events for this year and beyond!

We have several weddings, baby shower and social club events already booking! If you are interested in booking an event, please contact us as soon as possible. Contact us through email at virginiaplantation@gmail.com or through our Facebook Fan Page Messages.

Facebook Link

Follow us on our Facebook Fan Page for updates!

Posted by Michelle Darnell | in Darnell History | 32 Comments »

Take a Tour with Us

Feb. 19th 2013

If you have been following the blog for any length of time, you have see a lot of pictures of the exterior of the plantation. We thought since we are about to start the interior, you might like to see what it looks like now. So come with us and let’s take a tour of the mansion!

First let me give you a perspective of how the mansion is configured. Here are the floor plans for the first and second floors.

First Floor Plan

Second Floor Plan

Below shows when each section was built.

Red Lines – Built in 1791

Green Lines – Added in 1839

Orange Lines – Added in 1997

First Floor Plan add

Second Floor Plan add

When you come to the Plantation, you will pull up to the Carriage Side of the Mansion. This side originally would have been the back door since many guests arrived via the River Side of the Mansion. As modes of travel evolved, the Carriage Side was dressed up to look more like the River Side of the Mansion. The curved porches, portico, balcony and curved steps give the Carriage Side a very impressive and distinct look, certain to impress all arriving guests.

So let’s step in the “front door” of the Mansion on the Carriage Side.

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The first thing you see is the staircase that leads up to the second floor. The door to the back of the Grand Hallway is the River Side Door. This would have been the front door before 1839. The arch with its keystone is where the original back wall would have been in 1791.

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If you look up, you will see a step ceiling with a beautiful plaster medallion that is original to the 1839 section.

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Let’s move now to the Parlor. It is just to the right behind the staircase.

This side of the Mansion is our North Wing.

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The Parlor has two arches with the same keystone. It has a beautiful black marble fireplace mantle. If you look just to the left of the fireplace, you will see the entry to our elevator. The Parlor has views of both the plantation and river.

Let’s move through the right side doorway into the Library.

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The Library has two beautiful sets of shelves that were added during the 1997-2003 restoration. From this room, you have a view of the river.

Let’s move into the Business Center off the Library.

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The Business Center is noted as “Office” on the floor plan.

We are going to use this room as a Business Center for our guests.

This room has a view of the plantation with one of the two distinct curved doors.

Let’s move back into the Library and head into one of the two Junior Suites.

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The front room is to the right off the Library.

This room will be our Hipkins-Bernard Junior Suite.

This room has a “Dressing Room” that we will use as a Sitting Room.

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This room has a private bath and a view of the plantation.

It was named after the Hipkins-Bernard Family that lived on the plantation from 1790 to 1839.

Let’s walk across the small vestibule into the second Junior Suite.

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This room will be our Conway Junior Suite.

This room also has a “Dressing Room” that we will use as a Sitting Room.

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This room has a private bath and a view of the river.

It was named after the Conway Family that lived on the plantation from 1670 to 1790.

The Conway Family is James Madison’s Mother Nelly Conway Madison’s Family.

Let’s now walk back through the Library and Parlor to the Grand Hallway.

From here we will walk across to the Formal Dining Room. 

This room is just to the left off the Grand Hallway and is in our South Wing.

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The Formal Dining Room, like the Parlor has two arches with the same keystone as the Grand Hallway. The fireplace has a wooden mantle. The Formal Dining Room and the Parlor both have beautiful plaster medallions which are both original to the 1839 remodel. This room has a view of both the plantation and the river.

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Let’s now move through one of the two arch way doors to the Small Dining Room.

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The Small Dining Room will be used for addition guest services. This room has a view of the river.

Let’s step into the Foyer off the Small Dining Room.

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The Foyer will be used in the future as access for our guests. It is similar to the Business Center, just a little smaller.

This room has a view of the plantation with one of the two distinct curved doors.

Let’s step back into the Small Dining Room and head back to the Grand Hallway and walk up to the Second Floor.

Just to let you know, the Kitchen, Bedroom and Breakfast Room will be used by us as our personal space.

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When you get to the top of the stairs, you will be in our Upper Grand Hallway. The view you see here is looking toward the plantation side of the Mansion. We will be having our Wine and Cheese Receptions in the evenings in this space. Imagine how relaxing it will be during the warm months to enjoy a cool breeze through the open doors and being able to sit on the balcony or curved porch enjoying a glass of wine or lemonade. It will also allow us a great view of the “Evening Show” as we watch the sunset over the river.

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This is the view from the opposite side of the Upper Grand Hallway. The door to the right leads up to the attic space. We won’t have the attic space open to the public, but will use it as storage.

Let’s move now to one of the Master Suites. The first is at the top of the stairs and to the right in the North Wing.

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This is the Madison Master Suite. It is a large room with a working gas fireplace. To the left of the fireplace is the elevator. It has a private bath suite and views of the plantation and river. The room is named after President James Madison, who was born on the plantation in 1751.

Let’s now move across the hall to the other Master Suite in the South Wing.

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This is the Turner Master Suite. It is a large room with a working gas fireplace. To the right of the fireplace is a large walk-in closet. This room also has a private bath suite and views of the plantation and river. The room is named after the Turner Family who lived on the plantation from 1839 to 1894. This is the room with the etching in the window done by the oldest daughter, Carrie Turner.

Int Etching in Window in Turner room

Let’s take a look at the bath suite. This bath suite is the same in both Master Suites.

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You first walk through a small vestibule with built-in dressers and then into the first part of the bath suite. The suite has double sinks and a small built-in dressing table.

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Let’s move into the second section of the bath suite. 

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Both Bath Suites have a claw foot tub with a view of the river.

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And a built-in shower with wonderful rain shower heads.

Let’s move back down to the Grand Hallway.

If you look through our windows, you will not only see wonderful views of the plantation and river, but will see what looks like warped glass.

This is because these planes of glass are original glass.

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View from the Upper Grand Hallway to one of the side curved porches. These porches can be accessed from the Grand Hallway.

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View from the Formal Dining Room to one of the Plantation Side curved porches. These porches can be accessed from the Grand Hallway.

There is also a full basement that features a sauna and Jacuzzi tub. Another room in the basement may become either an exercise room or a lounge.

Grounds Back Yard Sunset

Thank  you for taking a tour with us!

We can’t wait to show you the Mansion and Plantation in person soon!

To see more of Belle Grove Plantation

Please check out our Facebook Fan Page!

Facebook Link

Help us reach 1000 Likes!

Like and Share us with your Facebook Friends!

Posted by Michelle Darnell | in Belle Grove History | 161 Comments »

Instagram

Feb. 7th 2013

Yes, we are getting well connected!

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We are now on Instagram! 

If  you follow our blog and Facebook Fan Page,  you know how much I love taking pictures! And what a great time to get started! We are traveling to the plantation on Friday!

Have you ever wondered what we see as we drive to and from the plantation? Tomorrow, I will be posting pictures along the way to the plantation! What a wonderful Virginia country side you will see! 

Please follow us at “bellegroveva” on Instagram  and enjoy!

Help Me

Don’t forget to help Hurley!

When we hit 1000 on our Facebook Fan Page…

Hurley gets a Monster Chew Bone!

We are getting close!

Facebook Link

Thank you to everyone that have “Liked” us and “Shared” us on your Facebook Page!

Also find us on:

Twitter @BelleGroveVA

Pinterest @bellegroveva

Posted by Michelle Darnell | in Darnell History, Hurley | 23 Comments »

Captain Jack Sails the Rappanhannock

Feb. 3rd 2013

When I began my search for Captain Jack, there were very few leads on him. So I first turn my research to the internet. Knowing he was from California, I started my search there. Libraries and museums have been some of my best resources of information so I looked to those located in Los Angeles. This search would reward me with one of the best finds I have had in regards of Belle Grove’s history.

I found the Seaver Center located at the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles County. Here I found within its collections a group of photographs that were from John F. Jack. The photographs weren’t on the website to see. So I had to email the Seaver Center and request information on them. They told me that it was collection of photographs of Rappahnnock River and James River. I requested that they make copies of them and send them to me.

I have to tell you the wait was terrible. I didn’t know what they were of and I could only hope they would give me some ideas as to what it was like during this period at Belle Grove. Wild thoughts ran through my mind. Could there be a lot of pictures of the Mansion and grounds? Could there be pictures of Captain Jack himself? At this point, no one knew what he looked like. So I just held me breath and waited.

We were rewarded handsomely…

This collection was marked as 1906.

This would means they were taking during his search for the right land to try his experiment on alfalfa farming.

Emmanuel Church adjoining Belle Grove Plantation. We are assuming the man is Captain John F Jack.

Emmanuel Church adjoining Belle Grove Plantation. We are assuming the man is Captain John F Jack. 1906

Emmanuel Church adjoining Belle Grove Plantation. We are assuming the man is Captain John F Jack.

Emmanuel Church adjoining Belle Grove Plantation. We are assuming the man is Captain John F Jack. 1906

A Tenant and His Family on the Walsingham Plantation, next door to Belle Grove Plantation1906

A Tenant and His Family on the Walsingham Plantation, next door to Belle Grove Plantation
1906

Barns on the Walsingham Plantation1906

Barns on the Walsingham Plantation
1906

Barns on Walsingham Plantation1906

Barns on Walsingham Plantation
1906

Barns on Walsingham Plantation1906

Barns on Walsingham Plantation
1906

Building on the bank of the river on the Walsingham Plantation1906

Building on the bank of the river on the Walsingham Plantation
1906

Farm Building on the Bank of the River1906

Farm Building on the Bank of the River
1906

Granary near the old home site on the Walsingham Plantation1906

Granary near the old home site on the Walsingham Plantation
1906

Granary on the Back Field of the Walsingham Plantation1906

Granary on the Back Field of the Walsingham Plantation
1906

Old sheds on the Walsingham Plantation1906

Old sheds on the Walsingham Plantation
1906

Old Tenement House on the Walsingham Plantation1906

Old Tenement House on the Walsingham Plantation
1906

Showing Mill for shelling corn and apparatus for discharging grain into schooners on the river1906

Showing Mill for shelling corn and apparatus for discharging grain into schooners on the river
1906

Showing method adopted by the Government Engineers for deepening the channel of the river1906

Showing method adopted by the Government Engineers for deepening the channel of the river
1906

Teams plowing on the Walsingham Plantation1906

Teams plowing on the Walsingham Plantation
1906

Tenants Quarters on the Walsingham Plantation1906

Tenants Quarters on the Walsingham Plantation
1906

Tenement House on the Back Field of the Walsingham Plantation1906

Tenement House on the Back Field of the Walsingham Plantation
1906

The Spring House at Walsingham Plantation1906

The Spring House at Walsingham Plantation
1906

The steamer Middlesex passing the Walsingham Plantation1906

The steamer Middlesex passing the Walsingham Plantation
1906

Walsingham Plantation on the Northerly Shore of the River. Lumber on the Port Royal Side1906

Walsingham Plantation on the Northerly Shore of the River. Lumber on the Port Royal Side
1906

Loading of Freight on a Steamer at Port Conway1906

Loading of Freight on a Steamer at Port Conway
1906

Loading of Freight on a Steamer at Port Conway1906

Loading of Freight on a Steamer at Port Conway
1906

Looking up the Rappahannock. Railroad Bridge in the Distance1906

Looking up the Rappahannock. Railroad Bridge in the Distance
1906

Preparing for Departure1906

Preparing for Departure
1906

Schooners loading grain from the Walsingham Plantation1906

Schooners loading grain from the Walsingham Plantation
1906

Showing Port Royal Wharf and Lumber Ready for loading opposite Port Conway. If you look to the left on the high bank you will see Belle Grove. Across the river is Port Conway's Ferry and Wharf. Today this area is lost to the wooden area around Belle Grove and the James Madison Bridge.1906

Showing Port Royal Wharf and Lumber Ready for loading opposite Port Conway. If you look to the left on the high bank you will see Belle Grove. Across the river is Port Conway’s Ferry and Wharf. Today this area is lost to the wooden area around Belle Grove and the James Madison Bridge.
1906

Belle Grove viewed from the river1906

Belle Grove viewed from the river
1906

Belle Grove seen from the river1906

Belle Grove seen from the river
1906

Belle Grove from the Carriage side in the Bowling Green. Some of these trees are still standing there today.1906

Belle Grove from the Carriage side in the Bowling Green. Some of these trees are still standing there today.
1906

North View Belle Grove1906

North View Belle Grove
1906

North View of Belle Grove1906

North View of Belle Grove
1906

River side of Belle Grove1906

River side of Belle Grove. The tree to the far right is still standing there today.
1906

River side of Belle Grove. We are assuming this is Captain John F. Jack.1906

River side of Belle Grove. We are assuming this is Captain John F. Jack.
1906

To see more photographs of Belle Grove over the years

Please visit and like us on Facebook!

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Posted by Michelle Darnell | in Year of the Virginia Historic Homes | 16 Comments »

Field of Dreams

Jan. 13th 2013
Hurley on the way to the Plantation

Hurley on the way to the Plantation

Saturday was just amazing! I know you must have heard this phrase”

“If you build it, they will come”

Field of Dreams

Well, we found out how true that phrase really is this weekend!

When we drove to the plantation on Saturday, we were amazed by the amount of fog we encountered. It just seems to go on and on forever. Just as we got to the plantation, we were still amazed the fog wasn’t lifting. This made me sad because that meant we wouldn’t get to see the eagles. Brett did catch sight of two later in the afternoon, flying just above the river, but it was just too hard to see them.

View from the Riverside Portico. You can't even see the river!

View from the Riverside Portico.
You can’t even see the river!

We had three appointments for Saturday. Our first was with our favorite archaeologists from Ferry Farm. It was their first time at the plantation and we couldn’t wait to show them around. The two archaeologists, Mara and Jason have been helping us date our artifacts for the last year. They brought along a group with them that wanted to see it as well.

Ferry Farm Group(l to r) Mara, Joe, Lu, Kyle, Jason and Nona

Ferry Farm Group
(l to r) Mara, Joe, Lu, Kyle, Jason and Nona

We first toured the Mansion. As we were almost finished, I looked up to see a truck coming up the drive. I knew we had another appointment, so I thought they are just a little early. So I had Brett take over with our friends from Ferry Farms and I stepped out on the front portico. The truck had stopped at the front gate, so I waved them in. When they pulled in, I realized that they were not our appointment. They were a couple from Gloucester, Virginia that had happened up on the plantation. They had come back to get a better look at the house. So I offered a tour of the Mansion while they were there.

As Brett finished up on the Mansion with the Ferry Farm group, I had just finished up with the couple on the first floor of the Mansion. So we changed groups and I headed out to the outbuildings with the Ferry Farm group and Brett finished showing the house to the couple from Gloucester.

I was so excited to have the archaeologist look at the outbuildings. I have only had them reviewed by photographs, so no one had really looked at them to give us an idea of their true age. Joe, Mara’s fiancé knows a lot about historic architecture, so I was hoping he could give us a better idea of the dates.

Inside the Summer Kitchen

Inside the Summer Kitchen

Inside the Summer Kitchen

Inside the Summer Kitchen

In the Slave Quarter side of the Summer Kitchen

In the Slave Quarter side of the Summer Kitchen

At the Smokehouse

At the Smokehouse

While looking at them, we did find two small artifacts. One bottle neck, that was dated sometime in the 20th century and a small shard that could have been a cup or saucer bottom. There wasn’t much to the shard so it was hard to give a true date to it.

An artifact is found!

An artifact is found!

As I was showing them the outbuildings, our second appointment arrived. This person is with a chapter of the Colonial Dames of America. She is looking to set up a meeting and luncheon for her group in 2014. They came over and joined the group from Ferry Farms as we finished up with the outbuildings.

The rough estimate we got on the outbuildings is as follows:

Summer Kitchen

Summer Kitchen

The Summer Kitchen / Slave Quarter are really just that. We had a rough date from photographs as it being sometime around 1790. Joe feels that it could be mid to late 1800s. He noted that it is unusual for there to be a wood structure that has been bricked in. So we may have had a brick structure that they covered later with wood. We need to have someone look closer into that.

The Smokehouse

The Smokehouse

The Smokehouse is not 1790s as we thought. It was build last and could date around the mid to late 1800s. We do know that the roof has been replaced since its last use because there is no smoke stains on the ceiling, just the walls and roof framing.

Ice House

Ice House

The Icehouse may be 1790s or even earlier. Joe feels that it was not like the others in construction and could date earlier than the other two. Of course we don’t have the ice pit open. It was filled in long ago. Once we get a chance, we will see about digging out the pit and see what we can find.

After we finished up with the outbuildings, we said our good-byes to our Ferry Farm friends. I then took our appointment into the house for a tour. As we got half way done with our tour, the first couple from Gloucester finished and left. I finished showing the Mansion to our appointment and discussing our ideas for their meeting and luncheon.

As I finished with their appointment, I saw another car pull in. Again I thought it was our third appointment and that they were just a little early. As I walked our second appointment to the front door, Brett came in with an young couple. He informed me that they weren’t our third appointment. They were a couple from the area that had taken a chance to stop by and see if we were going to do weddings at Belle Grove! So we invited them to come in as our second appointment left.

Before we got started with their tour, our third appointment arrived. Brett greeted them and brought them in. We gave a tour to the final group and talked about our vision for the Mansion and plantation. As we finished up, the unexpected couple gave us their information and thanked us for the tour. We were able to sit down with our last appointment and answer some of their questions about a Bridal shoot at the plantation.

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Yes, if you build it, they will come. Whew…

The whole time we were giving the tours and talking with the groups, Hurley made himself at home. He was ready to greet the Ferry Farm group at the door with they first arrived. And he followed everyone through the house, making sure that everyone felt loved and welcomed. As our last appointment got ready to leave, Hurley had to be the last one to say good-bye. As they walked to their car, he quickly ran over to say good-bye again.

Of course, we didn’t get to one brick pulled on Saturday. No sun and the air were really cool. The fog never lifted and we even drove home in fog at 5pm. But it didn’t stop us from have a wonderful time with our guest, expected and unexpected. Brett and I also showed that as a team we could really work well together! I don’t know what I would have done without him!

After we got home Hurley passed out

After we got home Hurley passed out

After we arrived home, it didn’t take Hurley long to pass out. I think he really got a workout at the plantation. Running all over the grounds, walking up and down stairs and making sure everyone was okay. Of course we did have a few times that he acted kind of “funny”. While Brett was showing the two Junior Suites, he heard Hurley whimper. Brett stepped out of the doorway of one of the Junior Suites to see Hurley standing at the threshold between the Parlor and Library. You have to go through the Parlor and Library to get to the Junior Suites. Brett called for Hurley to come to him, but Hurly just stood there and wouldn’t come into the library. Hurley also had an issue in the Madison Room. He wouldn’t go into the bathroom from the bedroom and just stood at the doorway. Funny thing is that later he walked right in to both rooms when we returned with other groups. Humm…

Hurley, the door greeter

Hurley, the door greeter

Hurley running the plantation

Hurley running the plantation

Hurley checking on the fog before we left to go home

Hurley checking on the fog before we left to go home

Hurley getting the last "good-bye" with our final appointment

Hurley getting the last “good-bye” with our final appointment

It was a great day at the Plantation!Brett and Hurley

It was a great day at the Plantation!
Brett and Hurley

Now we are preparing for the coming week. I get to travel Monday to Wednesday night for my current job. The best part is that I am going to Washington DC / Maryland. I will “have” to travel up past the plantation and back by it as I come home. It’s going to be hard to see it yet again this week. Sigh…

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Posted by Michelle Darnell | in Darnell History, Hurley | 35 Comments »