More New Arrivals!

Aug. 20th 2013

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http://gatesantiques.com/

Today Gates Antiques arrived with more wonderful furnishing for the Plantation!

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Our “Lincoln Movie” Couches are now in their place in the Junior Suite Sitting Rooms

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They were replaced by our two Rosewood Couches!

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These Couches have also been in lots of Movies!

Jay Gates, one of the owners of Gates Antiques will be email me a list shortly.

But to name just a few:

Lincoln (unconfirmed – he thinks so but is checking)

Iron Angels

GI Jane

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The backs are just beautiful! 

But we need to get more in the room now. It looks so empty!

Joining the Rosewood Couches is a new “Instant Relative”!

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Jay had bought her for her frame and placed her in his warehouse.

I saw her sitting in a corner one day and was drawn to her. I have placed her in the Parlor and you can almost see a smile on her lips.

I guess we might need to pull some names from our large list for the first “Instant Relative” to name her too!

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My new Mahogany Mirror has been hung over our 1776 Chest in the Hipkins-Bernard Room.

But best of all….

We have Rugs!

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I had bought this rug to go in the Parlor, but the reds were just a little to off. So I moved it over to the Library and it really “sings” in there!

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This rug is a little hard to see because of the shadow and light in the room right now. But there is blue in the rug that really matches the walls. The curtains won’t be staying in there, they are on loan. The curtains and bedding curtains will be a darker blue and gold.

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This rug was our “Pink” find for the Turner Room. The curtains will be a little darker this this. But it looks just beautiful in our Bridal Suite!

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https://www.bellegroveplantation.com/

Posted by Michelle Darnell | in Belle Grove History, Darnell History | 4 Comments »

New Arrivals!

Jun. 18th 2013

After an exciting day of getting books, we got some more new arrivals! 

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Furniture!

Check out the new additions!

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I am sure you remember this piece! I have been talking about it for weeks.

It is a Victorian Serving Table with Egyptian Black Marble with Gold and White Veining! It is final home!

It will be in the Parlor.

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This is the Corner Cupboard we purchased. We may not be able to use this one because the cold air intake is there. We may have to exchange it for something else.

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This is our 1830 Grandfather Clock. It has now taken its position next to our elevator in the Parlor.

Yes, I said elevator.

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The Face is just beautiful! It has a sailing Tall Ship on the dial.

The Eagle is just fitting for us here at Belle Grove!

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The guys moving our furniture set up our dining room table this time!

All 26 feet of it!

It seats 14!

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These are two lamps we purchased for the Turner Room.

The Turner Room will be Victorian.

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We purchased these two lamps for the Madison Room.

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Don’t you just love the details in the globes?

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Now do these look familiar?

If you have seen the movie “Lincoln” you have seen these sattees!

Lincoln Screen Shot

Note just to the left!!

They will be gracing our parlor until our Rosewood Sattees come to Belle Grove.

Afterwards, they may be added to the seating rooms of our Junior Suites!

To see more purchases at Belle Grove

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Please check out our Facebook Fan Page!

Posted by Michelle Darnell | in Darnell History | 21 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 »

Antique Show

Aug. 12th 2012

After a busy Friday and Saturday, Brett decided to just hang out at the house while I headed to an Antique Show in Virginia Beach. I had forgotten that it was this weekend so I was glad I checked! There were about 120 dealers from all over the country. Sadly most of the things that were there were Antique Silver and Antique Jewelry. I was hoping to find the last 16 plates to match my tea cups, but it just wasn’t in the cards. Did find one plate that matched one cup. It was from a dealer called Sandy’s Antiques & 40s 50s 60s Collectibles out of New York State.

But the find of the day, the one that made my trip worth it was found in the booth of a dealer from Bowling Green, Kentucky. Rawlings Antiques carries Fine Antique Furniture, Oil Paintings and Oriental Rugs. Chuck Rawling was just the nicest person. You can contact him at rawlingantiques@hotmail.com to inquire about his inventory.

When I walked up to the booth, I was looking at a set of three small framed pictures. The first two looked French and Mrs. Roy came to my mind. But then I saw the small black framed picture of an old man just behind it. When I first read it, it took everything I had not to jump up and down and scream, “YES!” I don’t think I would make a good bargain hunter in antiques when it comes to this.

The picture is an Engraving of James Madison “Engraved by T.B. Welch from a drawing by J.B. Longacre taken from life at Montpelier, Va. July 1833” at age 82. It also has a printed copy of James Madison’s signature.

This is the first time I have found something antique that relates to James Madison. My weekend is now complete!

Posted by Michelle Darnell | in Year of the Virginia Historic Homes | 43 Comments »

A Little Unscheduled Stop

Aug. 12th 2012

After Brett and I finished with our Afternoon Tea at The Blue Willow Tea Room in Petersburg, I made the suggestion that we head over to Hopewell, Virginia to see a plantation that I had read about the night before at La Villa Romaine. When I saw this plantation, the first thought that came to mind was, “This is what Belle Grove looked like before Carolinus Turner changed it by adding the porticos, porches and extensions.”

Weston Manor

This plantation is called Weston Plantation. It was built in 1789, right around the same time as Belle Grove (1791) was built.  Weston Plantation is located in Hopewell and sits on the Appomattox River. The house was built by William and Christian Eppes Gilliam. Today it is the only 18th Century plantation on the Appomattox River. Weston Manor is an example of late Georgian plantation architecture.  It is located on a bluff overlooking the river and still retains its rural atmosphere. Today the house contains 85% of its original architectural fabric including the original beaded weatherboards, window sash and interior woodwork.

Weston Manor (Riverview)

Door to basement and Winter Kitchen

Door Handle for the Basement door. We have the same Door Handle on the Front Entry Door to Belle Grove.

William Eppes Gilliam’s family came to the colonies in the 17th Century as indentured servants. But by the 18th century, the family had amassed several plantations in the area, most notably being Eppington Plantation. One family member of the Eppes Family, John Wayles Epps would become the son-in-law of Thomas Jefferson. Christian Eppes Gilliam was the daughter of Richard and Christian Robertson Eppes of the Appomattox Plantation. Her maternal grandfather was a descendant of Pocahontas.

John Wayles Eppes

Pocahontas

Weston Manor

Weston Manor – During the Civil War

Weston Manor

During the Civil War, the Appomattox River was patrolled by Union gunboats. From these gunboats, many of the Confederate Plantations were either damaged or destroyed. Weston Plantation would also share in this fate. A Union gunboat fired upon Weston, leaving the house damaged, but not destroyed. During the shelling of Weston, one of the cannon balls lodge in the wall in between the first and second floor. It wasn’t until much later that the cannon ball was discovered when it finally fell to the floor from the ceiling in the dining room. Weston would also be used as the headquarters of Union General Philip Sheridan.

Major General Philip Sheridan

In the mid-1970s, Raymond Broyhill donated the house to the Historic Hopewell Foundation. Weston Manor continues to be maintained by the Historic Hopewell Foundation and is now open to the public as a historic house museum and cultural center. The Historic Hopewell Foundation has worked to find and fill Weston with period antiques and reproductions.

Main Hallway looking towards the Riverside of the Manor

Main Hallway looking towards the Front Door

Library and Office – Where they would have conducted business for the plantation

Library and Office

Dining Room

Dining Room

Dining Room

Dining Room – I want to find a table like this! Can you image the lenght on it when those extensions are opened?

Dining Room – They said this picture isn’t someone from the house. It was just a nice period piece.

Formal Parlor

Formal Parlor

Formal Parlor

Formal Parlor

Clock in the Front Hallway

Staircase

Staircase – Belle Grove has the same kind of stair rails. We don’t curve like this, but the look is the same.

Staircase – Second Floor landing

Second Floor Hallway

Second Floor Hallway

Children’s Room – We want to get beds like this for Belle Grove… not.

Children’s Room – Note how plain this fireplace is compared to the downstair rooms

Children’s Room – Children’s Doll House

Children’s Room – Children’s Doll House

One of two bedrooms on the second floor

One of two bedrooms on the second floor

One of two bedrooms on the second floor

Black Mourning Dress

Second of two bedrooms on the second floor

Second of two bedrooms on the second floor

Second of two bedrooms on the second floor

Second of two bedrooms on the second floor

Second of two bedrooms on the second floor

What to know what it was like during the Civil War in this area? Here is a good resource.

If you find yourself in Petersburg, I would recommend a stop by this plantation. But make sure you have a good GPS system. Hopewell is laid out in winding roads, not grid blocks. So it takes a little looking to find it.

Summer Kitchen

Posted by Michelle Darnell | in Year of the Virginia Historic Homes | 25 Comments »

Saturday in Petersburg

Aug. 12th 2012

After we got up and got our things together, we bid Mrs. Roy “Au revoir” and headed down to Robert’s house, the antique dealer from Petersburg. His house was built in 1879. When he purchased it, it had been converted into an apartment building.

Robert’s house

Robert walked us around the yard showing us the flowers he had and the architectural details of his home. In the back, he showed us the area where the carriage house used to stand. Today, all that is left is a single wall of this late 1800s building. Just to the front of it stood a more modern carriage house that was built in the 1930s. This building has been converted into an small office building.

The 1800s Carriage House wall. The holes in the wall would have been the windows for the horses.

The 1930s Carriage House door

Robert’s back yard was filled with flowers and trees. He walked us to the back section where he had a line of bushes that made another section of the backyard into a small secret garden.

We made our way back around the house and up to the front door. This door reminded me of La Villa Romaine’s front door. It was about 12 feet tall and had an inner and outer set of doors. Once inside the hallway reminded me again of a smaller version of La Villa Romaine’s hall. The room wasn’t as large, but it had a similar basic layout. We first entered the Formal Parlor and were greeted with tons of wonderful antiques. What would have been the day room at La Villa Romaine had been turned into another Formal Parlor at Robert’s house.

Fireplace in Formal Parlor – this looks like marble, but its wood painted to look like marble!

Next we moved into the library. Here Robert had his own personal antiques as well as items for his booth. It was so hard not to look and buy! There were so many things I could have taken home! We then moved into the Formal Dining room. This room also had more antiques. Robert was showing me his china with a gold border and had stated that he was thinking of changing his china. Of course my first thought was how many place settings do you have! I am always thinking about Belle Grove! He also showed us a set of Ship Bells that would have been used to call passagers to a meal. I wonder if that would work at Belle Grove?

Library

Library

Formal Dining Room

Formal Dining Room – Fireplace – Wood, not marble

Formal Dining Room – Ship Bells

One thing that Robert was very proud of was his ceiling medallions. He knows Mrs. Roy and has seen hers. He told us that most of her ceiling medallions are reproductions. He stated that he has five original medallions in his home. I missed getting one of the though. I missed the one in the library. I think it was because I was so busy looking at the antiques!

Front Hall

Front Parlor

Rear Parlor

Dining Room

After our tour of the downstairs, we headed upstairs to see his room set up. This is where Robert’s house and La Villa Romaine differed. Robert’s floor plan didn’t have the long hallway as La Villa Romaine. It had a short landing area for a hall with four smaller rooms off from it. Three of the rooms were bedrooms and one room Robert had devoted to his Lionel train collection. This room was in the works so we didn’t take pictures up on the second floor. But once it is completed, it will be something wonderful to see!

We thanked Robert for opening his home and promised to return soon. Robert and I have been talking about going to an auction he knows about in the area to look for some good buys for Belle Grove. I have to say, meeting Robert was really good luck for us!

After our visit with Robert, we headed back over to the Old Towne area of Petersburg to walk around a bit and look at more antiques. After all the tours and walking, we decided to get a lite lunch before heading out. So I suggested we stop at the Blue Willow Tea Room on Old Street. Since I have been shopping for tea items and we are going to be doing tea socials at Belle Grove, I want to try as many tea rooms to get ideas for our teas.

www.bluewillowtearoom.com

www.bluewillowtearoom.com

The tea room was warm and inviting and filled with tea antiques and art. The ceiling detail was also very eye catching. We settled on having a Full Afternoon Tea. Pam, our wait staff, offer me several selections of hot teas and I decided it was going to be an Earl Grey day. Brett isn’t much for hot tea, so he enjoyed a cold beverage of real Ginger Ale.

 Our first course was two homemade scones with Devonshire cream and Carrot Jam. The scones were one plain and one blueberry. Our next course was a soup du jour. I selected a cold gazpacho and Brett had a cheese and broccoli. I missed taking a photo of these. When we got them, we both ate them up so fast. They were delicious!

Our next course was the tower of food. The bottom section were our tea sandwiches. The center was a selection of pastries. The top section was our sweets and fruits.

Tea Sandwiches

Pastries

For our tea sandwiches, we had Brie Wraps with lettuce and tomato, Ham and Cheese on Rye with a Devilish Mustard, Pickled Cucumbers and Radish on a French Bagette with a Herb Spread, and Smoked Salmon with Cream Cheese and Dill on a Small Bagel. For our pastries, we had Cheese Pennies, Chicken Salad in a tart cup, Spanakopita, and Canapes with Pesto, Tomato and Mozzarella. For our sweets and fruit we had Cream filled Cannoli, Rowena’s Almond Pound Cake with Raspberry Sauce and Whipped Cream, Fudge Brownies and a Fruit Skewer.

The food was divine! It doesn’t look like a ton of food, but by the time we finished, Brett said he felt stuffed. I enjoyed every bit and was taking notes in my head as we ate. I had told Pam, our wait staff about Belle Grove Plantation and she had informed the owner, Sid about it. He made a point to stop at our table and invited us next door to Pennington Antiques which was connected to the tea room after our tea. As I was paying, Pam offered to take us back into the kitchen to show us around  and we met “Hersey” another member of the wait staff. Kirsten (Hersey) spent some time talking to us about our plantation and talking about running a tea room.

The Blue Willow Tea Room
Sid – Owner and the Staff

We then made our way next door to Pennington Antiques and spoke to Sid for a few minutes. It didn’t take long for Brett and I to start wandering around the store looking at the antiques and discussing if we could use any items there for Belle Grove. Afterwards, we headed back to the car and started towards our next stop.

I have to say, visiting Petersburg over the last two weekends has really opened my eyes to the location. It doesn’t seem to get the tourism that Williamsburg or Richmond might get, but I think people are really missing out on a great stop. The people are really open and friendly. The places to see are endless. And the city and its people seem to really care about improving their places. And most of all the cost doesn’t break the bank!

So if you are traveling down I-95 and need a place to stop for the night, or are into antiques and history or would just love a wonderful cup of tea with great Southern hospitality, Brett and I would recommend a stop in Petersburg!

Next Post

A Little Unscheduled Stop

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