Update on Belle Grove after the Storm

Nov. 1st 2012

I am happy to report upon arriving at Belle Grove Plantation yesterday, we found no trees down! Not even a branch! We had just a few small limbs no bigger than a pencil down, but that is to be expected. Most of the leaves from the hickory tree near the caretaker’s house are off the tree. It was so beautiful just a week ago with its bright colors!

Hickory Tree

We are happy to report our walnut tree has survived yet another storm and are standing strong after 200 plus years!

Walnut Tree

Thank you to everyone for all your thoughts and prayers for us through this storm! We really appreciate your support!

We want to send out our thoughts and prayers to those who were in the path of the storm and who have not fared as well. We hope that things will get back to normal soon! Please let us know how you are doing!

One other note!

The Deadline for our Silent Vintage and Antique Auction is quickly coming to an end!

We are taking bids until Friday, November 2nd at 11:59pm!

Here is a quick update on the items!

Lot 1
Blue Glass Inkwell
Silent Auction Bid – $65.00

Lot 2
Meat Tenderizer
Silent Auction Bid – $8.00

Lot 3
Limoges Gravy/Sauce Boat
Silent Auction Bid – $10.00

Lot 4
Gelatin Mold
Silent Auction Bid – $20.00

Lot 5
Oriental Home Décor
Silent Auction Bid – $5.99

Lot 6
Glass Star Candle Holders
Silent Auction Bid – $0.00

Lot 7
Oil Lamp
Silent Auction Bid – $15.99

Lot 8
David Michael Staffordshire Bone China Pitcher
Silent Auction Bid – $0.00

Lot 9
Silver-Plated Gravy/Sauce Boat
Silent Auction Bid – $30.00

Lot 10
Dinner Plate size Penn State Decor Plate
Silent Auction Bid – $5.99

Lot 11
Teapot
Silent Auction Bid – $22.00

Lot 12
Silver Flask
Silent Auction Bid – $12.99

Lot 13
Handmade Jewelry – created for Civil War reenactment dress
Silent Auction Bid – $0.00

Lot 14
Nippon Scalloped Bowl
Silent Auction Bid – $0.00

Lot 15
Denton Bone China
Silent Auction Bid – $5.00

Lot 16
Johnson Brothers Windsor Ware F.B.&Co.
Silent Auction Bid – $0.00

Lot 17
Coalport Bone China
Silent Auction Bid – $0.00

Lot 18
Fondeville Ambassador Ware England
Silent Auction Bid – $5.99

Lot 19
Harpers Weekly Journal of Civilization Newspaper
Silent Auction Bid – $0.00

Lot 20
Crystal Decanter
Silent Auction Bid – $19.99

Lot 21
(3) Unused “Dropped” Civil War Bullets – Found in and around Petersburg, Virginia
Silent Auction Bid – $0.00

Lot 22
(4) Unused “Dropped” Civil War Bullets – Found in and around Petersburg, Virginia
Silent Auction Bid – $15.00

Lot 23
(3) Unused “Dropped” Civil War Bullets – Found in and around Petersburg, Virginia
Silent Auction Bid – $0.00

Lot 24
Gold Teapot – Creamer – Sugar
Silent Auction Bid – $19.99

Lot 25
Tea Cup
Silent Auction Bid – $0.00

Lot 26
Salad Plate
Silent Auction Bid – $0.00

Lot 27
Brass Desk Ink Well
Silent Auction Bid – $15.00

Lot 28
Handmade Jewelry – created for Civil War reenactment dress
Silent Auction Bid – $0.00

Lot 29
Dinner Plate
Silent Auction Bid – $0.00

Lot 30
Flo Blue Serving Dish – small chip under the rim
Silent Auction Bid – $10.00

Lot 31
Royal Albert 8″ Quiche Dish – Bone China – Royal Doulton
Silent Auction Bid – $0.00

Lot 32
Royal Albert Salad Plate – Bone China – Royal Doulton
Silent Auction Bid – $0.00

Lot 33
Ticker Tape Parade Toy
Silent Auction Bid – $0.00

Lot 34
Oriental Flower Brick (vase)
Silent Auction Bid – $0.00

Lot 35
1925 Kenworth Truck Bank
Silent Auction Bid – $12.99

Lot 36
Handmade Jewelry – Made with Vintage Pieces
Silent Auction Bid – $5.00

Posted by Michelle Darnell | in Year of the Virginia Historic Homes | 68 Comments »

Back from Vacation

Oct. 22nd 2012

Wow what a week it has been! While we didn’t go to a wonderful location for rest and relaxation, we couldn’t have picked a better week’s worth of locations to go to. I will have to tell you that it is going to take me several days to cover all that we have done and seen this last week. So I hope you will be able to check back over the next few days!

After we returned on Monday from our time at the plantation, the Schooler House Bed and Breakfast and our meeting at Stratford Hall, we spent Tuesday just getting things done around the house in Chesapeake and preparing for the week of activities and meetings we had scheduled. It was near impossible to go to sleep on Tuesday night! With what lay ahead of us, I was eager to get it going!

On Wednesday morning, we rose at 6:00am (yes, 6am on a vacation day!) to get ready and head out to Richmond, Virginia. We had two appointments scheduled for Wednesday at two different locations. Best of all, we were going to meet up with our friend Terri, who lives in Richmond, for lunch. She was able to join us for the last meeting of the day.

Virginia Historic Society
Richmond, Virginia
www.vahistorical.org

Our first stop was at the Virginia Historic Society. I have been there before when I was doing some of my initial research on Belle Grove. It had been a whirlwind of a stop too! I had come in with just about one hour to view several pieces. I had pulled the reference information and had a list ready to go. These pieces were archive special collection pieces so I had to submit a request for each one. But thankfully, the librarians had worked with me and we were able to pull every one of them! I have to say a special thank you to Frances Pollard, one of the head librarians. She had pulled other pieces as well as the ones I knew about to help me complete some of the history of Belle Grove.

It was through Ms. Pollard that months later the Washington Post came calling for an interview on Belle Grove and my research. Most don’t know about the article in the Washington Post. It was during the early stages of our work on the lease contract and I wasn’t able to publish anything with Belle Grove’s name or location. I have to tell you it was really hard not to tell! The article was about researching family history. The Washington Post had come to the Virginia Historic Society to do the piece and Ms. Pollard had remembered my work and referred them to me. I never got to see the article, but how proud I was to tell about all the history we had uncovered by then.

When I visited the Virginia Historic Society before, there were several pieces I was not able to see because they were museum display pieces which required a special showing. Since we had the time during this working vacation, I decided to make an appointment to finally see them. Most of them were pictures of portraits that I had already seen. I had hoped to see the real portraits, but most were just copies of them. One piece we saw was a copy of the glass plate photo of Belle Grove in 1894. Their copy of the photo was a little clearer than ours and had more of the picture then ours. To our great surprise, it revealed more than we ever expected!

Belle Grove
1894
This is the photo I found first

Belle Grove
1894
This is the Virginia Historic Society’s copy

In the glass plate photo, you can clearly see more of the extension of the house. It also revealed that the third section of the house that we had long thought was added by the Hookers in the 1950s was in fact added a lot earlier. We now believe that it was added by the Turner family sometime between 1839 and 1876! Another reveal came in the way of who was on the portico. In the past, from our photo, we thought the person standing there was an African-American woman in a long white dress. We thought that she might be a former slave of the plantation that had decided not to leave. But as we looked at the photo, we realized that it wasn’t a woman at all! It turned out to be a man in a white suit sitting in a chair. We also found that he wasn’t alone! Sitting beside him is a small boy in a dark suit! Who have we found? I have a rough idea who it could be, but I am going to have to do some more research to find the true identity of both people. More to come on this discovery!

There was one more piece that we saw that was not on my list before. I had added it this time. It was the first piece we saw. Heather Beattie, Museum Collections Manager was our guide for this special viewing. When we arrived at the viewing room, she presented a small box. She opened the box to reveal a beautiful necklace made of gold and what looked like brown beads. It wasn’t very long, may be about 12 to 14 inches. But I knew what it was and was so overjoyed to have a chance to see it. This necklace was made by Nellie Madison Hite, sister of James Madison. What appear to be brown beads are in fact hair that had been twisted into the shape you see. The hair used for this necklace was that of President James Madison. I was so overwhelmed! Sadly we weren’t able to pick it up or touch it, but to come this close to the man himself! We could never be any closer to him unless we dug him up! It was truly very special!

Necklace made by Nellie Madison Hite using the hair of James Madison
Virginia Historic Society

After we finished with our special viewing, we headed up to the museum at the Historic Society. If you have never stopped by there, you are really missing something special! And best of all, it is free! Their collections are arranged by time periods. You can see items from the Native American’s who called Virginia home before the first settlers arrived to items from the Civil War to famous Virginians such as Arthur Ashe and Thomas Jefferson.

Catlett Conway
Uncle of James Madison
Born and Raised at Belle Grove Plantation
Virginia Historic Society

Virginia Historic Society

Beaded Silver Mint Julep Cup
Virginia Historic Society

1790s Sideboard
Virginia Historic Society

Virginia Historic Society

Inside Foyer of the Historic Society
Virginia Historic Society

Pocahontas
Virginia Historic Society

Plantation Model
Virginia Historic Society

Plantation Model
Virginia Historic Society

Plantation Model
Virginia Historic Society

Plantation Model
Virginia Historic Society

Plantation Model
Virginia Historic Society

Plantation Model
Virginia Historic Society

Plantation Model
Virginia Historic Society

Plantation Model
Virginia Historic Society

Plantation Model
Virginia Historic Society

Plantation Model
Virginia Historic Society

Plantation Model
Virginia Historic Society

James Madison
Virginia Historic Society

Virginia Historic Society

After our visit to the Virginia Historic Society, Brett and I headed over to an area in Richmond called Carytown. We were to meet Terri there for lunch at a place called The Can Can. But we arrived a little early so we took advantage of the extra time and hit some of the antique stores. Carytown is a town inside the city of Richmond. They have been revitalizing this area in what looks like a small town main street area. The shops are wide ranging from antiques to wine to consignment shops to places to eat. It all has the home town feel and it is easy to forget you are in a large capital city.

Carytown
Richmond, Virginia

Thomas Hines Antiques
3027 West Cary Street Richmond, VA 23221
(804) 355-2782

Our first stop was at Thomas Hines Antique Store. This store covers several store fronts and is what I would call an upscale antique store. When Brett and I entered, it took my breath away. I quickly told Brett that I would “take one of each”. The owner who was behind a shelf quickly responded, “Good, I’ll wrap it up for you.” Mr. Hines has been in the antique business since he was seven years old. Now in his seventies, he was able to point out pieces that would fit our needs for periods of the families various families that lived at Belle Grove. But the one thing that he told us that I hope to remember when we start making our purchases is this. He told us, “Make sure you buy the real thing. Because the people your plantation will attract will be the ones who will know the difference.” What a wise man he is.

Thomas Hines Antiques
Carytown
Richmond, Virginia

Thomas Hines Antiques
Carytown
Richmond, Virginia

Thomas Hines Antiques
Carytown
Richmond, Virginia

Sheppard Street Antiques
www.sheppardstreetantiques.com
Richmond, Virginia

From there we headed down the street looking into windows and enjoying the warmth of the sun. The next antique store we found was on a side street about a block away from Thomas Hines’ place. It was called the Sheppard Street Antiques Store. It isn’t a large as Thomas Hines’ place, but it has some really nice accent pieces. One of the first things that drew my attention was a small silver plated tea pot. It wasn’t big enough for an Afternoon Tea Social, but it would have been great for a one or two person tea. I didn’t get it and of course now I wish I had. Maybe I can make it back there again soon.

Sheppard Street Antiques
Carytown
Richmond, Virginia

Sheppard Street Antiques
Carytown
Richmond, Virginia

Sheppard Street Antiques
Carytown
Richmond, Virginia

Sheppard Street Antiques
Carytown
Richmond, Virginia

There was one piece that I got very excited about when I saw it. It was a set of spoons that were of the “Old Colonial Times” style. It is sterling silver and is made by Towle. This is the style I want for Belle Grove Plantation. It has that old charm and classic look that I feel would just be perfect for the dining table. As most of you noticed on the spoon bowls, the bowls are fluted like a pumpkin. I have used this style before at Schooler House Bed and Breakfast and just love the feel and look. I wasn’t able to get this set of spoons though. They are for chocolate dessert service and there were only a few pieces. Maybe soon I can find that set I need.

Old Colonial Times Spoon
Sheppard Street Antiques
Richmond, Virginia

I did however find one piece that I was able to get. They had a box of items headed to auction and they allowed Brett and me to look through it. I came across a small silver-plated creamer with small feet and a tiny lid on top. When I asked about the price, I couldn’t say no. So one day when you are sitting at our dining table enjoying breakfast, as you reach for this creamer to fill your coffee or tea, you will know how it came to grace our table.

Creamer
Sheppard Street Antiques
Richmond, Virginia

After shopping we met up with Terri at the Can Can. This brasserie is done in the style of a 1920s French Café. We decided to sit outside and enjoy the warm day and soft breeze. Our waiter, John was a lot of fun and very helpful in selecting a dish from their wonderful menu. And believe me it was really hard to select something! It all looked so good!

The Can Can Brasserie
www.cancanbrasserie.com
Carytown
Richmond, Virginia

The Can Can Brasserie
Carytown
Richmond, Virginia

Brett selected the Croque Madame. This is a variation of the Croque Monsieur, which is an open face ham and cheese sandwich. For the Croque Madame, they add a sun-side up fried egg. But I have to tell you that it is no ordinary ham and cheese sandwich.

The ham is fresh made (no deli slices here) and Gruyere Cheese.

Croque Madame
The Can Can Brasserie
Richmond, Virginia

Terri selected the Chicken Crepe. This crepe is filled with chicken and

topped with braised Lentil and Mushroom Ragout and an Apple Brie Fondue.

Chicken Crepe
The Can Can Brasserie
Richmond, Virginia

I selected the Cheese Plate. I didn’t want a lot to eat but this plate was filled with such delights! It has Camembert, Saint Andre and Fourme de’Ambert Cheese with slices of Smoke Sausage and Pate and a side of Green and Kalamata Olives and a Blueberry Compote.

Cheese Plate
The Can Can Brasserie
Richmond, Virginia

Cheese Plate (with the Smoked Sausage and Pate showing)
The Can Can Brasserie
Richmond, Virginia

As we sat there enjoying our meal, I could almost swear we were sitting at a road side café in France!

Terri and Brett
The Can Can Brasserie
Carytown

Brett and Michelle
The Can Can Brasserie
Carytown

Tomorrow – On to the Virginia House!

Posted by Michelle Darnell | in Year of the Virginia Historic Homes | 28 Comments »

Going Once, Going Twice, Sold!

Sep. 15th 2012

Alexander’s Antiques

What a great time I had last night! While Brett spent the day in King George meeting with City Officials and gathering information for our permits, I spent the day working in Richmond with my current job. After work, I headed over to Midlothian, Virginia. Midlothian is a section of Richmond. My destination was a place called “Alexander’s Antiques” Alexander’s is an auction house that has antique auctions every Thursday from 6:30pm until they have sold all the lots. There are about 700 lots per auctions. That means they generally finish sometime between 2 and 4am!

www.alexandersantiques.com

They open the doors at 9:30am on Thursday morning for guests to come in and preview the items until the auction beginnings. They also preview their upcoming items on their website earlier in the week. You can preview the items and even request more information and pictures of items you are interested in. If you can’t go to the auction, they have several ways you can bid on items you are interested in. You can place a phone bid on an item. When the item comes up for auction, Alexander’s will call you. They talk with you as the bidding is going on to let you know what the bid is. If you want to bid again, you can do so. Another way is to place a silent bid. You place a bid that you want to bid up to. If your bid is the top, then you win.

I have never been to an auction before and I have to tell you I was a little intimated by it. I am not generally a shy person, but I was so unfamiliar with the process that I just didn’t know which way to turn. But the staff with Alexander’s was more than helpful. As soon as I walked in, I got so excited at the sight of so many possible purchases! I walked over to the desk and was quickly assisted in finding my way through. I filled out a bidder’s card and received my number.

The staff recommended that I place a reserve seat card on my choice of seats to make sure I had a good spot. They also explained that if I find an item that I wanted to see earlier in the auction, I could place a request card on the item so it could be moved up in the auction. They explained that I could place a small sticker on the auction tag for the items that I was interested in bidding on. And if I wanted to know about the price an item might go for, one of the staff could give me a ball park of the figure.

So I filled out two reserve seat cards and placed them on two seats in the thirds row from the front. I wanted to make sure I was close enough to see the items that were being bid on so I could catch possible imperfection I might have missed in the preview. I also was excited that my second seat was going to be filled with one of our closest friend, Terri. Terri and I have known each other for years. She had moved several years ago from Chesapeake, but had moved back to Richmond, Virginia. So every time I am in Richmond, we try to meet up. Terri is as much a history buff as I am so it is fun sharing my research with her.

Terri and Michelle

While I waited for Terri to arrive, I walked around the room looking at all the items. I found several items I wanted to bid on. I took pictures of them so I could remember them as they came up. When I finished looking at everything, I went back through. I do this every time I go to an antique store. I can’t tell you how many times I miss things when I go through the first time. I went through Alexander’s three full times before Terri arrived. Then we walked through and I pointed out items to her I was interested in.

My goal for this auction wasn’t really to buy anything. It was more to get use to the process and to see what the average prices were on different items I might need as we start filling the house. As we started to get closer to the auction, Terri introduced me to one of the owners of Alexander’s, Barbara Ann Smith. I didn’t know until Terri arrived that she knew them. Terri explained to Barbara Ann about our venture and I showed her pictures. Afterwards, Terri and I made our way to our seats.

Barbara Ann’s husband, Keith, was the emcee of the event. Her son, Alexander (who the business is named after) assist with silent and phone bids. Keith quickly explained the auction and defined terms you would need to know. Such as when multiple items come up like chairs or lamps. He explained that when you bid, you are bidding on the price for each item. So if you had two chairs, it would be the price times two. If the final bid is $25, then for the two chairs your total price would be $50. He also explained “bid and hold” items. If a bedroom suite came up and the seller would allow the suite to be separated and if any of the bidders wanted to bid on one of the items, they then would auction each item of the suite and hold them at that price. Then they totaled the ending bids for each item to get a total. Then they auction the suite as a whole. Whichever was the highest, by piece or by whole, would win the items.

Keith also explained that when an item comes up for auction, they would have staff members hold up the item so you would know what was being bid on. The staff would walk it from one side to the other. They would also turn the items over so you could see the top, sides and bottom. I was very impressed! They even turned over tables and larger items! They have a very hard working staff! No sooner had we finished with one item then they had the next ready to go.

The auction started at 6:30pm. I spent the first five and half hours just watching. I wanted to see what items would go for and what I could expect as a bidder. One thing that I had been told by another antique dealer that comes to this auction is the later you stay the better the prices. The first couple of hours are bidders who will spend the most money. So I didn’t want to bid against any of them. So I waited and watched. I even had a chance to speak to one the staff when I took a break. I asked her about when the major of the bidders started to clear out. She told me that they would start moving out around 10pm – 11pm. But then you have a second group of bidders come in around 11pm. She laughed and said it was like a second shift. And sure enough, around 10pm the crowd started thinning out. Then at around 11pm I started seeing several people coming in.

At about 12:00am, the crowds started to slow down. A few people started leaving again. At that point you could see who the antique dealers were. I had hoped that none of them wanted any of the items I had wanted. There was a few items I had wanted, one was a hot water dispenser made of German silver. That had been top on my wish list. But it had gone earlier in the auction. It sold for $180.00. It would have been more than what I could spend on it that night.

The final bids on some of the items were amazing! Some of the items that blew me away were area rugs and tables. I saw some really nice antique area rugs; ones that I would have loved to have at the plantation. Several were even over-sized which would have been perfect for us! Their average closing bid was… are you ready?… less than $300! I think the first few; I was so amazed I just sat there with my mouth gaping open.

The tables, like dining room tables that would seat anywhere from 8 to 14 went for …. here it come…. less than $200!

I saw an antique bedroom that was a beautiful Asian style. The current owner had paid somewhere around $25,000 for it. It was sold for ….. you better sit down for this one…. less than $1500! I know I just couldn’t believe it!

Finally, I got the courage up to give it a try. The first item I placed a bid on was a large mirror with a gold frame. It wasn’t something I had wished for so I wouldn’t mind if I lost it. I opened the bid with $30 on it. A couple others placed more bids and got the price up to $50. The auctioneer pointed at me and asked if I would bid $55 for it. Okay I have to tell you I was so shocked that I placed a bid that I had not even heard the others bid it up to $50. So when he pointed at me, I quickly shook my head “no” more as a panic responds than really hearing what was going on. But like I said, I wasn’t upset I lost it. I just needed to get past that panic of being involved so I could bid on the ones I wanted.

So I waited for another mirror to come up. This one was a gold frame mirror which was made of heavy wood. The mirror I had lost didn’t really look antique, which they do sell reproductions in this auction. They will tell you that it’s not “period” meaning it’s not an antique. But I was glad the new mirror didn’t come up until a little later. It gave me time to calm back down and to get a grip on myself.

When it finally came up, I was ready. I opened the bidding at $30. Then someone bidder it up to $40. Then I bid $45 on it. They bid $55. Then the auctioneer pointed at me and asked $60. I nodded “yes”. It was so cool! Just like I had seen on television on some of the auction shows. The auctioneer than ask the other bidder if they wanted to do $65. I held my breath. I knew I wouldn’t go any higher.

Once, twice, sold! I won!

Okay, this unleashed something new in me! I was ready! I had won and I was ready to get those other items. It was around 12:45am at this point and I knew I still had a two hour drive home. So I requested that they pull four items I wanted to bid on so I could head home. Three of the items were silver-plated serving dishes. Each had a different design. I wanted them to use to serve my breakfast items in. The last item was a silver serving tray with four feet. It was so beautiful. Because I had requested these items, I had to give an opening bid to start the auction of that item. So for each of the serving dishes, I placed an opening bid of $20. For the serving tray, I placed a bid of $30. Of all the items I had bids on that night; the silver serving tray was the one I wanted after the hot water dispenser.

So they brought my items up. First the serving dishes. They opened the bid with $20 for each. Again I held my breath.

Once, twice, sold for $20 each!

I couldn’t believe it! At first I was so excited about getting them, then I began to wonder if I had placed too high a bid. Who cares! I won them!

 

Then the silver tray came up. I prepared myself for someone to outbid me on this one. I had watched other items of silver come up and go for pretty good prices. But all had been a little too high for me tonight. If it gets too high, I would have to walk away and return another day when I had saved my pennies. So the auctioneer opened the bid at my $30. I felt myself tense up. I knew it was coming. I think I even closed my eyes so I could listen better for the next bid. I held my breath. The next thing I hear…

Once, Twice, Sold to number 270!

I won! I got this beautiful tray for $30!

I must have looked like someone who had just told I was going to Disney World! I was smiling for ear to ear! People who I had been talking to around me about the plantation (I can never go anywhere without tell people about it) congratulated me on my purchases. It was so much fun! I grabbed my card and headed to the desk to pay for my items. Barbara Ann had checked me out and taken my payment. I was talking to her about the plantation, which she knew about from Terri earlier when her husband, Keith popped up at the desk. He told Barbara Ann that I was opening a Bed and Breakfast. I don’t know who told him. It could have been any one of the staff members I had talked to. But it was really cool how excited he had been about our venture. I showed him my pictures of the house on my cell phone and thanked them for all their help. They were so gracious and visited me back soon.

I walked over to the pickup window and received my items. One of the staff members walked over and asked if he could help me out to the car. The mirror alone is about 5 feet and weighs maybe 20 pounds. Then a second staff member asked to carry my silver tray out while I carried my box with my serving dishes. The customer service here is out of this world! Oh, I forgot to tell you. At around 11pm, Barbara Ann set up a table with boxes of free pizza. Such attention to details!

As I pulled away at 1:15am on Friday morning, I was so high on excited energy. One of my fears about coming to the auction, after working all day and staying up late for the auction, was that on my way home I would be fighting to stay wake. Not this time. I was so excited about the auction and the items I had won; I don’t think sleep even crossed my mind. Two hours of singing in the car and dreaming of the day our plantation would open, I arrived at home at 3:15am. I unloaded my items into the kitchen for Brett to see in the morning.

I poured myself a glass of iced tea and stood there to admire my treasures. But you know as I was stood there, thinking about this venture, it really struck me. This is really going to happen. I mean I know it is, but for the first time I really felt the excitement of knowing that I was going to finally reach out and grab my dream. The first song I heard on the way home really hit the nail on the head about how I was feeling.

“I’ll spread my wings

and I’ll learn how to fly

I’ll do what it takes ’til I touch the sky

And I’ll make a wish, take a chance, make a change

And breakaway

Out of the darkness and into the sun

I won’t forget all the ones that I loved

I gotta take a risk, take a chance, make a change

And breakaway”

Kelly Clarkson – “Breakaway”
Posted by Michelle Darnell | in Year of the Virginia Historic Homes | 59 Comments »

Labor Day of Love

Sep. 3rd 2012

After our weekend in Fredericksburg, we decided to take it easy for Labor Day. Brett had a few things he wanted to get done for our home in Chesapeake and our kids were both working all day. So left to myself, well you know what I did… antique shopping!

I only made one stop today, but what a great stop it was! I headed to downtown Norfolk to a store called Harper’s Antiques. I had just been there a weekend ago. I had seen a couple items I wanted, but needed to wait until I had my pennies saved. It was a small silver tea set with a teapot, creamer and sugar bowl. I really loved this set because it has the grape detail on it. That reminds me of the vineyards we have around us at Belle Grove.

The other was a silver teapot that reminded me of a teapot I saw at Kenmore Plantation. When I saw the one at Kenmore, I remembered this one in Norfolk.

Teapot at Kenmore Plantation

After paying for my items, I stayed and talked to the owner, Richard and one of his friends about the plantation and how these were going to become part of the history that includes James Madison. Just as I was about to walk out, Richard asked me to walk to the back room and look for a silver punch bowl with some other items in it. He told me if I liked it, he would give them to me. I pulled them out and brought them to the counter. Being the bargain hunter I am I accepted his offer. Free is always good when you have 8,000 square feet to fill!

When I got home I spent about 3 hours cleaning each piece. It was a very messy job that required a lot of “elbow grease”, but to see them now, it was truly a labor of love.

Gravy Dish
(It was almost black when I brought it home)

Punch Bowl with 12 silver cups

If you are ever in the Norfolk area, stop by Harper’s Antiques on Granby Street!

I plan to return again very soon!

Posted by Michelle Darnell | in Year of the Virginia Historic Homes | 29 Comments »

Meeting

Aug. 21st 2012

I know I said we will fill you in on the weekend at the plantation and Fredericksburg, but we got a surprise on Monday in the way of a very important meeting on Wednesday. We have been working on preparing for this meeting so we have not had time to post and answer comments. So tonight, we are going to be finishing up our prep work and getting to bed early because we need to travel to Richmond for this meeting.

Hopefully tomorrow we will have time to get the post up so you can see how much fun we had this weekend and I will answer your comments then too!

In the meantime, I thought I would share my “finds” from this weekend. We made a trip back to one of my favorite antique barn in King George, “McGinnis Antique Barn”.

Until tomorrow… enjoy and keep your fingers crossed and say a little prayer for us.

Thank you all for your support! Don’t forget to get you tickets before 11:59pm Friday, August 24th! The big drawing is Saturday, August 25th!

Posted by Michelle Darnell | in Year of the Virginia Historic Homes | 26 Comments »

Lazy Sunday

Jul. 1st 2012

Today, I decided to jump in the car and head out for a drive. This time, it lead me to a whole nother state! North Carolina. We live in Chesapeake, Virginia, about 15 minutes from the North Carolina border. When I was looking at antiques yesterday, someone brought up Elizabeth City, North Carolina. So I thought I would head down there and to Edenton to check out what I could find as far as antiques. Sadly, most of antique stores were closed. I did find one in Hertford, North Carolina. (Thank Goodness for GPS or I would have never found it) I pulled into this small town and found Hertfordshire Antiques. It is located in a historic area of this town in an old store front. I was so excited! I found my first Mint Julep Cup! Those suckers are hard to find!!

Hertfordshire Antiques Hertford NC

Afterwards I headed down to Edenton, North Carolina. While I didn’t find any antique stores, I did find some wonderful old houses.

Pembroke Hall 1850

Wessington House 1850

Dixon-Powell House 1895

Edmund Conger House 1910

Elliot-Sitteson House 1895

The Granny Bond House 1873

Beverly Hall 1810

Beverly Hall 1810 Side Door

Then I headed back to Virginia, stopping for a quick view of Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Here is one of the best houses there!

Roninson Mansion 1914 Elizabeth City, NC

Posted by Michelle Darnell | in Year of the Virginia Historic Homes | 68 Comments »