After we finish visiting with the Madison’s at Montpelier, we headed over to Orange, Virginia. Orange is just five miles from Montpelier. We have stayed here several times before. If you have been following the blog, you might remember the Holiday House Inn and Mayhurst. But this time we wanted to go to the first bed and breakfast we stayed in, Chestnut Hill Bed and Breakfast.

Before we made our way there, we made a stop at The James Madison Museum, another attraction in Orange that we enjoy seeing. At this museum, you can see items from James and Dolley Madison as well as others from contemporaries of theirs. The museum as has exhibitions that they carry for a limited time. On this visit, we wanted to see the Victorian exhibition.

Dress, Jacket and Cape

Dark blue taffeta with velvet trim and decorative buttons.

Worn by Miss Mildred Ann Bond when she wed Mr. Edward Virgil Huffman on January 10, 1886

Chair

This chair was owned and used in the White House by President James Buchanan

Shoes

2 Pair of High-Top Shoes

(left) two-toned black leather with grey/green brushed leather buttons

(right) black leather and black satin lace-ups

Doll

16 piece composition with bisque head, brown human hair wig and brown glass eyes.

Manufactured by Guttmann & Schiffnie (1897-1924)

The doll has original undergarments and wearing a period party dress

Carriage Parasol

Black silk parasol with lace covering and fully lined; Chinese ivory handle not carved or engraved. Carriage parasols were smaller and could be folded by sliding the brass fitting.

Hump-Back Dome Trunk

The dome lid trunk allowed for the packing of bulky items such as lady’s hat and it prevented other trunks from being put on top. The pictures are ancestors of the lender. Circa 1870s

Deck Chair

Early version of the folding lawn chair, it is hinged to fold in a number of positions. It was made in 1876 of walnut and caned back and seat with beautifully carved sunburst and flower petals.

To see more of the exhibition,

you will need to hurry to the James Madison Museum in Orange.

It is here for just a short time.

http://www.chestnuthillbnb.com/

After our visit to the museum, we headed to Chestnut Hill Bed and Breakfast. We were excited to see our favorite innkeepers, Troy and Kathleen. Most people don’t know this, but they have been mentoring us since the beginning. We first spoke to them shortly after seeing Belle Grove for the first time. It is these two wonderful people that we come back to with questions and who have helped guide us with their experiences. Brett and I can’t tell you what wonderful examples they have set in helping others reach for their dreams, just as they have gotten theirs. Brett and I hope we too will be able to help guide others as they have us.

Chestnut Hill is a wonderful B&B that sits at the top of a small hill. Many may not know this of Chestnut Hill, but this historic home was purchased by Kathleen and Troy through a city auction for just one dollar. But to see it today, you would never know that it was in such bad need of repair! Wonderful rooms and a grand breakfast await the tired travelers. In the evening, they serve some of the most delicious appetizers along with their wine social!

We arrived just towards the end of the wine social and had the chance to meet several wonderful guests who would also be staying at Chestnut Hill with us. We met people from Hampton, Stafford and Richmond. But it isn’t unusual to see couples from across the United States staying here.

http://www.elmwoodcatering.com/_index.php

For dinner we headed over to our favorite place in Orange, Elmwood at Sparks. We have been here three times now, but you wouldn’t know that if you saw us enter. We were greeted by staff who knew who we were and got a wave from the open kitchen from the Executive Chef, Randy Cooper. This time we set at the back counter so we could watch the kitchen staff at their craft. To see some of their food leaving the kitchen, it was just too beautiful to eat!

We started our dinner with our favorite, Shrimp and Grits! I just love Chef Randy’s version of this classic Southern dish. Being back by the kitchen, I was able to pull together the recipe for Belle Grove!! What a great dish to serve to our guest!!

We were able to order our favorite entrees, Wild Mushroom Pasta for Brett and Filet Mignon for me. These are the same dishes we have ordered each of the time we have come. Believe me, they have several other wonderful dishes, but we just love these entrees!

For dessert, we ordered Sweet Crepes with Port Butter Sauce, Raspberry Sauce and Vanilla Ice Cream. We should have started with dessert!! Wow! It was just so good that we could have licked the plate if it had not been bad manners.

After a great night’s sleep and filling breakfast, we sat down for a quick conversation with Kathleen and Troy. As other guests came to say good-bye, it was funny to see each couple lingering in the hall as if they just didn’t want to leave.

Funny, we had the same feeling.

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Two hundred and sixty-two years ago,

Nelly Conway Madison gave birth to her first son,

James Madison at Belle Grove Plantation.

Today we are on our way to Montpelier to celebrate with a wreath lying at his grave site, a tour of the mansion with exhibitions in each room about the Constitution and a visit with “Mr. and Mrs. Madison”.

We are staying the night at one of our favorite bed and breakfasts in Virginia, Chestnut Hill Bed and Breakfast in Orange. We will be having dinner at the Elmwood at Sparks too! And it wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the James Madison Museum!

Chestnut Hill Bed and Breakfast
Orange, Virginia

http://www.chestnuthillbnb.com/

Elmwood at Sparks Restaurant
Orange, Virginia
http://www.elmwoodcatering.com/_index.php

The James Madison Museum
Orange, Virginia
http://www.thejamesmadisonmuseum.org/

Lots of photos and a post about our fun when we return!

If you are in the area, we hope to see you!

In the meantime, we thought we would share some little known facts about our favorite President on his birthday!

We hope you enjoy it!

Quiz on James Madison

Who delivered James Madison’s eulogy?

Answer:               John Quincy Adams

After retiring from public service in 1817, what organization did Madison help organize that was devoted to ending slavery in American?

Answer:               The American Colonization Society. Founded in 1819, this organization believed in the idea of resettling freed blacks back in Africa in Liberia.

How many times did James Madison serve as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates?

Answer:               As a delegate to the Virginia Convention of 1776, Madison was automatically a member of the first House of Delegates. He returned to the House in 1784, where he led the fight against the reestablishment of the Episcopalian Church of Virginia. After serving in the US House of Representatives from 1789-1797, he was again elected to the Virginia House.

What was unique about Madison’s Vice-Presidents?

Answer:             They both died in office. George Clinton, Madison’s first Vice-President, former Governor of New York and nemesis of Alexander Hamilton died shortly before the end of Madison’s first term in 1812. Elbridge Gerry, former Governor of Massachusetts died midway through Madison’s second term.

James Madison never held a job that was out of the public eye before his retirement from the presidency. He did, however, consider a career in the private sector. What was it?

Answer:               Lawyer. After graduating from what is now known as Princeton University in 1772, he considered briefly a career as a member of the bar but soon abandoned that course. He was elected to the Orange County Committee of Safety in 1774, which was chaired by his father.

 James Madison was known as the “Father of the Constitution”. How many children did James Madison actually have?

Answer:               None. James and Dolley never had children together. Dolley had two children by her first husband, John Todd.  Dolley lost her first husband and one of her children to yellow fever in 1793. Payne Todd, her only surviving child never married or had children.

The war of 1812, known as “Madison’s War” produced a very famous song. What was the song?

Answer:               The Star Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Keys written in 1814.

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Please Consider Donating to our “Restoration Fund” 

to help us restore our 1700-1800 outbuildings!

Once we finished when our whirlwind tour of the Capital Square and the Virginia Executive Mansion, we jumped on the highway and headed for Charlottesville and Orange, Virginia. We had two meetings set up for Friday so we thought it would be best to spend the night in Orange. We love this area of Virginia. Just miles from James Madison’s Montpelier, this area has lots to offer.  This area is the home of the Monticello Wine Trail and 30 wineries. It is also home to three Presidential homes, Montpelier, Monticello and Ashlawn-Highlands.

We have stayed in Orange before at the Chestnut Hill Bed and Breakfast. This is a wonderful location and we really enjoyed our stay with Kathleen and Troy. In fact, it was Kathleen and Troy who we consulted with when we first started this journey for advice. They were more than willing to offer advice and suggestions and have made themselves available to us if we need help. We really appreciate all they have done for us.

This time, however, we decided to give a new bed and breakfast a try. I have to say, it was mostly because I wanted to stay in this house. If you are a long time reader of this blog you know our love of historic homes, especially with connections to major history. This has both!

The Mayhurst Inn is 153 years old and is a beautiful Italianate Victorian House built in 1859. At 9,200 sq ft this home is 1,200 sq ft larger than Belle Grove.  It has four floors and a beautiful oval-spiral staircase. When Brett and I saw it, our first thought was that it looks like another plantation home we know very well called Camden. Camden Plantation is located just outside Port Royal across the river from Belle Grove. It too is an Italianate style home. But Camden doesn’t have its tower like the Mayhurst does. Camden’s tower was shot out by a Union gunboat during the Civil War. It sits on 37 acres and is surrounded by old trees, fields and gardens.

The Mayhurst was constructed in 1859 on the Willis Plantation by architect Mr. Starkweather of Baltimore. Colonel John Willis, owner of the Willis Plantation was the great nephew of James Madison. On this plantation they would raise corn, cattle, hogs and horses. They would also have fifty slaves working the fields and house. After the Civil War and because he heavily supported the Confederacy and was unable to pay his taxes, Colonel Willis lost his beloved home and about 1700 acres of his land. With Southern pride, Colonel Willis bore his loss with not a word. He is buried in the family plot at Montpelier.

The Mayhurst has hosted notable people like Generals Robert E. Lee, Ambrose Powell Hill and “Stonewall” Jackson and it was the site where 18,000 Confederate troops stayed during the winter of 1863-64. General A.P. Hill was headquartered here at the Willis home with 18,000 Confederate troops. His wife Kitty was also here as a guest of the Willis family. It was here that Kitty gave birth to one of their daughters and where her Godfather General Robert E. Lee held her during her christening on May 1, 1864.

Brett and I stayed in the General’s Room on the main floor. The first thing that struck me is that over the bed is draped a Confederate Grey cloth with gold fringe. I looked at Brett laughed and said, “I guess you will be sleeping under the Confederate colors tonight.” He gave me a smirk. (Brett is from Ohio while I am from South Carolina) The second thing that struck us was the beautiful arched windows. It was dark outside when we arrived, but in the morning we were greeted by beautiful fall colors throughout the yard.

We had arrived late from Richmond and the Mayhurst was serving a wine and cheese reception in the parlor. While Brett and I enjoyed a glass of Virginia Wine, the innkeeper, Jack helped us select a restaurant for our 26^th Wedding Anniversary dinner. Once we had decided, Jack contacted the restaurant and set up our reservation. After unloading our belongings and chatting briefly with Jack and the other two guests, we headed out to our reservation in Orange.

We ate dinner at a wonderful little restaurant located downtown Orange called “Elmwood at the Sparks”. It wasn’t a formal restaurant and we were able to go in blue jeans and be comfortable. The atmosphere here is just wonderful! We were seated towards the rear of the restaurant where we met our wait staff, Kristin. She was wonderful! She was open and friendly and was easy to have a conversation with as we ate our meal. Great attention to details was given to our every need.

I selected a three course special they had for this night. I received an appetizer, entrée and dessert. My appetizer was Shrimp and Parmesan Grits with Shallots, Herbs, Tomatoes and Chardonnay Butter. Now it is hard to impress me with Shrimp and Grits, but this one was a home run! For dinner I had Pan-Fried Filet Mignon with Truffled Ravioli, Squash, Mushrooms with Red Wine Sauce. It was so delicious. For dinner Brett decided to just get an entrée and steal from my appetizer and dessert. He got Creamy Mushrooms and Penna Pasta Roasted Red Peppers, Parmesan, Belchamel, Basil Pesto and Toasted Pine Nuts that was so good! For dessert we shared a warm Chocolate Cake with Pumpkin Ice Cream. (Okay, everyone get your napkins, your drooling!)

After dinner we headed back to the Mayhurst where we met two new guests in the parlor. They were from Minnesota and were down touring the area. They told us they were heading to Williamsburg and asked us if we had any recommendations. Then we talked about the history here in Virginia and enjoyed hearing about the weather in Minnesota.

Sleep came quickly after a full day of fun in Richmond. In the morning, we woke to the smell of breakfast cooking. It didn’t take us long to get ready and head down to the basement for a beautiful plate of Apple French Toast and Fresh Berries with Cream. Sitting around the large table we were able to meet two more couples who had stayed at the Mayhurst. One couple was from Ohio and the other was from Florida. Most were here to take in the beautiful fall leaves and tour the area attractions.

After breakfast, we spent a little time chatting with the innkeepers about their experiences with the Bed and Breakfast. We love to hear the good, the bad and the ugly so we have a chance not to run into the same issues. Before we realized it, we were about 15 minutes away from our first meeting. Thankfully it was only 5 minutes away. Quickly we packed up our belongs, said our good-byes and headed to what would be one of the best meetings of the week!

Tomorrow – James Madison Museum