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Enter your keywords:Archive for November, 2009
Recollections of a Home, Past and Present
My mother had loving memories of her time at Long Branch. When she visited the house after moving back to Virginia in 1997, she was amazed at its transformation, following the Harry Isaacs restoration, from a state of disrepair to museum-quality luster. I think she had mixed feelings, stemming from her perspective dating back to the early 1930s. She used to say that Long Branch was first and foremost, a home.
Long Branch as it appeared in the mid 20th Century.
As Christopher Fordney aptly writes:
Although Long Branch is today furnished with elegant antiques and exudes the quiet dignity of a museum, it has above all else been a home. Its rooms have known the cries of newborn babies, the exuberant pounding of children’s feet, the roar of party conversation, and the solitary voices of its elders recounting the family legends, some verifiable, some not, that are so much a part of the history of an old home.[1]
As I walk through Long Branch today, the house still evokes the ambience of past generations. The views of the countryside from the windows are still the same, and as you wander along the original floors, you can almost sense the souls of the families who lived there. The view from Bordens Spring Rd. is just as compelling as it was when I visited the house in the 1950s –60s. Back in those days, finding it was always a challenge. You’d meander along a country road, probably Route 624, if you were lucky enough to find it, and then, suddenly, the house and cupola just appeared, perched magnificently on the hill—a breathtaking sight that I will never forget. Whenever I bring friends to see Long Branch, I insist they are treated to that amazing view.
[1] Fordney, Christopher R. Long Branch: A Plantation House in Clarke Country Virginia. Millwood: Harry Z. Isaacs Foundation, 1995.
Lark flight path to feature historic stopovers…
The October 2010 Lark Through Clarke Stable Tour and More includes a visit to historic Long Branch House and Farm — famed for its annual balloon festival. Sorry, this is a self driven car tour, so no balloon rides, at least not at this event! But several “dog and pony” shows will be featured. The Long Branch Therapeutic Riding Center will be holding several exhibits. Also, not to be missed is a beagle demonstration at one of several other beautiful estates on the Lark’s flight path.
Gourmet box lunches will be available for purchase at nearby Locke Store in Millwood where “Eating is an agricultural act!” Or bring your own sandwiches and refreshments. Picnic tables are just a hop, skip and a jump away, in a lovely setting behind the Old Mill, also a part of the tour.
The Burwell-Morgan Mill , established in 1785, will be hosting its annual Art Show, which will be open to the public during the Lark through Clarke Stable Tour.
The starting point of the tour will be at Christ Church, 809 Bishop Meade Road (Route 255), directly across from the Carter Hall manor house (now headquarters of Project Hope) and just up the hill from the Locke Store in the village of Millwood. Proceeds of A Lark Through Clarke Stable Tour will go to the benefit of the ministry of Cunningham Chapel Parish.
More about scheduled stopovers on the Lark’s flight path as the Fall 2010 stable tour coming as the event unfolds.
Need an excuse to lark in the countryside?
Historic Long Branch is a great bet. The house is rich in history, with ties to the American Revolution. The Historic Long Branch House and Farm web site features a video introduction and overview: History of Long Branch Narrated by Willard Scott.
My great aunt, Sallie Page Nelson, and her husband, Hugh Nelson, Jr., were great-grandchildren of Gov. Thomas Nelson, Jr., a Virginia Signer of the Declaration of Independence. How convenient that she didn’t have to change her maiden name! She lived at Long Branch for 36 years after the death of her husband in 1915. She loved to entertain and have visitors and relatives stay at Long Branch. During the Depression, her younger sister, Charlotte Nelson Holt, Caroline Nelson Britten, and Laura Lewis Bunch were just a few to enjoy her hospitality. Story has it that Laura was
. . . known as the cousin who came to visit for two weeks and stayed twenty-seven years. Her children were Laura Crease Bunch and Tilghman Howard Bunch, Jr. The women at Long Branch became avid bridge players.[1]
Interestingly, several of these women are buried at Old Chapel in Millwood. My mother, Mary Winston Nelson Fisher, spent summers at Long Branch in her teens and early twenties, riding a horse called “Fancy.” She had wonderful stories and fond memories of her time there.
[1] Fordney, Christopher R. Long Branch: A Plantation House in Clarke Country Virginia. Millwood: Harry Z Isaacs Foundation, 1995.
Hark! A Lark Cometh to Clarke County VA
This year marked the 50th anniversary of the famed Hunt Country Stable Tour, hosted by Trinity Episcopal Church in Upperville, Virginia. Next year, on the second Saturday in October, the “Lark Through Clarke County Stable Tour and More” will make its debut, departing from Christ Church in Millwood, Virginia. Historic Cunningham Chapel Parish will launch its inaugural tour of Clarke County, Virginia, on Saturday, October 9th, 2010.
Clarke County is filled with Revolutionary and Civil War landmarks and is home to many of the country’s oldest and finest horse farms and country estates. Owners will open the gates to their handsome stables and training facilities for visitors to explore during the tour.
Just a 60 mile drive from downtown Washington, DC, plan now to drive out to beautiful Clarke County with your family and friends next fall — the tour will take you over lovely scenic byways where you will enjoy pastoral and mountain views.
This blog will bring you a behind-the-scenes look as the event evolves. You also can register now at the Clarke County Stable Tour web site to receive forthcoming tour updates, an online brochure and ticket information, as they become available.
