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Prepared for
The Garden Club of Virginia
Prepared by
Megan N. Turner
2013 Rudy J. Favretti Fellow
Table of Contents
Prehistory 4
Colonel Burwell Period
6
The Role of Gardens
19
George H. Burwell Period
25
The Mysterious Mr. Spence
31
George H. Burwell Jr. Period
36
Sharpe Sisters Period 38
Eben Richards Period 40
The Bacon Plan 42
Henry Bacon Jr. 44
John Townsend Burwell Period
45
The Manning Plan 50
Warren Manning 52
Gerard Lambert Period 54
Rachel Bunny Lambert 62
Christopher Period 65
Wade Muldoon 75
Prehistory
arter Hall stands on a small promontory in the
picturesque Shenandoah Valley, overlooking the cottonwoods
that in places trace the distant Shenandoah River to the east and
south and the Blue Ridge Mountains beyond.
The house was once nestled in an ancient grove of trees
that were part of an ancient oak savannah that may have extended
northwest to Boyce, north to Berryville and south and east to
the Shenandoah River. A few remaining traces of the original
oaks may still be seen at Pigeon Hill (Mary Moore, personal
communication May, 24, 2013). The grove, now diminished by
development, age, disease, and natural disaster, once stood as a
majestic backdrop upon which Nathaniel Burwell established a
new seat for his prominent family and a new economy in what is
commonly referred to as the valley of Virginia.
The Carter Hall grove and much of the lower Shenandoah
Valley has been described as an open grazing ground for the
Indians game when European settlers arrived (IBT). The ancient
trees in the grove, being left to grow in the prairie to full and
picturesque stature, branched out close to the ground (IBT).
4
Few Native Americans had dwelt in the Valley since the
mid-seventeenth century, however it seems these rich hunting
grounds remained important places for the reckoning of territory
by Indian tribes (Plant, 1). The area was also used as a highway
for tribes such as the Senedos as they migrated seasonally (Twenty,
61).
The first permanent European settlement of the Valley
occurred in spring of 1732, when Jost Hite (also spelled Hans
Yost Heydt) and sixteen other German and Scots-Irish families
migrated from Pennsylvania (Fred, 5). The Shawnee continued
hunting the lands of the Valley early into the immigration of
Europeans before eventually moving to the Blue Ridge Mountains
as the numbers of European settlers increased (Shadow, 9).
According to Farland and Greenhalgh (1978), there were no
skirmishes recorded between early settlers and Native American
tribes in the area.
Early European settlers, like the explorers before them,
described great forest trees of oakwhere much game abounds,
(Plant, 1) and clearings devoid of trees that had likely been burned
seasonally by Native Americans to maintain pasture attractive to
deer, buffalo, and elk (Twenty, 62). Settlers, recognizing these
intentional acts of land management sometimes referred to these
tracts of prairie as Indian old fields (Plant, 1) or rich barrens
(Breeding, 6). It has been reported that by 1754 there was an
abrupt departure of the Indians (Shadow, 9).
Late in the 18th century, English families came to the
Valley as Tidewater barons to settle land held by Lord Fairfax
(Twenty, 81). Leading this new wave of migration was Nathaniel
Burwell, who brought with him a culture and economic system
that would once again change the landscape of the lower Valley.
Figure 1 - Original grove tree located just north of the entrance to the property. [Credit: Author]
Figure 2 - Branches of the original White Oak; an identification tag has been affixed to the trunk. [Credit: Author]
athaniel Burwell was born in 1750 at Carters Grove,
his familys plantation on the James River (Civil, 8). His father,
Carter Burwell, had named the plantation after his maternal
grandfather, Robert King Carter, a scion of wealth and power in
Colonial Virginia.
Upon his fathers death in 1756, six-year old Nathaniel
was the eldest son of nine children, and inherited the house and
James River Plantation. The family did not live in the house
again until Nathaniel came of age in 1771 (Grove, 6). The next
year, he graduated from the College of William and Mary with
the highest honors in mathematics and married his first wife,
Susannah Sukey Grymes, a first cousin. The couple had seven
sons and one daughter before Sukey died in 1788 (NBEV).
A pragmatic and successful businessman, Burwell took
over administration of Carters Grove while also managing land he
inherited in the Shenandoah Valley. Active in civic and political
life, as was expected of a man of his social status, Nathaniel
Burwell was Lieutenant (or commander) of the James City
County Militia. He also represented James City County in the
Convention of 1788 and voted for the adoption of the United
6
These early settlers of predominantly German and ScotsIrish origin lived west of the Opequon River on small homesteads
with little disparity between the rich and poor (Plant, 151). They
engaged in a diverse economy, exchanging goods and services.
Some settlers held non-agricultural jobs but farmed on the side
for subsistence. Farm building was not an immediate priority
among these early settlers, but came later and required a community
effort of borrowed labor and services (Plant, 197).
By 1760 the demand for flour to feed the growing,
urbanized population of Europe during the early stage of
the Industrial Revolution exceeded the capacity of European
agriculture. As a result flour prices rose to the point that it
was profitable to ship flour from inland areas of the American
continent to Atlantic ports to supply overseas markets (Plant, 10).
Wheat quickly became the primary staple export of the Valley
(Plant, 207).
After obtaining his inheritance, Col. Nathaniel Burwell
established his own quarters in the Valley. By 1774, half of the
tobacco he produced was grown in the Shenandoah Valley and
27% of his total profits were derived from his Valley operations
(Plant, 280). Tobacco production in the Tidewater began to
suffer due to soil exhaustion, making land holdings in the Valley
all the more important. Other Tidewater planters who also had
quarters in the Valley included Hugh Nelson, Robert Carter, and
John Page (Separate, 10).
At this time, King Carter was also settling the land, but in
a very different way. In 1730, he issued huge tracts of land held
by the Northern Neck Proprietary to his family, including 89,800
acres east of the Blue Ridge (Early, 3). In addition, he leased in
perpetuity 50,212 acres on the west bank of the Shenandoah,
which were tended by slaves and overseers (Shadow, 9). During
this time, King Carters heirs established tenancies and quarters
in the Valley (Separate, 3). A quarter consisted of five hundred
to one thousand acres, worked by ten slaves who were managed
by an overseer (Separate, 10). Soon after inheriting Valley land
it seems, Col. Burwells grandfather, also Nathaniel Burwell, was
leasing land for tobacco plantations that later became part of Col.
Burwells Carter Hall estate (Pioneers, 429).
By the time of the Revolution, approximately 350-400
acres of the lower Valley were devoted to tobacco, which historian
Samuel Kercheval wrote was first introduced and pursued by
immigrants from the eastern counties of Virginia (Plant, 279).
Despite the economic importance of the Valley to Col. Burwell,
he remained at Carters Grove, in the culturally and politically
important Tidewater area, becoming the County Lieutenant of
James City County militia in 1776 (Civil, 8).
By the mid-1770s the population of the Shenandoah
Valley was around 35,000 with concentrations of greater than ten
persons per mile in Frederick County. Commercial trade became
more prominent than subsistence farming, making gristmills very
important features of the early industrial landscape (Fred, 15).
Wheat prices, unlike other products critical to supporting the war
effort such as hemp for rope, beef, and tobacco, doubled after the
Revolution (Plant, 280).
In the 1780s planters from Tidewater Virginia, many
of whom had already established quarters, began migrating to
the Valley to take advantage of productive land (Shadow, 8).
7
Lewis Burwell
Robert King Carter
Judith Armistead
Elizabeth Carter
Lucy Ludwell
Grymes
Susanna Grymes
7 sons, 1 daughter
Philip (inherits
Chapel Green 814
acres)
Lewis (inherits
Agnes
Thomas Hugh
Burwell
Virginia Sharpe
Margueritte Crenshaw
Burwell
Isabella Dixon
Thomas Burwell
Col. Nathaniel
Burwell
Carter Hall
Carter III
Inherits Carters
Grove
Nathaniel
The Vineyard
Elizabeth
Burwell
Joanna Burwell
Robert
Burwell
6 daughters
Maj. Nathaniel
Burwell (d. 1721)
Fairfield
Carter Burwell
Carters Grove
Lucy Higginson
inherits River
Farm - 636 acres)
Thomas Hugh
Eliza Page Burwell
Nelson Burwell
(marries Thomas Hugh
Burwell Randolph 1868) (inherits Spout Run
Farm - 760 acres)
George H. Burwell
Nathaniel
G. Lambert
Rosalie Wheat
Charles Burwell
Driven by high wheat prices, the year 1790 began a period
of economic prosperity for the Valley that lasted until the Civil
War (Separate, 3). That same year, Col. Burwell began importing
horses to his 8,000 acres of land (NBEV) west of the Blue Ridge,
which became an important economic and social feature of the
Valley (Breeding, 8). Within several years, the entire Burwell
family was living year-round at Brookside, their temporary house
in Millwood (Tract, 6). Brookside was located along Spout Run
within short walking distance of the Burwell-Morgan gristmill
where it remains today as a private residence.
Tobacco prices continued to decline in the 1790s and
Burwell sought to capitalize on the more important commodity,
wheat (Separate, 11). By 1796 Col. Burwell had diversified to
Figure 4 - Brookside, the first Valley home for the Col. Burwell family. [Credit: Author]
Around 1799, the Colonel had given the Tidewater
plantation at Carters Grove to his son, Carter Burwell, to run
and focused his attentions solely on the Valley (Cartgen, 5).
In the spring of 1800 the roof of the new house was
being painted, or perhaps stained (Cartgen, 8), and glass windows
were installed in the cellar that same year (Ledger, 1800). By
December of 1803 a secondary east wing as well as a dependency
to the west of the house had been added (Mutual Assurance
Society Policy #2290, December 24, 1803). Both structures were
built of stone with wood roofs. It is not clear what purpose the
secondary east wing served, but it may have been a kitchen. An
1803 insurance policy valued the house at $10,000 and the school
at $1,000. The west dependency, used as a school house, may
actually have been built as early as 1797 (Civil, 11). However,
further research to locate an insurance policy dating to 1797 is
necessary to confirm this early date. According to the Mutual
Assurance Society, with whom Col. Burwell was insured,
policies were reevaluated every seven years or when additions
were made to the policy. It is known that in September of 1800
large pine tables had been made for the School House, which
helps to narrow the date of construction further (Ledger, 1800).
By 1805 Col. Burwells insurance policy was amended
to include an east dependency. The stone and wood building,
which provided symmetry for the house was used as a kitchen
and sleeping quarters for three slaves (Civil, 11) and featured a
ten-foot wide fireplace along the western wall.
Benjamin Henry Latrobe has been credited with the
design of Carter Hall (Separate, 12). Sometime around 1805,
Latrobe assisted the Colonels first cousin, Robert Carter
Burwell, in designing a house nearby named Long Branch. It
is interesting to note that like Carter Hall, Long Branch was
situated adjacent a powerful spring on rolling fields with views
to the Shenandoah and Blue Ridge Mountains to the east and
south. It is also possible that Col. Burwell may have designed the
house himself by utilizing style books such as those by William
Adam, William Kent, and James Gibbs which were common
among Colonial gentlemen (Shadow, 9). An entry in Colonel
Burwells disbursement ledger dated May 8, 1801 indicates he
purchased a Book on Archetecture [sic] (Ledger). While this
was clearly after the mansion had been built, it may have informed
the design of outbuildings, gardens, or the property as a whole.
Wall
Smoke House
School House
Stone Dwelling House
20
40
feet
Kitchen House
11
12
which Mrs. Burwell was drying fruit was planted by 1801, or more
likely, by 1797 - the year the Burwells moved into Carter Hall.
It is unknown when the outbuildings located at the
northern extent of the north yard were built, although records
reviewed from the Mutual Assurance Society suggest that it was
after 1805. Based on their stylistic similarity to the house, the
fact that there are six of them, and the intensive labor required
to build them, the stone outbuildings in the north yard likely
also date to the Col. Nathaniel Burwell period. Further research
into insurance records held at the Library of Virginia archives is
necessary to determine an exact date. It is suggested that by 1805
the mansion property contained an ash house (used for making
soap), a corn kiln house, a poultry store, store house, laundry,
stables, gardeners house and shed, shop and shed, and habitations
for the household slaves as follows: Sallys and Pattys houses,
Billys and Worsters Houses, Nats House and Mimys and
Cook Betsys Houses (Cartgen, 8). In essence, by 1805, Carter
Hall was a self-sufficient plantation (Civil, 13). One component
of self-sufficient plantations were slave gardens, which were often
referred to as huck patches (Sarudy, 55). While there is evidence
that such slave gardens existed in Clarke County, at least in later
periods (Gold, 98), there is no indication of where a huck patch
may have existed at Carter Hall.
The pattern of the outbuildings on the landscape is unclear,
although household activity was likely contained around the north
yard. In the Tidewater, Virginia plantation holders had spacious
properties to accommodate rotating fields and diverse functional
areas. In order to maintain oversight and access to their vast fields,
plantation owners often placed their houses at the center of their
property (Separate, 15), such as at Stratford Hall. However, this
was not always the organizing factor for plantation landscapes,
as evidenced by Kings Mill, Carters Grove and many other James
River plantations. Today, the hilly topography to the east and
south of Carter Hall seems to create a natural divide between the
household areas and the intensive agriculture and industrial areas
beyond, however the original organization is unclear.
13
carter hall
House Mill
Figure 6 - General map of the Carter Hall landscape showing location of mills used by the Carter Hall plantation, the town of Millwood, and properties once belonging to the
original Carter Hall estate. [Credit: Author; base: Google Maps]
15
A ledger entry specifies payment for making a Box to
gather Vegetables in (Ledger, July 2, 1803). The importance of
the garden for providing produce for the household and perhaps
other uses is further exemplified by the Colonels estate appraisal
which lists a pair of mill scales and weights (Estate).
A gardeners house and shed were built sometime before
1805, both of which were listed in the Colonels ledger on the
omissions page (Ledger), though the date is illegible. The privy
houses may have also been located in or adjacent to the garden. A
ledger entry from 1803 notes that garden posts were hewed
for the privey [sic] houses fence (Ledger, 1803).
At least one other fenced-in garden area, technically an
orchard, also existed, producing fruit by 1804. The orchard was
surrounded by a high enclosure (Civil, 12).
The layout, contents and character of the garden are
uncertain. And though the author explored various possibilities
including the three below, it is unknown who designed the
garden. Although garden designs were frequently developed
by landowners themselves or by professional acquaintances,
it seems that it was more common for designs to be generated
by professional gardeners brought to the colonies as indentured
servants. Once the professional, though indentured, gardeners had
implemented successful designs, less skilled workers were relied
on to maintain them although professional gardeners oversaw
management (Sarudy, 79).
Prior to the Revolutionary War this maintenance work
was performed by indentured white servants as well as free
and slave blacks (Sarudy, 78). Landowners who had established
gardens that met their household needs were known to have sold
the remainder of their gardeners indenture to other landowners,
or to rent out their unused time to other landowners looking for
new designs or special horticultural assistance (Sarudy, 79).
17
After the Revolution, it became more common for wealthy
land owners to hire independent professional gardeners (Sarudy,
78).
Little evidence was found to indicate that Col. Burwell
took interest in garden design, though he did purchase a book
on architecture in 1801 (Ledger, May 8, 1801). However, in
March of 1803 Col. Burwell paid passage of a man the author
transcribed as Aaron Wands from London (Ledger, 1803). This
may have occurred after a garden had already been put in place
and the indentured servant may have been employed in another
skilled trade, perhaps as a blacksmith. The year that Mr. Wands
travelled to Virginia coincides with the April 1803 conversion of
the Vineyard Tavern to a blacksmith shop. While this is purely
conjectural and requires further research, it is known from the
appraisal of Col. Burwells estate sometime after 1814 that an
enslaved blacksmith named Nat worked at Island Farm (Estate)
who would have been trained by a skilled tradesman, perhaps
Aaron Wands.
A second possible designer for the Carter Hall garden is
a slave named James. According to an unpublished manuscript
written by Kent Brinkley entitled, Plantsmen and Tradesmen,
cited in Sarudy (1996), one Nathaniel Burwell had a slave named
James who was much coveted by the Williamsburg gentry. James
had served under four head gardeners at the Governors Palace
and was considered a master at pruning fruit trees, transplanting
native seedlings, and forcing plants in hot beds and bell glasses
(Sarudy, 86). It was common during the era for landowners
to rent out the services of slaves and indentured servants with
special skills, a practice which not only provided their owners with
additional income, but provided more landowners with access
to skilled labor, which they might not have otherwise been able
to afford (Sarudy, 79). Both Governors Botetourt and Francis
Fauquier paid twelve pounds per year to rent James services from
the Burwell family, while Governor John Murray Dunmore and
18
to eat meals and savor cool breezes and the fragrance of blooms
(Sarudy, 107). The garden may have been an especially important
place for women, who rarely left the house or ventured beyond
the immediate vicinity of their gardens and grounds. Women
utilized the garden as a space to stroll in the cooler evening, while
men used the garden as a space to entertain guests (Sarudy, 108).
For wealthy planters in early Virginia, the garden was
the gentlemans stage and a device with which to help define his
position in the emerging republic. In order to project a positive
image of themselves to passers-by landowners designed gardens
and spaces around their homes that displayed order, control,
and regularity (Sarudy, 49). As Benjamin Henry Latrobe, an
architect and landscape designer often credited with the design
the house for Carter Hall, wrote in 1798, When you stand upon
the summit of a hill, and see an extensive country of woods and
fields without interruption spread before you, you look at it with
pleasurethis pleasure is perhaps very much derived from a sort
of consciousness of superiority of position to all the monotony
below you (Sarudy, 32).
In addition to providing landowners with a visual
expression of their place in society, gardens were central to family
life (ASLA, 4).The garden served as a recreation and gathering area.
During hot weather at least one small area of the garden, typically
adjacent the house, was used for family gatherings (ASLA, 4)
19
18th century gardens also provided important food
resources as well as recreational spaces and were often protected
by fencing. (Favretti & Favretti, 15). Wooden paling fences were
most common, but in rocky terrain, such as that of Carter Hall,
stones cleared from building sites and agricultural fields were
used (Favretti & Favretti, 15). Stone walls, like those constructed
of brick, were typically found in gardens of wealthy landowners.
Those wealthy enough to have stone walls made use of them
to espalier fruit. The stone absorbed the heat of the sun and to
ripen produce sooner (Sarudy, 62). Kitchen gardens commonly
contained hot boxes as well as raised planting beds (Favretti &
Favretti, 15).
A common recreational feature of Colonial gardens was
a bowling green. These smooth, level turf lawns were typically
located at the highest terrace level of the garden and provided a
100 foot by 200 foot rectangular court for playing bowls. Bowling
greens were often slightly depressed below the surrounding
ground surface to form a barrier for balls (Sarudy, 34).
Walkways exhibited the marriage of utility and ornament,
with shade and visual screening provided by alles of fruit-bearing
trees (Sarudy, 55). The alles were usually wider through the center
of the garden than the secondary intersecting paths (Sarudy, 57).
In rural agricultural areas, early gardens were more functional
and walks and paths were not as rigid as garden parterres in
towns. Rural gardens did have parterres, although they were
located closer to the house if part of the plan (CG, 23). Walkways
often terminated at decorative features such as benches, gates,
or sculptural features such as fountains or astrolabes. It was also
common for walkways to terminate in grassy mounts or small
constructed earth mounds which afforded more extensive views
of the surrounding landscape (Sarudy, 33).
Garden areas were often defined by a single or double row
of hedges or trees (Sarudy, 57). Planting beds were also frequently
bordered with ornamental plants and herbs, providing sensory,
medicinal, and culinary benefit (Favretti & Favretti, 15).
During the second half of the 18th century gardens
featured flowers segregated by type rather than arranged in
intricate designs and knots as they were earlier in the century
(Sarudy, 27). After the Revolution, turf gained popularity
particularly for wealthy landowners whose terraces were defined
by plain grass flats (Sarudy, 27).
Colonial gardens often featured elements other than
plants. Fishponds were popular features of early American
gardens for both decorative and culinary purposes (Sarudy, 61).
Garden sheds and decorative houses (follies) were also common.
Landscape Gardens
Decorative alteration of the landscape often extended
beyond the enclosed kitchen garden, particularly in rural areas.
By the late 1700s, wealthy properties covering vast acreage were
designed in the natural style (CG, 22), which sought to create
a bucolic setting for the manor house. This English style which
reached its height under landscape gardeners such as Lancelot
Capability Brown (CG, 22) was focused on connecting the house
to the larger landscape by opening views to natural areas beyond
the house as well as framing views within the property (CG, 23).
The approach to the house was emphasized to heighten the sense
of arrival (CG, 23). To achieve these goals, designers utilized
carefully placed clumps of trees in turf lawns (CG, 23) as well as
the natural or enhanced topography of the site. Native trees and
plants composed the vegetal palate and were placed informally
(Favretti & Favretti, 27) to mimic natural conditions. Fences were
used sparingly to maintain unobstructed views into the distance
(CG, 23). In order to keep out grazing animals, ha-ha walls were
constructed (Favretti & Favretti, 27).
Garden Management
Garden design in the 18th century was under the purview
of the master of the house, whether he composed the design
himself or oversaw the design work of a hired designer (Sarudy,
48). The master of the house also oversaw the more practical
aspects of the grounds and gardens while their wives supervised
greenhouse activities (Sarudy, 48). The lady of the house also
toured the gardens daily in order to develop a menu for the
kitchen staff (Sarudy, 107) and supervise garden management
(Sarudy, 78).
The ha-ha was the first element of the Picturesque, or
natural style to come to Virginia prior to 1740, and was used by
Thomas Lee as part of his 1730 design for Stratford Hall (Korn,
96). By 1770, the picturesque style was established along the
21
At right:
Burwell family gardens were likely strongly influential in the design of the
original garden at Carter Hall. A diagrammatic study of the gardens at Kingsmill (built
by Col. Nathaniels uncle) where Nathaniel spent much of his childhood and Carters
Grove (built by Nathaniels father) show similarity of house layout and placement of the
formal garden in relationship to living spaces. The three houses also appear to share
an orientation towards a formal prospect.
Noteworthy differences between Carter Hall and the two precedent properties
include the fact that the likely extent of the Carter Hall garden area was smaller, and
may not have been symmetrical across the house and dependencies. The eastern
boundary of the original Carter Hall north yard was identified by the researcher based
on the original service buildings. Further research into the evolution of the outbuildings
at Carter Hall may help to clarify the extent of the formal garden during the Colonel
Burwell period.
Office
Turf Ramp
Kitchen
Planting Bed
Fence
School House
Gate
Facade
To River
(unverified)
Gate
Facade
To River
Ditch
Facade
To Blue Ridge
Mtns.
Scale Approximate
100
Figure 7 - Precedent Garden Study; it is likely that Col. Burwells design of Carter Hall was influenced by the layout and design of his familys properties in the Tidewater. [Credit: Author]
23
Both family estates were located approximately five
miles east of Williamsburg, the 18th century capital of Virginia
colony. Williamsburg was a focal point for many things during
this time including politics and courts, markets and trade, as well
as consumables and fashions. In addition, it was also a locus of
an active trade in garden seeds and plants and dissemination of
style and horticultural knowledge by professional English- and
Scottish-trained gardeners (Trade, 14).
If the original garden at Carter Hall was based on family
precedent established at Kingsmill and Carters Grove, then it
is likely that the garden was rectangular, contained shallow turf
terraces close to the house and symmetrical rectangular planting
beds organized about a long central walkway. Additionally, the
garden was likely enclosed by fencing and organized hierarchically
with small fruits, decorative flowers, and greenhouse located closer
to the mansion. A larger kitchen garden was likely located at the
northern end of the yard, closer to the line of outbuildings.
24
hen Col. Nathaniel Burwell died in 1814, his
estate had not yet been deeded to his descendents. While most
of the land was later divided amongst his survivors, the Carter
Hall mansion tract was a valuable and contested property. The
Colonels two oldest sons, George Harrison and Thomas Hugh
Nelson Burwell were entered into a special lottery in which the
two brothers were the only participants (Civil, 14). George was
the lucky winner of the lottery, inheriting Carter Hall and 147
surrounding acres (Houses, 67).
George continued his fathers farming operations on
the tracts he inherited, which, based on records uncovered to
date, appears to have focused on Island Farm. Records indicate
that George grew corn and red and white wheat and that his
farming operation was very successful, with corn being sent to the
distillery as well as being milled for his horses and the people
(VHS Burwell Papers 1770-1965, Section 8). It is also possible
that the farm was either rented out, or managed by a hired
assistant named James Richeson (VHS Burwell Papers 17701965, Section 8). During this period, George began subscribing
to industry periodicals such as American Farmer. High wheat
prices during the 1820s and 1830s brought a new wave of
and short-lived (Twenty, 149): the river route, which was only
navigable in the spring (Gold, 23) lost popularity when railroads
came to the Valley in the 1870s (Wayland).
26
(Civil, 17) and added a secondary east wing to the main house
(Shadow, 45), throwing off the symmetry the original design
enjoyed. Several receipts for large quantities of plaster of Paris
indicate that George may have covered the original stonework
with a stucco appearance as early as 1827 (Papers 1770-1796,
Folder 6).
The most dramatic alteration to the house, which remains
today, is a 72-foot long full-faade portico extending the length of
the central block of the main house. The portico features 30-foot
tall Roman Ionic columns constructed with hand-carved capitals
(Shadow, 45). The design for the porch is popularly credited to
Dr. William Thornton, designer of the United States Capitol
and the Octagon House, a home in Washington, D.C. built for
Georges cousin, Colonel John Tayloe. While no evidence has yet
been found to prove that Thornton was responsible for the design,
it is certain the two men knew each other, and likely considered
each other close associates. Dr. Thorntons champion race horse,
and noted sire, Rattler was stabled at Carter Hall from 1826
to 1827, (Shadow, 45) around the time the portico is thought to
have been built.
George pumped water from the spring approximately 300
yards to the main house for use in the yard and the stables. Wooden
pipes laid during this time were unearthed by landscapers during
the 20th century (Civil, 20).
Overall, it seems that the garden at Carter Hall under
George Burwell was of a solidly colonial style, which was
common until 1840 (Favretti, 9). Decorative elements mingled
with the kitchen garden, and decorative Bantam hens roamed the
yard ( James, 337). As the 19th century drew to a close gardens
grew less formal, which Andrew Jackson Downings vigorously
promoted as an American natural grounds movement.
The farm label and the fact that the stable north of
the house held specific wagons used to transport produce to
Alexandria (as well as return supplies for the house) ( James,
337), may indicate that the mansion tract was farmed at a scale
larger than a kitchen garden used to provision the house. There
is no clear indication of where large scale agriculture may have
taken place, but it likely occurred close to the boundary with
Millwood. LiDAR data of the southern boundary of the property
may yield clues in future. To date, only a small plot just south
of the front gate has been discovered using remote sensing data.
Unfortunately, there is no indication of the areas age.
It is not certain at what point the major design work was
completed at Carter Hall, however it is possible that much of
it was finished before July 1826, when a visitor to Carter Hall
commented that Carter Hall was a noble place, grand in every
sense. It is like a court and its inhabitants like courtiers...whatever
tends to sweeten life is there enjoyed in abundance (Cartgen,
11).
Gardening appears to have been a sustained interest of
George and his family. A receipt from March 28, 1860 shows
that George H. Burwell Esq. purchased grape vines, pit fruit
trees, and rose bushes from Thomas Allen of Winchester Gardens
(VHS Burwell family papers, 1770-1965 Section 6 Thomas
Allen). The selection included at least four varieties of roses and
twelve grape vines of a variety that appears to have included
Catawba, Madeira and a third variety the researcher was unable
to decipher (see figure 10).
Winchester Gardens
March 28, 1860
Bought of
Thomas Allen
6 Apricot [ ] 2.25
2 Chancellor peach
3 Early new [ ] [ ]
2 Large Black Heart
3 Large French Mignon
2 Violet Hative
12 [ ]
2.25
12 Grape vines (variety) ~ 50
1
1
1
1
6.00
10.50
1.75 [ ]
$12.25
Figure 10 - A receipt from local nursery owner, Thomas Allen, shows that George Burwell purchased apricots and five types of peaches, 12 grape vines, and four varieties
of roses (three of which were climbing roses). Allen included a note at the bottom of the receipt explaining the three types of grapes included in the delivery: Catawba, Natalia
(?) and Madeira. Allen explained the choice of grape varieties saying he had acquired them from a man with 20 years experience in the region and that they were best
suited to the valley environment. Allen also noted that another variety of heart peach Burwell requested had sold out. The researcher was unable to decipher the remainder
of the note. By the 1880s there were large commercial orchards in the Valley focusing on apples and peaches (Birds Eye).
Nurseryman and seed grower Robert Buist published a gardening guide in 1857 that provides insight into the varieties mentioned in the Allen receipt. According to Buist,
White Boursalt (also known as rose de Lisle, Boursalt Florida, Calypso, Pompone Florida, and Bengal Florida, and imported under these names) is a blush white flower and
often very large and handsome. It is a climbing pillar rose and is double flowering. Buist also provides information on Noisette roses which originated in Charleston, South
Carolina where they were developed by a man named Noisette around 1815. The roses were created by crossing a white musk and common China rose. They have a
profusion of flowers from June to November and are great for covering fences, pillars, or trellis. They are also a fairly hardy variety (AFD, 77). [Credit: VHS Burwell family
papers, 1770-1965. Section 6 Folder MSS 1B9585a 42 Thomas Allen. Transcribed by author]
30
Scottish gardeners were the most sought-after gardeners
in the colonies, as they were in Georgian England (Trade, 15)
(approximately 1714-1830). In addition to their ambition, work
ethic, reliability, and frugal nature, Scottish gardeners were
sought after for their above average education which frequently
included geology, chemistry, meteorology, physics, and botany
(Trade, 15). George Washington sought a Scottish gardener
for another practical reason: a similarity of climate between the
middle States of this Country and southern and middle areas of
Scotland (Letter to James Anderson of Scotland, 4/7/1797).
Washington was very pleased with William Spence, and
found Spence to be industrious sober and orderly and very
knowledgeable about his business although perhaps younger
than he would have liked (Letter to James Anderson of Scotland,
7/25/1798, Mount Vernon Estate). So trusted and well-liked
was William Spence, who was paid 35 pounds per year in 1798
(GW, 4/6/1799, Cash Memoranda, 46 [88]), that he continued
working at Mount Vernon following George Washingtons
death, and served as a witness to Martha Washingtons will,
signed on September 22, 1800 (Mary V. Thompson, Personal
communication).
After serving at Mount Vernon, it is possible that William
Spence might have attempted to work as a self-employed garden
designer. With the favorable reviews and good reputation he
undoubtedly had in order to witness Mrs. Washingtons will,
William Spence could apply to be a head gardener of a minor
gentleman on a small- to moderate-sized estate (Trade, 17).
However gardener-turned-designers typically faced stiff
competition from men with higher status backgrounds such as
painters, architects, builders, doctors, pharmacists, and minor
gentleman who often tried their hand at garden design as a way
to make extra money.
Despite having the clear advantage of horticultural
knowledge, gardeners needed to be abreast of current fashions
something only gained through direct contact with members of
31
32
a very large black walnut tree located near the turn of the road
in the Carter Hall grove (Cartgen, 17). The Generals visit in the
fall of 1862 provided another great anecdote, as his surgeon, Dr.
Hunter H. McGuire, performed a very successful cataract surgery
on George on the grand portico of Carter Hall.
Other troop visits in 1862 were not nearly as pleasant.
Some of Brigadier General Ludwig Blenkers brigade of 10,000
volunteers from New York and Pennsylvania known as Blenkers
Dutch (although they were actually Germans) ransacked Carter
Hall. After raiding the wine cellar, the drunken troops broke china
and glass, ransacked intimate apparel belonging to the ladies of the
house, and proved a generally menacing sight. Luckily, a Union
officer brought an end to their destructive activities and stationed
a guard at the house to protect the family. While no members of
the house were physically harmed during the incident, the event
left a lasting impression on the family and led George to pour
out his stores of alcohol, except for a small amount hidden in
the attic of the East dependency. (Civil, 24) The family silver was
also secreted from marauding troops, hidden in the attic of the
secondary east wing ( James, 336).
The most devastating event of the war for the Burwell
family also occurred in 1862, with the death of their oldest son,
Nathaniel, a Sergeant Major of the Nelson Rifles, Company C,
2nd Virginia Regiment, Stonewall Brigade. Having been sick for
quite some time, Nathaniel had been ordered to hospital before
the battle of Second Manassas. Itching for battle, Nathaniel left
the hospital to find his company. Riding through the countryside,
he was unable to find his fellow Rifles and joined up with a
Texas regiment instead. Sadly, Nathaniel was mortally wounded
in battle, later dying at a field hospital at Mercer (Cartgen, 17).
Agnes took Nathaniels sword home as a cherished
memento of her deceased son. During a raid by Federal troops,
she dropped the sword out of her bedroom window to avoid its
seizure by the Yankees.
33
Below her bedroom window was a large bush, called the chamber
which was likely a mock-orange ( James, 337).
Unfortunately, as troops chased the Bantam hens around
the yard looking for a fresh meal, some of the birds sought
shelter under the chamber leading troops directly to the swords
hiding spot. Presumably, the sword was taken as a war bounty
( James, 338). At the termination of the war, George Jr. was the
only survivor of three sons. Nathaniel was killed at the battle of
Manassas in 1862 and Robert was killed at Brandy Station in
1863 (Gold, 231).
It appears that George, at over 60 years of age, also enrolled
in the Nelson Rifles to serve as an example to the younger men
(Gold, 44), although it is unclear when he joined the troop.
Both armies continued to use Carter Hall as a rest stop in
1863. In June of 1863 Alexanders Battalion (a unit of Longstreets
First Corps.) camped in Millwood for three days before marching
to a better location in a grove of treeson the grounds of a
gentleman named Burwell whose house they found to be the
handsomest in the Valley (Cartgen, 19). One of Alexanders
men, Dr. William Watts Parker later wrote that the grounds of
Carter Hall were of rare beautyThere was a spring on this
place which was remarkable even in that land of abundant and
healthful waters. It flowed from under huge gray rocks, cold and
sparkling, in a torrent that might have turned a mill-wheel. How
we drank, and drank again (Cartgen, 19). Union troops under
the command of General Pickett also camped in the Carter Hall
grove soon after the Battle of Gettysburg and just on the heels of
a defeat along the Shenandoah River (Carter Hall, 19) in 1863,
taking shelter under an oak (HGW), which may have been the
knoll above the spring.
During this time, Yankee forces patrolled the area around
Millwood and Carter Hall, looking for Confederate forces
34
(Civil, 44). It is also thought that soldiers hid in the caves adjacent
to the Carter Hall spring during the War (Muldoon). Confederate
troops also made use of the Millwood mill after collecting grain
from the countryside (Gold, 45).
Despite the unpleasant situation of war in the Valley,
Carter Hall remained the social center of an area extending east
from Berrys Ferry on the Shenandoah, to the town of Millwood
and up to the Old Chapel (Cartgen, 21). During the war, Carter
Hall entertained at least one Confederate soldier on furlough,
who described leisurely long dinners and late breakfasts, a distinct
difference from his military routine (Civil, 23). And, in August of
1864 Brevet Major General Wesley Merritt camped on the sofa
in the first floor hall (Cartgen, 20).
At the conclusion of the Civil War, only two homes in
the Valley, Frankford and Hill and Dale had been destroyed;
however, the landscape had definitely been altered (Shadow,
10). As a member of Alexanders Battalion reported in 1863, the
town of Millwood had been devastated by Federal troops who
had taken everything but the land (Cartgen, 19). Not unlike
their neighbors, nearly all of Carter Halls livestock had been
sequestered or stolen, most of the split rail fences had been used
for camp fires, most of its fields were lying fallow (Civil, 44).
Luckily, the mansion and outbuildings remained undamaged and
the natural setting, the grove and spring, remained unspoiled
(Cartgen, 19).
The loss of livestock, damage to infrastructure, and the
end of slavery signaled an end to the lavish lifestyle enjoyed
by plantation owners. Carter Hall, like many estates, was left
greatly impoverished by the war. Compounding the loss of their
property was the loss of their liquid assets, which George had
used to purchase Confederate States bonds (Breeding, 18).
Figure 11 - George Burwell will. [Credit: VHS Burwell family papers, 1770-1965, Section 13: bond,
1819-1871, of George Harrison Burwell. Transcribed by the author]
35
eorge Jr., the youngest son of George and Agnes
Burwell, and next owner of Carter Hall, was born in 1848 in the
old school house while the main mansion was being repaired.
(Cartgen, 21) George Jr. went on to receive a university education
thanks to his maternal uncle who was president of HampdenSydney, and allowed him to stay with him, helping to save money.
After studying law at the University of Virginia for a year, he
practiced law in the offices of Major Robert Stile in Richmond
(Cartgen, 21).
Upon his fathers death in 1873, George Jr. inherited
the Carter Hall tract as part of approximately 650 acres, which
included the land on which Mount Airy would later be built
(Record, 25). However, the family did not stay at Carter Hall, but
rather moved away, and the house was rented out. By 1880 Agnes
was staying with her daughter at Saratoga (VHS Burwell Papers
1770-1965, Section 8), the house built by Daniel Morgan, while
George remained in Richmond (Spur).
It is unclear when the family moved out of Carter Hall,
but it seems by 1876 the family was either hosting paying guests
36
37
round 1883 George Jr. and Agnes Burwell sold Carter
Hall to four sisters from Wilmington, Delaware. One of the
Sharpe sisters, Virginia, had married Thomas Hugh Burwell, great
grandson of Colonel Burwell, in 1882 (Civil, 46). This connection
is perhaps how the Sisters discovered the property.
Virginia and Thomas had three daughters, Emily, Sybilla,
and Elizabeth. It seems the girls had a lively childhood during
their time at Carter Hall. An anecdote tells of them breaking
the cardinal rule: no farm animals in the house. After the three
youngsters snuck a lamb up to the attic one summer day, the
animal fell through the unattached covering at the top of one
the columns. Their angry father contemplated leaving the lamb
in the column, but due to the heat and impending smell, Thomas
instead fetched the smallest colored boy on the estate and
lowered him down to retrieve the animal. Both the child and the
animal returned from the column unharmed (Spur, 9).
Thomas held horse shows and jousting tournaments on
the grounds of Carter Hall. The natural amphitheater below
the house held the annual festivities. The winner of the jousting
38
39
ben Richards, Jr. was born in 1866 in St. Louis,
Missouri, where his father, Eben Richards owned a wholesale
grocery (Harvard). In 1886 he graduated with an A.B. (artium
baccalaureus) from Harvard University (Phi, 132) and in 1888
graduated from St. Louis Law School with an LL.B. (legum
doctor) (Harvard). Eight years later, Eben married Perle Pierce
and the couple had two children, Eben Jr. and Minnie (Class, 72).
Eben practiced law, and by 1900 had partnered to form
Johnson & Richards. By 1901, he was teaching at the St. Louis
Law School and the Marion Sims Medical College (Class, 72).
Eben also was a public servant and was been elected to the St.
Louis City Council on the Republican ticket for a four-year term
in 1899 (Class, 72).
In 1902, Eben purchased Carter Hall from Thomas
Burwell following the passing of all four Sharpe Sisters
(Property Deed - Project HOPE Scrapbook). Richards was
not related to the Burwell family by birth or by marriage and
he has been called the first outsider to own Carter Hall (Civil,
46). According to Stuart Brown, Eben may have been part of a
migration of wealthy people from St. Louis to Clarke County
40
during the early 20th century (Civil, 47). The reason for such
a migration is unknown, but perhaps may be related to the
resurgence of interest in horse sports at the beginning of the 20th
century. During this time the population of Clarke County grew
to include summer residents, such as the Mayos of Richmond
who built Powhatan, as well as others drawn to the Valley by
horse racing, fox hunting and other outdoor sports (Shadow, 10).
As a newspaper article from the period states, Around Boyce and
Millwood are clustered so many beauty spots where people of
wealth have built fine mansions and created parks (Beauties).
By 1903 Eben had purchased six tracts of land belonging
to the original estate, with the hopes of restoring the property.
However, it does not seem that Eben Richards ever lived on the
property (Civil, 47). Rather, Richards remained in St. Louis,
and hired a farm manager to run the property in his absence.
The manager lived in the mansion and farmed Richards tracts
without much help. His time and attentions were stretched thin
and Carter Hall became more of a working landscape than a
mansion: crops were stored in empty rooms and the garden was
neglected to grow as it wished (Spur, 10). Photos from the period
show sheep in the South Yard (Figure 14) and pallet fencing
surrounding young trees, indicating the agricultural nature of the
property as well as some active management of the landscape.
By 1907 Eben Richards was listed as a Sustaining Member
of the Special Committee on Employment for the Infirm in the
state of New York, lending credibility to the idea that Richards
never lived at Carter Hall.
Mr. Richards was clearly interested in the pursuits of the
gentleman farmer, having cows on the Register of The HolsteinFriesian Association of America in both 1913 (HOL 1913) and
1917 (HOL). Eben also raised Dorset Sheep and was a member
of the Continental Dorset Club in 1915. At this time, Eben
was raising animals in Oxford Depot, New York, where he held
several farms (Woodhull), one of which may have been called
Pleasant Valley Farm (Dorset).
It seems that Eben Richards had plans for renovating
the mansion. Richards commissioned famous New York
architect Henry Bacon Jr. to generate renovation plans for the
house.
Bacon is perhaps best known for designing the Lincoln
Memorial in Washington D.C. The designs for the house were
featured at the Seventeenth Annual Exhibition of the Chicago
Architectural Club, hosted by the Art Institute of Chicago in the
spring of 1904.
While his exact plans for Carter Hall are not known, it
has been proposed that Richards was interested in developing an
educational facility at Carter Hall similar to one he is thought to
have run on one of his farms in New York (Stuart, 2003). Henry
Bacon Jr.s architectural plans for Carter Hall held by the Olin
Library of Wesleyan University support the idea that Richards
was planning to renovate the property for institutional use.
Figure 12 - The ruins of an early spring house. The hillside is quite free of
Figure 13 - This photo from the Eben Richards period shows the lack of plantings at
the base of the portico and livestock fencing in line with the front steps. [Credit: Project
HOPE Scrapbook]
Figure 14 - Sheep, possibly Dorsets, graze on the Carter Hall grounds, likely in the
southwest area. [Credit: Project HOPE Scrapbook]
41
The eastern wing of the first floor is comprised of two
adjoining dining rooms, a butlers pantry, rest rooms, and
additional servants quarters.
Bacon redesigned the connection of the house to the north
garden to provide small gathering and viewing spaces by piazzas
to the outside of the east and west wings. Bacon also created a
generous terrace on the north side of the house, connecting the
two wings. The stone-tiled terrace measured 25 feet in width,
and provided ample room for a large gathering. The terrace was
contained by a stone balustrade with a central opening for a
12-foot wide staircase, allowing visitors to proceed into the
garden.
Bacon further connected the house to the landscape by
adding porches to the dependencies, that overlooked the south
lawn. A piazza on the north side of the east dependency provided
a walkway parallel to the house, connecting the office and the
garden.
The plan generated by Henry Bacon for Carter Hall
certainly supports the idea that Eben Richards intended the
property to be used for institutional purposes rather than as a
private estate. While the design is certainly grand, the inclusion
of elements such as two dining rooms rather than one grand
dining hall, and the subdivision of the entry hall seems contrary
to the design of estates intended for gracious entertaining.
Right:
Figure 17 - Bacon First Floor Plan. [Credit: Wesleyan University Special Collections]
43
Henry Bacon Jr. (1866-1924) is regarded as one of the
preeminent American architects of his era. The son of an engineer
for the U.S. Engineer Department, he left coursework at the
University of Illinois after only a year to work as a draftsman for
the Boston architecture firm of Chamberlain and Whidden. After
a short time in Boston, Bacon found work in New York with one
of the most prestigious and innovative architecture firms of the
late 19th and early 20th centuries, McKim, Mead and White.
Bacon seems to have preferred monument and institutional
design as well as campus planning and rarely designed residences,
which seems to have been a courtesy extended only to friends
(NCP). Of the four designs Bacon submitted to the 1904
Chicago Architectural Club design competition, Carter Hall was
the only residence. The other three designs were for monuments,
all located in New York (AIC).
His talent won him the Rotch Travelling Scholarship, and
Bacon spent two years studying the architecture of Europe before
returning to work at McKim, Mead and White. Bacon entered
a partnership in 1897 with a colleague before opening his own
practice in 1903.
Henry Bacon Jr. died in 1924, several days after undergoing
surgery for intestinal cancer. He was buried in Wilmington, North
Carolina, which he considered home from a young age (NCP).
In 1911, Bacon was appointed as architect for the Lincoln
Memorial in Washington DC for which he won a gold medal
from the American Institute of Architects, the highest honor the
organization can bestow.
Figure 18 - Competition Label affixed to the reverse of the Carter Hall rendering
held by Project HOPE. [Credit: author]
44
hen John Townsend Burwell purchased Carter Hall
from Eben Richards in 1908, apple production was the Valleys
primary agricultural endeavor rather than the wheat fields of
his father and grandfather, Col. Nathaniel Burwells generation
(Kalbian, 84). John Townsend spent several years attempting to
tame the North Yard. An inheritance had provided him with
the capital to once more regain ownership of part of the original
family plantation. For $60,000 he was able to purchase 500 acres
of the property from Eben Richards, including the Carter Hall
tract (Pioneers, 276).
Townsend seems to have been an artistic person with a
zest for life. In addition to being involved with local hunt clubs,
Townsend was a published author of plays and a modern motorist
who in signed a petition to increase the in town automobile
speed of Berryville from eight to twelve miles per hour (CCHA
#2003.00027.015).
Townsends pride in the family estate was evidenced by a
period of intense renovation of the house and gardens.
46
Figure 21 - Carter Hall. [Credit: Handley Library Archives Wayland Collection 26-
343]
47
Townsend also renovated the porches in the rear yard,
which at 400 square feet, were much larger than the original
porches. Where there had originally been three small porches
located behind the rear door and the primary wings, Townsend
created two large covered porches behind the primary wings
connected by a narrow open walkway (Oldva, 497). Additionally,
Townsend created a transverse passage between the front door
and the garden (Shadow, 45) by arching the new staircase up and
around the back to allow direct movement between the entrance
and rear doors.
During the Townsend period, it seems that the landscape
surrounding the mansion was primarily agricultural in use
and form. Townsend connected the dependencies with the
mansion house by adding mortared stone walls which permitted
access through white, arched, wood slat gates. The function
of the dependencies during this period is not clear, although
it seems that the west dependency was used at times to house
servants (Charles Burwell personal communication 6/12/2013).
Interestingly, images from late in Townsends ownership do not
show distinct paths to the front door. A rear door, on the first
floor was accessed from the service yard by a flight of stairs.
porch was covered with white lattice, further shielding it from the
utilitarian space just beyond (Figure 26). The service yard was
composed of a pigeon house (most westerly of the buildings), an
open shed, and another walled building Charles Burwell does not
recall the purpose of (Charles Burwell, personal communication
6/12/2013).
According to interviews with Mr. Charles Burwell,
Townsends youngest son, the South yard was pasture land for
horses and cattle. Charles recalls a barn south of the mansion
which was used for storing animal feed, which has been located
using LiDAR data.
Images dating to the period of Townsends ownership
show wood post and wire fencing in line with the front stairs
of the main house, which curved around toward the west
dependency. The rustic appearance of the fence, gives the author
the impression that it was in place primarily to keep livestock
from accessing the area directly adjacent the mansion.
The East dependency during this time did not have a
path to the front door either, which was accessed by a flight of
five stairs, indicating the degree to which the land has since been
graded. Other interesting features of the East dependency which
may give clues to its use during the Townsend and earlier periods
are the two sets of stair entrances on the front and the east side,
while the rear of the building (north side) held twin doors both
with transom lights. It seems the East dependency was at one
time a very busy place!
The service yard was formally separated from the mansion
house with a white picket fence, and the west side of the western
Figure 22 - Townsend Barn Footprint. [Credit: Author]
48
However, it seems that the animal use was not intensive
and was not entirely economically based. Rather, Charles
remembers the animals being used in part as a way to manage
the grassy landscape, with dairy cows and show livestock grazing
the south lawn and grove all the way down to Millwood (Charles
Burwell personal communication 6/12/2013).
While Townsend was undoubtedly an educated and
motivated gardener, it is possible that he acquired local help
in managing the property early on before contacting Warren
Manning. Late 20th century restoration work revealed a patch
of graffiti on the dining room wall, which has been transcribed as
belonging to ca. 1908-1909. Among the names of carpenters and
painters who worked at the property, perhaps during renovation
of the property by Townsend Burwell, was a E. Earnest Cissell,
Landscape Gardener (Scrapbook).
According to his son, Charles Burwell, Townsend also
had a gardener named Banks who doubled as the miller for the
property. Townsend owned the original mill associated with
the property and Charles recalls it being a straight shot across
Spout Run to the barn up the hill (Charles Burwell personal
communication 6/12/2013).
Charles also recalls enjoying the spring as a child, which
remembers flowing freely from the hillside. He also enjoyed
exploring the cave near the spring and recollects being able to
walk approximately twenty feet into the cave before coming to
an edge where he could see the spring flow underground below
him. Charles also remembers being able to hear the spring water
while standing in the eastern end of the basement of the house.
Left:
When freshly mowed, the footprint of the Townsend era barn on the south lawn of
Carter Hall can be detected as a flattened surface with squared corners. The flattened
pad shares an edge with the line of the old wood and wire fence which connects to the
end of an older stone fence hidden by the shrubs at the rear of the picture. It is likely
the wire fence was used to form paddocks for grazing livestock.
Implements found among the roots of a grove of Norway spruce located southwest
of the west dependency along the road may indicate management strategies for
the property. Anecdotes about the property indicate this area may have been used
as a slaughtering area for hogs during the Townsend period (Burt Kaplan, personal
communication 6/18/2013). Efforts to identify the use of the top object (Figures 23, 24)
have been unsuccessful.
49
50
Left:
The plan for Carter Hall attributed to Warren Manning was reproduced in watercolor by
Lila Williams. Preliminary archival research in the Manning collections of Lake Forest,
Iowa State and Harvard Universities as well as University of Massachusetts have not
produced evidence of original work on Carter Hall.
51
Warren Manning
Born to a well-known New England nursery owner,
Warren Manning gained extensive horticultural knowledge at an
early age. An accomplished lecturer and author, Manning spoke
before distinguished groups such as the American Academy for
the Advancement of Science in Montreal, and contributed to
many gardening periodicals.
In 1887, he was hired by the nations preeminent landscape
architectural firm, Olmsted, Olmsted & Eliot as a planting
advisor and quickly became a designer himself. While employed
under Frederick Law Olmsted, he oversaw prominent projects
such as the 1893 Worlds Columbian Exposition in Chicago, and
the planting for the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina.
In 1895, Manning left OO&E to open his own firm,
which found nation-wide success. Mannings talents extended
beyond residential design to include subdivisions, amusement
parks, and urban planning.
In 1914, Warren Manning served as the President of
the American Association of Landscape Architecture and was an
advocate for the formation of the National Park Service in 1916.
Most often remembered for his planning work, Manning
is also known for advocating the wild garden a design style
focusing on naturalistic plantings, native plants, and treatment of
the entire landscape (Mount).
Right:
Photo taken at the end of the Townsend period show the lattice work and established
cedar trees that visually screened the west porch from view of the service yard
(Figure 27). A photo of the North yard shows a path leading to the outbuildings and
a white picket fence between buildings at the right of the image, remnants of which
remain today (Figure 28).
52
Figure 29 - Important landscape features at Carter Hall ca. 1929, based on interview with Charles Burwell June 12, 2013.
53
erard Lambert and his siblings were orphaned early
in life, but thanks to the care of their extended family and the
large inheritance left to them by their father, Gerard was able to
lead a very comfortable life. Using his inheritance, Gerard was
able to pursue an education at Princeton where he focused his
studies on art and archaeology (Lambert, 49) and enjoyed his
free time driving and experimenting with automobiles. While
still a student, Gerard was a member of the Automobile Club of
America, using the shop to develop a new racing rim for which
he received a patent (Lambert, 57). He also joined the New York
Yacht Club. Yachting remained a passionate life-long hobby for
Lambert. Truly, Lambert was a man of eclectic interests, holding
the presidency of the Princeton golf club while in school (which
he credited for his love of grass) and later becoming the President
of the New Jersey Society of the Archaeological Institute of
America (Lambert, 134).
Around 1922, Gerard Lambert grew truly wealthy after
becoming President of the Listerine Pharmacal Company, the
family business. Lambert made bold moves to restructure many
aspects of the business including suppliers, product taxation, and
management, all of which resulted in increased profits. However,
54
Between his divorce and remarriage, Lambert made
weekly trips to Carter Hall from Boston, where he worked as
President of Gillette Company. Carter Hall served primarily
as a vacation property and accommodated frequent visitors
including prominent members of society such as Secretary of the
Navy Charles Francis Adams (also a famous yachtsman), Adalai
Stevensen, Mr. and Mrs. Harold Vanderbilt, and George Horace
Gallup (Lloyd).
In 1930 he purchased the land which had held the
Fairfield Estate in Gloucester County, prior to it burning down
in 1897 (VDHR). He also began collecting original papers of
George Washington (Estate), and likely also papers belonging to
the Burwells.
Soon after purchasing the property in late 1929, Lambert
hired architect, Harrie T. Lindeberg, to renovate the mansion.
The two men had an established relationship, as Lindeberg had
previously worked for Lambert, designing Albemarle, the familys
home in Princeton, New Jersey. Lamberts goal for the Carter
Hall renovation was to make it comfortable without sacrificing
the southern atmosphere. It seems this was achieved by focusing
renovations on the interiors while limiting changes to the exterior
of the house and dependencies.
Lindeberg has been credited with eclectically blending
earlier styles to create a formal country home inspired by Palladian
ideas of symmetry and proportion (Shadow 45). Lindeberg
removed many of the large embellishments added
in earlier times to restore the house in part to its
original late 18th century appearance. The widows
walk, and cupola as well as the pediments and
fanlights on the wings and dependencies were also
removed (Shadow, 45). In addition, the plaster
was stripped from the mansion and dependencies
that had covered the original stonework for one
hundred years. Lindeberg did retain the grand
portico and the generous gathering porches in the
rear of the house, which had become identifiable
features of the house.
Left:
Figure 30 - Townsend Front Door.
[Credit: Project HOPE Scrapbook]
55
Images of the renovation also show the fanlight over the
front door was redesigned and the side lights on either side of the
front door were removed and rebricked.
Interior renovations provided comfort to the new owner
and enhanced the character of the home. Modern features included
the addition of private bathrooms for the upstairs bedrooms and
enlarged closets (Cartgen, 28). A new heating facility complete
with a coal storage room was added in the cellar where the
main kitchen was relocated in the west wing (Cartgen, 24). A
dumbwaiter connected the primary kitchen in the basement to
a service kitchen adjacent the first floor dining room (cartgen,
28). To add character to the home, Harrie Lindeberg installed
wide board, old pine, pegged flooring (Cartgen, 28).
Perhaps the most prominent change to the interior of the
home is the magnificent flying staircase that gracefully spiraled
up to the second floor (Figure 32). Inspired by a similar staircase
at Shirley, the staircase displayed an underside of scrolled soffit
(Shadow, 45). The flying staircase was more in line with the front
door, but blocked the view of the rear window.
In addition to restoring the mansion, Gerard Lambert
restored the outbuildings and added a third outbuilding, a
laundry, to the service yard by March 1932. According to a 1931
topographic survey of the property, the service yard appeared to
contain only two buildings, a dairy on the western end of the
service yard, and a meat (smoke) house at the eastern end of
the service yard, which may indicate new uses for the buildings
that existed during the Townsend Burwell period. According to
Stuart Brown the dairy may have originally had barred windows
and served as a slave jail (Cartgen, 29). Lambert also built an
addition to the existing barn located at the northwestern corner
of the north yard. The barn was converted to a garage and the
addition housed the garage servants (Cartgen, 29).
The transition from an agricultural estate and family
home to a vacation property was further accommodated by the
addition of a bedroom in the secondary west wing, and a pub
room and wet bar in the basement of the secondary east wing.
This entertaining space included a wine vault, rest rooms, a sitting
room and a cozy fire place, and featured a beautiful handmade
wooden bar.
Gerard Lambert kept the property fully staffed (Cartgen,
29), but it is unclear where the staff stayed on the property. At
some point prior to 1937, John Wayland visited Carter Hall and
reported the dependencies were being used as offices (Historic,
111). A topographic survey of the property from 1931 labels the
three outbuildings directly north of the mansion as being a barn
flanked by two houses (OHNS 9311-4).
Figure 32 - Lindebergs Flying Staircase.
56
Associates from the firm appear to have first visited Carter Hall
in February 1932, photographing the north garden and the south
area adjacent to the house and dependencies while several inches
of snow still covered the ground.
The lead designer for Carter Hall was an associate at
Olmsted Brothers named Percival Gallagher who had previous
experience designing for large country estates. Between 1920
and 1926 Gallagher served as the lead designer for Oldfields, an
estate in Indianapolis, Indiana (Schleif). It seems that the designs
by Olmsted were meant to address some features of the garden
which Gallagher and Lambert discussed at their initial meeting
on the property: kitchen and flower gardens, barns, garage, and
dog yard (LOC Correspondence Reel 454, 1933) which seems
to have already been in place, perhaps implemented as part of the
original restoration work by Lindeberg.
Figure 33 - A view north to the rear of Carter Hall, during Lambert renovations. Note elements evident on the
Manning plan: old cedar, shrub mass, and paved paths leading from the interior edges of porches. North Yard.
[Credit: Project HOPE]
57
Gallaghers design for Carter Hall is similar to that of
Oldfield as both include many of the stylistic goals that were
part of the Olmstedian tradition: a formal garden with arbors, an
orchard and kitchen garden, a more naturalistic garden (which at
Oldfield was located in a ravine), and an alle framing the view to
the house (IMA). The alle is on axis with the house with trails
on either side winding through more naturalistic plantings. The
Gallagher design also includes a parterre with a circular pool in
the center.
Aside from formal survey of the property and a planting
plan for the area immediately around the house, for which Lambert
paid $839 (LOC Correspondence Reel 454, 6/3/1932), it does
not appear that Olmsted Brothers firm provided any services to
Carter Hall. In fact, a review of correspondence regarding Carter
Hall held by the Olmsted National Historic Archives indicate
that soon after requesting the survey and receiving a suggested
planting plan, Lambert abruptly ceased his relationship with the
firm (LOC Correspondence Reel 454, 3/24/1932). Writing to the
firm on Gillette Company letterhead, Lambert expressed shock
over the cost estimate he received from Gallagher and explained
that a canceled appointment on March 24th was due to the need
for several weeks rest in the Bahamas. A reply from an Olmsted
Brothers representative, Mr. Sloet, explained that the high quote
was derived from selecting specimen stock for immediate effect
(LOC Correspondence Reel 454, 3/27/1932).
The firm had sent a representative, Mr. Lewis, to
Millwood to discuss the plan for the North yard with Lambert.
It seems that Mr. Lewis arrived at Carter Hall to find Lambert
indisposed, and that his plans to tour the grounds had been
thwarted by rain. It appears Lewis returned to Boyce where a
Mr. McKay had found lodging for him. Mr. Lewis was likely
referring to Bev McKay who owned the Millwood store and
was brought in to manage the Carter Hall property for a short
while (Lloyd).
58
Above:
A 1932 view showing the open center of the north yard (Figure 32); a view east across
the original pond on the second terrace installed by George H. Burwell. The photo
was taken by Olmsted Brothers during their initial site visit. Note the pines in the
background, which were documented on the Manning plan.
It has not yet been determined what individual or agency
provided the guidance and/or labor for the restoration of Carter
Halls ancient trees. Indeed, it is unclear which tree species
received the care, but it is likely the work focused on the old oaks
remaining at the time Lambert purchased the property. While
the extent of the work performed is unknown, it is clear from
anecdotal evidence and survey of the grounds that surgery
59
60
Lambert had always been fascinated by the automobile,
and enjoyed the experience of driving. Automobiles were
becoming increasingly common, and road design for automobiles
was deemed an established and well documented art. Olmsted
Brothers had become a preeminent firm for the design of
automobile tour roads, and it is possible that Gerard Lambert
requested their expertise in creating a new, grand entrance to
the newly renovated house. The rising use and importance of
automobile travel was evidenced by the modifications to other
historic landscapes during this period. Soon after Pittsburg
industrialist Archibald McCrae and his wife, Molly purchased
Carters Grove in 1928, the couple installed a grand oval entry
for automobiles on the landside approach to the mansion (Grove,
22).
One of the final projects that Frederick Law Olmsted Sr.
worked on was the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.
At the Biltmore Estate Olmsted Sr. designed an approach road
that is a carefully orchestrated series of landscape scenes. (Myers,
123) The road was designed to obscure and reveal views of the
house and landscape, and to provide a sense of drama and
anticipation for the guests (Bilt, 31). In addition, the road was
designed so that guests did not cross paths with delivery vehicles.
While Olmsted Sr. had been deceased for nearly 30 years
by the time Olmsted Brothers was hired by Gerard Lambert to
work on the garden, it seems that the same guidelines for road
development had been adopted by the firm, and indeed perhaps
perfected. The road at Carter Hall has many of the same stylistic,
picturesque, elements that are synonymous with the Olmsted
name. The road winds through the site hugging the topography,
providing a sequence of views of the surrounding Blue Ridge
Mountains. It ultimately leads to a grand view of the house before
winding around one last bend to parallel the house.
It is not clear whether Olmsted Brothers actually
designed the entry loop road, or if their style was consulted or
perhaps even copied by another designer. It is known that a civil
engineer from Warrenton, Virginia, W.E. Shendell, worked on
revisions to the road design, and these records were held by the
Olmsted Brothers firm. It is known that the road was designed
sometime after September 1930, based on infrastructure plans by
The Suburban Engineering Company of New York, which show
the original road design near the house. Shendells revised plan
dated May 12, 1931 includes staking measurements that increase
as they approach the house along the new road from the east. This
indicates the plan was started at the original entrance and staked
along a designed path to create a loop that joined the original
road in front of the house.
Due to the lack of a plan showing the entire road, it is not
yet possible to firmly attribute the entry road design to Olmsted
Brothers. Also, because the date of the road revision plan precedes
61
Figure 44 - Apple Hill service yard; note the way the service yard buildings (right of
image) at Apple Hill were modeled after Carter Hall. [Credit: Author]
63
In addition to gardening for personal enjoyment,
Bunny also designed gardens for clients. A personal friend of
Jacqueline Kennedy, Bunny was selected as the designer for
the White House Rose Garden and the East Garden, now
known as the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden (Regi). In the mid1990s Bunny assisted with the restoration of the Potager du
Roi at Versailles, an effort spearheaded by her friend Hubert de
Givenchy who was then the President of the World Monuments
Fund France. Bunny was a natural choice for the job, as she
had spent years studying the work of the 17th century gardener
Jean de La Quintinye, a pioneer in cultivating and pruning
fruit trees and original designer of Louis XIVs potager (Regi).
64
Christopher Period
(1948-1976)
rank and Mabel Christopher moved into Carter Hall,
their retirement home, in 1948. The search for a property was
driven in part by a need for a healthful and relaxing environment
for the couple after Franks recent heart attack. Given only a few
years to live by his doctors, Frank enjoyed an additional 30 years
of life at Carter Hall, fortified by the magic of the property
(Farland).
Frank Christopher was born June 24, 1893 in Hopewell,
Pennsylvania (FEC). By 1902, at the age of eight years, Frank
was working in coal mines. As an adult, his persistence, luck and
business acumen led to the discovery of a huge coal strike in an
abandoned mine. By 1946, Frank was the largest independent
coal operator in the United States and held numerous patents on
mining equipment (FEC). Mabel, or Mabs as she was called
by friends and family, was a teacher trained at West Virginia
Wesleyan Methodist Womens Teachers College. The marriage
has been considered a unique pairing for the time period and
context in which they met (Farland).
A well-told story of the sale tells of a coin toss between
Frank Christopher and Gerard Lambert over the sale of a
belonging to the Carter Hall estate and the sale of the property
threatened the continuity and character of the mansions historic
landscape context. To help guard against the parceling of the
landscape, John G. Lewis, regional representative of the Virginia
Historic Landmarks Commission wrote to Mr. and Mrs. West,
the Christophers daughter and son-in-law, requesting they place
an easement on Carter Hall in order to preserve the historic
property for the Commonwealth and guard against the land being
sub-divided into Carter Hall Estates. Lewis also noted the tax
benefit for such an easement (CCHA folder 1976.D0165.012).
While the Christophers children were eager to sell the
land, it appears their grandchildren were more interested in
keeping the property and furnishings in the family (Scrapbook).
When the Carter Hall property was finally sold, the Lower Mill
and millers house had been removed from the sale by grandson
Mabs passed away in 1970 and Frank remained at Carter
Hall for three additional years (Farland) before moving in with
his daughter, Mrs. West, at her home, Locksley (FEC). Frank
remained at Locksley for the final year of his life. He passed away
in 1974 at the age of 81.
After the Christophers passed, their heirs put the house
and much of the furnishings up for sale by Sothebys auction
house. The original sale ticket consisted of 714 acres, 200 of which
were planted in crops. The sale of the property included the guest
houses (dependencies), the spring house, garage apartment, large
frame millers house, and staff quarters although it is unclear
which structures housed servants. Sothebys listed the propertys
amenities as including a swimming pool, laundry house, tool
building, grain house, stone grist mill, kennels and stables,
offices, and farming structures such as silos, cattle sheds and barns
(Sotheby). The Christophers had amassed a large area originally
66
Figure 49 - The sandstone steps in the formal north yard garden were planted
with low growing flowers such as dwarf iris; boxwood was utilized to frame garden
spaces. [Credit: Sketch by author based on photo from Muldoon]
Figure 50 - Christopher era view into the north yard showing established boxwood
maze, pool and re-graded upper terrace with new sandstone steps. The roof of the
west porch is in lower left corner. [Credit: Project HOPE Archive]
Plantings directly around the houses appear to have
remained the same from the previous period. A photograph from
the 1960s shows a similar treeless front of the house, and a line of
boxwood under the front portico (Scrapbook).
67
Richard Farland remembers walking grass covered paths
of the dense maze and leaving with ticks. Beyond the maze
were rectangular planting beds bordered with small boxwood
(Farland). Wider, grassy paths were created to connect directly to
the porch steps. Some of the paths may have been paved in brick
(Farland).
In addition to filling the first terrace with a maze and
altering the connection between the garden and the porches,
the Christophers changed the design attributed to Manning by
removing the connection between the two paths leading from the
porches. During the Townsend Burwell and Lambert periods,
the primary path looped around a small fish pond that occupied
the second terrace, perhaps dating to the George H. Burwell
period.
The Christophers removed the fish pond at some point
and replaced it with a much larger oval-shaped swimming pool
measuring 39 by 17 feet (Cartgen, 32). The pool, which was lined
with a dark blue metallic paint was not a very kid friendly pool,
but was enjoyed for swimming (Farland).
During the Lambert era, it appears that paths into the
garden were paved with gravel and did not directly link to the
porches, but rather were located closer to the center line of the
house. A few images from the Christopher era indicate that the
original paths were covered by or incorporated into the boxwood
maze that covered the upper part of the first terrace.
The garden terrace closest to the house contained a
tall (possibly seven foot) boxwood maze with a grassy center
(Farland). The center of the maze formed a low four-leaf clover
design (Muldoon).
68
Photos from the end of the Christopher period show
tall pine trees around the pool, which may have dated to the
Townsend Burwell period (they are evidenced on the plan
attributed to Manning and the 1931 Olmsted survey) and table
and chairs in the shady pool side. There was no outbuilding
associated with the pool (Farland). When he was in his twenties
and living in the East House, Richard Farland frequently had
parties on the porches and around the pool area. Richard recalls
the area as being quite level and a fun area to play Frisbee. A steep
falls at the back of the pool led to some fruit trees, similar to the
current location of the apple orchard (Farland).
The Christophers retained the dog yard that was listed
in the 1931 Olmsted survey, which they used for their boxer
(Farland). A line of trees blocked the area from view from the
western porch (Farland). A line of white cedar remains as a
screen, but it is unclear if they were planted by the Christophers.
The Christophers likely added a line of small boxwoods to form
a walk from the second terrace to the outbuildings. The shrubs
were meant to form the focal point of the vista which could
be seen from one of the back porches on the estate, drawing the
viewers attention to a circle of boxwood in which there had been
plans to put in a sundial or birdbath (Muldoon).
A second planted walk existed on the eastern terrace
behind the East House. This tree lane was shady and terminated
in a fish pond (Figure 52) surrounded by a circle of boxwood and
curved stone slab seats separated by boxwood shrubs (Farland).
A vegetable garden also existed in the north yard, which
Richard Farland recalls being in roughly the same location
indicated on the Manning plan (Farland). The veggie patch was
a focus of Mabs, as were her rose bushes, large trees to cover the
outbuildings and formal symmetry (Farland).
While Mabs provided the vision for the property and
was likely the primary designer of the garden, she employed a
full-time property manager, who played a large role in the design
69
The terraces, which were at least 100 years old at the time
the Christophers purchased the property, appear to have been
sharpened and adjusted. The first terrace seems to have been regraded slightly to reduce the slope and a second set of stone steps
were added along each grassy path leading from the porches.
In addition, a comparison of the 1929 survey and 2013 survey
suggests the second terrace (the location of both pools) was
reinforced and sharpened during the Christopher period, perhaps
in conjunction with the construction of the enlarged swimming
pool.
It is also likely that Wade Muldoon and Mable Christopher
designed the formal flower garden on the terrace adjacent the
East house, although this has not been confirmed.
70
71
Early in their work on the Carter Hall landscape (perhaps
in 1948), Mabs added evergreens and weeping willows to the
area around the spring pond and planted daffodils on the hillside
above the pond (Cartgen, 57). The hillside above the pond, though
hidden from view of the main house received early morning sun
and the hill that was literally covered with narcissus bloomed
earlier than other places on the property (Muldoon).
It is likely there were already trees planted in this small
bit of land that is surrounded on three sides by the spring pond
and Spout Run, because Richard Farland remembers seeing very
Muldoon carried the rock outcrop motif into the formal
north yard garden by using the sandstone steps that connected
the terraces as rock gardens. One plant Muldoon used liberally
to grow out from between the stone steps was dwarf iris which
reaches a height of approximately six inches (Muldoon).
72
Figure 61 - Looking east toward the vista Wade Muldoon cleared on the
hillside above the spring. Mist rises from the vista in the early morning. The
location of the original road turnaround was likely located in the high point
at the center of the image before being cut to create the modern loop road.
[Credit: Author]
74
Wade Muldoon
Wade Muldoon was a family friend of the Christophers
and a private landscaper who was credited with creating a garden
that so beautifully complemented the plantation house that
he was listed in the 1973 National Register nomination (NR, 7).
Born in 1894 in Elmgrove, West Virginia (Win),
Muldoon attended West Virginia University where he pursued
a degree in agriculture. On July 18, 1917, with his sophomore
year complete, Muldoon enlisted in the 103d Train Headquarters
28th Division (Kappa). He served as a Sergeant in the Medical
Corps and participated in four major missions with the American
Expeditionary Forces before being discharged in May of 1919
(Kappa).
Figure 62 - Looking north along east terrace. [Credit: Author]
After World War I, Muldoon was employed as a
landscaping architect (Win), and spent some time in Michigan
working for the Detroit Parks Department (Kappa). He married
his wife, Achsah, and they had a son, Harry (Census, 1940). By
1940 he had returned to West Virginia where he lived in Grant,
West Virginia and worked full-time for the National Park Service
as a Landscape Architect (Census, 1940).
It appears that Muldoon moved to Berryville, Virginia
(Win) some time around 1948, when the Christophers purchased
Carter Hall (NR, 7). A review of the Berryville and Winchester
City Directories for 1950 did not indicate that Muldoon operated
a commercial landscape design or maintenance business in either
town. Rather, it seems he was the full-time grounds keeper and
designer for Carter Hall (Muldoon).
Muldoon was active in his community, serving as a
member of the Winchester Host Lions Club and President of
the Berryville Lions Club (Win). He sang with the Winchester
Barbershop Chorus and was a parishioner of the First Presbyterian
Church. Wade Muldoon died in 1982 at the age of 87 (Win).
75
arter Hall is located in the Lower Shenandoahs
Horse Country, comprised of Clarke, Fauquier, and Loudoun
counties (Cartgen, 23). By the late 18th century the rolling
limestone prairies that once hosted herds of wild game had
become overrun with bluegrass. The grass, while a bane to the
valleys many independent farmers, helped to create a sportsmans
paradise (Breeding, 6).
Sometime around 1750 Thomas, Sixth Lord of Fairfax,
moved west across the Shenandoah River and built Greenway
Court, which has been described as a bachelor retreat (Shadow,
45). It was there that Lord Fairfax has been credited with
introducing the English noblemans tradition of fox hunting to
the region. The associated interest in horses extended to include
racing, and as local Clarke County historian Maral Kalbian
writes, The interest in horses whether for drafting, racing,
or fox hunting- has been a critical part of Clarkes agricultural
heritage (2011, 86).
As early as 1779, there were horse races held in the Valley.
A three-day long meet held that year featured purses of 350 and
600 (Breeding, 11), indicating the high status of the participants.
Around this time several jockey clubs were organized in the area.
Despite the interest in racing, the Valley never became a locus
of racing, with residents choosing instead to concentrate their
efforts on breeding race horses (Breeding, 12).
76
By 1790, several years before permanently moving to
the Valley, Col. Burwell began importing race horses to his
land holdings west of the Shenandoah. Among these was the
stallion Emperor whom Burwell had purchased from the Duke
of Cumberland (Cartgen, 9). He imported another fine horse,
Young Trumpetor, in 1797 (Breeding, 9), and as his ledger shows
By the end of the 19th century, the Valley was no longer
populated only by descendants of the original families, but also by
summer residents and enthusiasts of horse racing and fox hunting
(Shadow, 10). At the beginning of the 20th century there were
numerous horse farms within Clarke County. According to
historian John Walter Wayland, Carter Hall was among the
most well-known horse farms in the County along with Audley,
Pagebrook, and Saratoga (Art). It has not been determined at
what point the Carter Hall horse farm ceased operation. However,
the connection between Carter Hall and the Valley horse culture
likely extended beyond the period of the farms operation.
Prior to the Civil War, landowners who hunted fox
maintained their own packs of hound dogs. However, economic
restructuring and changes in land use after the War ended the
era of private hound packs. The Blue Ridge Hunt Club and
similar organizations provided members subscriptions to use
professionally maintained club packs for scheduled meets.
In addition to hunts, the Blue Ridge Hunt Club frequently
held horse shows and fixtures or races. It appears that Carter
Hall plays an important role in the history and culture of the
Blue Ridge Hunt Club. Based on a review of the events the Club
listed in its retrospective, Blue Ridge Hunt: The First Hundred
Years, it appears Carter Hall hosted many opening meets during
the first eight decades of the clubs existence. Horse shows were
also held at Carter Hall, beginning with the second show held by
the club in 1896 (Blue). The cover of the Blue Ridge Hunt Club
retrospective features an image of Carter Hall.
The Sharpe Sisters owned Carter Hall during the late
19th century revival of horse sport in the Valley. Virginia Sharpe
and her husband, Thomas Hugh Burwell, acknowledged Carter
Halls importance to the Clarke County equestrian scene by
hosting horse shows and jousting tournaments on the south lawn
(Spur, 10).
77
78
After selling Carter Hall to Eben Richards following
the death of his wife, Thomas Burwell remained active in the
equestrian scene. A 1905 photo of the Blue Ridge Hunt Club
shows Thomas with a horse named Day Break.
It appears that Eben Richards also stabled Thoroughbreds
at Carter Hall. The location of the stables that Richards used
is unknown; however, photos taken of Richards horses appear
to be taken in the south lawn of the mansion near the west
dependency (Figure 66). It is unknown whether Richards was
actively breeding horses.
John Townsend Burwell also opened the property to
community equestrian and other livestock celebrations. There
were horse shows held on the grounds of the front yard where
facing slopes provided good views to the activity that went on in
the pass (Charles Burwell, personal communication 6/12/2013).
An anecdote tells of Lambert donating his newly tailored
riding clothes to the young son of a friend, with the mothers
insistence that if the fine boots did not fit the boy, the toes would
be cut off the boots. While Lambert himself did not take readily
to horse sport, his first son-in-law, Stacy Lloyd was a natural
equestrian. Lloyd took quickly to sport riding after marrying
Bunny Lambert, and around 1935 modern stables were built
northwest of the mansion to accommodate Lloyds new hobby.
In his desire to assume the role of country gentleman,
Gerard Lambert sought to engage the Valleys horse culture.
Unfortunately, he did not take to equestrian sport very successfully.
The Blue Ridge Hunt Club seems to have suspended their
hunts between 1909 and 1921, for reasons undetermined by the
author. An article in the March 24, 1921 edition of The Clarke
After the Christophers purchased the property in the early
1940s, it does not appear that horses were kept at Carter Hall.
However, the Christophers did open the property for exhibitions
of Valley horse culture by hosting opening meets of the Blue
Ridge Hunt Club. They also provided access to a film crew from
Disney who used the south lawn as backdrop for Horse with
the Flying Tail, a film that featured members of the Blue Ridge
Hunt Club (Spur, 11).
79
80
The stacked stone fence also exists closer to the house and
may have at one time defined the garden area in the north yard.
The stone fencing extends along the western edge of the house
starting approximately 25 feet north of the west dependency
and terminating just north of the old stables. The fence then fills
In Colonial America, fencing was not used to mark
property boundaries as much as to keep roaming animals out of
crops and gardens (Plant, 108). As the open commons style of
land management gradually disappeared, the use of fencing to
contain cattle increased into the 19th century (Plant, 290). It is
possible that the stone fence at Carter Hall was used to exclude
livestock. However, the presence of two sets of stone fencing
likely indicates that they were meant to symbolically demarcate
spaces and uses. This is given further credence by the fact that
the fence around the landscape zone does not correspond to
the extent of the Carter Hall property boundary as conceived at
any time period encountered by the researcher. Rather, the larger
fence contains an area much smaller than the Carter Hall tract,
which typically extended south to the propertys mill on Spout
Run. Due to the inaccessibility of historic plat maps at the time
of study, exact boundaries throughout the propertys history have
not been confirmed.
No documentation could be found to indicate when the
stone fences were constructed, but it most likely was during a
time of either great wealth or inexpensive labor, possibly both.
Figure 70 - Looking west at the stone wall on the east terrace from an
overgrown path on the east hill. [Credit: Author]
Below: Evidence of wall construction over time. The modern wall segment
(Figure 66) likely dates to the construction of Apple Hill and the modern paved
road. Note the drainage structure.
81
It is possible that the fences were erected during Col.
Burwells period of ownership, a time when the property had
an extensive force of slave labor and land was being cleared for
construction. It is equally likely that the fences were erected
under his son Georges ownership of the property prior to the
Civil War. However, after that time, it is unlikely that such a
monumental task was undertaken. The fence was known to be in
existence before Townsend Burwell owned the property (Charles
Burwell, personal communication 6/12/2013). By the time that
Gerard Lambert purchased the property in 1929, photographs
of the stone wall around the north yard outbuildings show it
beginning to crumble, indicating that they had been standing for
quite some time already.
It is also possible the extensive stone fence has been
modified over time with sections demolished and rebuilt as
needed. A clue to the construction or modification date of part
of the fence might be found along the northwestern section of
the fence adjacent Bishop Meade Highway. Here the fence shift
back from the roadway to accommodate houses that were built
along the road. As the houses appear to be historic, research into
the date of construction of these houses may provide insight into
the (re)construction of the fence.
Another section of the wall along Mount Airy Farm Lane
forms an acute angle (see Figures 66 and 69) that may indicate
that the landscape scale wall was built first. A modern stone
wall was constructed to parallel the historic wall on the northern
boundary of Mount Airy Farm Lane (Figure 67). It is likely this
wall coincided with the construction of Apple Hill. The modern
wall contains stormwater drainage openings, allowing water to
exit the road to the creek just north of the road.
Further research into the development of the property
may provide insight into the role of the stone walls, how they
functioned within the plantation landscape, and their relationship
to the wood fences on the property. At present, it appears the
stone walls served to demarcate the property boundary of the
main tract in areas not easily marked by natural features such as
Spout Run or the mill pond.
82
East Hill
Northeast Garden
South Lawn
84
Unlike the 18th century colonial terraces common to the
Tidewater region from which the Burwells came, the terraces at
Carter Hall are not placed on display for visitors or passersby.
Even the decorative terraces, planted with formal gardens are
hidden in the rear of the house.
It is clear that the terraces were a dominant feature of the
Carter Hall landscape. As the nomination states: Carter Halls
stately architecture, beautiful grounds, and historical associations
epitomize the popular image of a Virginia plantation (NRN
Section 8). No other mention of terracing or design was made
in the description of the property, nor was any mention made
of the agricultural significance of the site. The nomination does
note that the original stone gristmill for the plantation was still
located on the southern edge of the property at the time of the
nomination.
Existing Conditions:
In addition to the terraces in the north yard, which
have previously been documented in the National Register
Nomination, four more terraced areas were documented during
the course of this study. These terraces may contribute further to
the significance of the site in the areas of agriculture and landscape
architecture. The terraces of Carter Hall are interesting in their
placement and purpose.
Following is a description of each of the five terrace areas
at Carter Hall as they exist at the time of the study, evidence
of previous documentation, and a discussion of their possible
functions.
85
History:
The first documentation of the north yard terraces was
found in Historic Gardens of Virginia published in 1923 by the
James River Garden Club. In the volume, John Townsend
Burwell, owner of Carter Hall between 1908 and 1929,
documented the contemporary conditions of the garden and his
plans for its restoration. John described the garden as consisting
of three terraces as well as several other garden features when he
purchased the property in 1908. Amongst the head high weeds and
shrubby overgrowth, John Townsend found the remains of paths,
a grove of seven white pine trees, planting beds, and a reflecting
pool. Most significant about John Townsends description of the
garden is his suggestion that the terraces and garden features
dated to the period of his grandfathers ownership, George H.
Burwell. John Townsend believed the three-tier garden he found
to be the work of the mysterious Spence.
The next documentation of the garden occurred in 1931
when Olmsted Brothers surveyed the property in order to develop
a landscape design for Gerard Lambert. The survey shows the
terraces described by John Townsend circa 1920.
Analysis:
Terraces were usually contemporaneous with house
construction as a means of utilizing the excavated material,
controlling erosion, and creating flat areas for planting. The house
was almost certainly built on an uneven slope whose foundation
required significant excavation, therefore producing a great deal
of excess material. In addition to flat areas, this material was often
used to create mounds to serve as bases for future construction
such as summerhouses or detached libraries, or to create high
points for surveying the property and a spot for catching cool
air in the summer (Sarudy, 52). There are several possibilities
for the placement of this excess material including the roadway
and carriage turnaround that likely existed just southeast of
the house. While grading almost certainly took place during
86
The top two terraces grow successively larger as they
extend from the house. The terraces are also symmetrical about
the centerline of the house and uniform in depth, attributes
common to Colonial era terraces. William Pacas house built
in Annapolis in the 1760s provides an example of a three-falls
garden of increasingly wide terraces, which provided the illusion
of a larger area when viewed from the upper floors of the house
(Sarudy, 23). The secluded nature of the north yard garden and
the effort to create the illusion of a more expansive space may
indicate that it was designed during George H. Burwells tenure,
a period of resurgent interest in the healthfulness of nature and
family life. Due to the large size and symmetrical design of the
upper terraces, it is likely they were designed as formal garden
spaces. The short height indicates they were probably designed to
accommodate frequent use (Kohr, 147).
It is more difficult to interpret a temporal domain and
intended function for the lower terraces as they do not follow
the same design pattern, nor are they symmetrical about the
centerline of the house. However, this does not preclude them
from dating to the same period as they may have served a more
practical purpose than the primarily aesthetic terraces closer to the
house. Menokin, the home of Francis Lightfoot Lee, and built
ca. 1770, contains asymmetrical terraces that descend away from
the house in two directions and seem more like the lower terraces
at Carter Hall. These terraces have been interpreted as having
been designed to provide an unobstructed view of Menokin Bay
to the south where much of the plantations business took place
(Kohr, 144). However, unlike typical Colonial terraces, which
were located at the front of the house, the primary terraces at
Carter Hall are located in the private north garden. This does
not preclude the lower terraces from having a utilitarian function,
however, as these terraces overlook the slave quarters and the east
hill, which may have been used for agriculture. These terraces may
also have served as transitional zones between the outbuildings,
ravine, and house, much as they did at Menokin (Kohr, 144).
It is likely that any observation of Carter Halls other land,
including the town of Millwood, would have taken place from
the best vantage point, the upper floors of the house. In addition,
the grove that existed during the earliest days of the house was
likely a prominent landscape feature of the south yard, precluding
the necessity of a falling garden for aesthetic purposes.
Figure 72 - LiDAR hillshade of north yard with the outbuildings outlined in red.
[Credit: Author].
87
Analysis:
Existing Conditions:
It is difficult to propose a date of construction for the terrace
features in the northeast yard due to the lack of documentation.
It is equally difficult to propose a function for the terraces. It is
possible the morphology of the terraces/mounds changed over
time and that the present configuration does not represent the
original condition.
The north yard terraces step down toward the former slave
quarters and stables, ending in two asymmetrical terraces. At the
northeast corner of the garden, just east of the fourth terrace is
the northeast yard, which extends eastward and southward after
crossing the line of the east yard terrace. The area terminates in
the east at the field stone retaining wall that marks the start of the
east hill.
Since 1937, the northeast garden has been home to a
greenhouse designed by Bunny Lambert. The earthworks in this
area are unique in their shape, which changes as the terraces move
eastward from the north garden. Overall, they have a mounded,
berm-like shape, and are approximately nine feet wide, between
four and six inches in height and separated by approximately four
feet of flats.
East of the east yard terrace, the berms become flattened,
and the topographic features more closely resembling traditional
terraces rather than the mounds evidenced in the area around the
greenhouse. These long terraces extend from the boundary wall at
the north of the property southward to terminate approximately
twenty feet from the road.
History:
No written documentation of the terraces/mounds in the
northeast garden was found during the course of study. However,
the contour lines included in the 1931 Olmsted Brothers
topographic survey may indicate the presence of the mounds near
the eastern base of the fourth north garden terrace. The eastern
stretch of the terraces is not evidenced in the contour lines,
although it does appear from the Olmsted survey that the area
was open and unplanted.
88
While the terraces are not clear on the 1931 topographic
survey, it does not necessarily mean that terraces did not yet exist.
The terraces are not very clear on the contours mapped in 2012
either. The terraces are most evident through ground inspection
and through examination of the LiDAR-derived topographic
model.
Due to the open character of the area on the Olmsted
survey, it is likely the area was used as a grassy transitional zone
between the orchard and terraces of the east hill and the formal
north garden during the John Townsend Burwell period.
In their present configuration, the terraces appear similar
in form to planting mounds developed for orchards in areas of
poor soil drainage, which could be continued down the slope to
the retaining wall. However, according to the USGS Web Soil
Survey, the soils in the area belong to the Hagerstown-Opequon
Rock Outcrop series and are characterized as being well-drained.
During the John Townsend Burwell period, the area did contain
some scattered fruit trees, which may have been the remnants of
a former orchard.
Andrew Kohr developed a typology for terraces so that they can be studied and understood quantitatively. The typology includes ten criteria: regional location, environment,
geographic location, water association, architectural affiliation, mathematical association, number of flats, construction, additional landscape features, function (Kohr, 142).
In order to more fully document the terraces at Carter Hall and provide insight into their design intent, a typology was created for each following the attributes outlined by Kohr. At
present, little is known about the construction of the earthworks or their function. However, the affiliation of the earthworks with architecture is clear: only the north yard terraces share
a direct relationship to structures. Additionally, there is no clear association between water features on the property and the earthworks identified. Figure 73 illustrates the exercise
in understanding the mathematical association of the earthworks. There are differences in the depth of the terraces which provides information on use. Terraces with smaller falls
indicate more human activity because they have easier access (Kohr, 147).
89
The northern end of the wall has been augmented to
create a planter box approximately 40 feet in length and tenfeet wide. The east yard terrace ends as a part of the third terrace
in the north garden, although the connection is lost due to the
development of the brick patio.
Three flights of stairs provide access to the garden from
the west. At the rear of the East House is a set of ten concrete
steps, farther north of those is a curving set of five flagstone steps,
and closest to the terminus of the terrace is a set of brick steps
known to exist during the Christopher period.
History:
Figure 74 - View toward northeast garden earthworks from bottom terrace of north
yard. [Credit: Author]
It is not clear when the east yard terrace was completed;
however it was documented on a 1931 topographic survey by
Olmsted Brothers. By 1931, Gerard Lambert had owned Carter
Hall for two years and had completed renovations to the house
and outbuildings. However, it is uncertain that Mr. Lambert was
responsible for the design. In 1931, he had contracted the services
of Olmsted Brothers to generate a garden design for the estate, so
Existing Conditions:
East of the plantations original kitchen house (now
known as the East Guest House) lies a flower garden dating to
the Christopher period (1947-1975). The garden is graded down
toward the north in three terraces to meet grade with a long
narrow terrace framed to the west by an alle of mature deciduous
trees (primarily hackberry and hickory) and on the east by young
dogwood trees.
90
The terrace extends approximately 230 feet to the north
where it currently terminates in a semi-enclosed brick patio.
There are approximately ten flagstones embedded in the turf
towards the southern end of the terrace. A low stone masonry
wall approximately 60 feet in length supports the northern end of
the terrace, the remainder of which is steeply sloped and covered
with turf and weedy growth.
Analysis:
It is difficult to determine when the east yard terraces were
created. It is likely that the east yard terrace is a contemporary of
the north garden terraces, due to the fact that the two terraces
meet in elevation. In addition, both terraces are supported by
stacked stone walls. Like the north garden terraces, the east yard
terraces would have involved a considerable amount of labor and
time to create and therefore it is most likely to have been built
during George H. Burwells ownership of Carter Hall, if not
earlier.
Due to the relationship between the East House and
the third terrace level in the north garden, it seems likely the
terraces were constructed to facilitate circulation through the
hilly, dramatically sloping east yard. It is quite wide, measuring
approximately 25 feet, and therefore may have provided access
for wagons or planting areas for a kitchen garden.
91
The wall appears to support Earthwork Area 2, the
northeast corner of the garden and serves as a boundary between
the garden landscape and the eastern hill adjacent the property
which contains another series of terraces. The terraces on the
east hill are obscured by ground cover and understory growth
and it is therefore difficult to confirm their dimensions through
ground survey. However, the existence of the terraces and their
general pattern are detectable through close observation. A path
approximately adjacent the walls terminus and at the highest
point of the east hill provided the researcher the easiest access
to the terraces. Bearing the marks of usage by utility vehicles,
the path led to the top of a terrace which provided limited views
down the slope and laterally across the top two terraces.
In order to better understand the terrace features detected
through ground survey and to determine their extent, the
researcher utilized LiDAR data to model the existing terrain.
By developing a visualization model from the LiDAR data, the
92
The terraces appear to extend north and south along the
entire surface of the east hill, although they tend to disappear
into the uneven, lumpy terrain. The terraces were not detectable
from the north along Apple Hill road or from the base of the hill.
History:
No documentation of the east hill terraces were found
during the course of research. However, an aerial photo of the
county taken in 1937 shows the east hill with marks on its
denuded surface that match the pattern revealed by the remote
sensing data.
The 1931 topographic survey of the property by Olmsted
Brothers shows the stone retaining wall that separates the north
garden from the terraces of the east hill. It also shows a wattle
fence line following the length of the retaining wall before
splitting off to trace the bottom of the ravine.
Analysis:
Carter Hall has a long agricultural history involving
livestock and crops. However, it has been difficult to establish
where crops for both livestock and human consumption were
grown. Based on the size and pattern of the east hill terraces it
seems that the area was used for agricultural production. This is
supported by the documentation of a fence line at the western
base of the hill, preventing access to the ravine and reinforcing
what was likely a pre-existing stone retaining wall.
The width of the terraces suggests they were intended for
crops planted and harvested with the assistance of animals. The
east hill terraces provided an agricultural area that did not obstruct
the views of the surrounding countryside from the mansion or
the entry road.
The proximity of the terraces to the old kitchen house and
slave (later, servants) quarters provides further clues as to their
Figure 79 - 1937 aerial photograph of east hill terraces. There appear to be scattered
trees on the terraces, which may indicate a transition in terrace usage. [Credit: USDA
FSA APFO WO#1026016 (modified by author to show extant manor house and
outbuildings]
93
While it is not clear when the terraces were originally
developed, it is likely they were cultivated during John
Townsend Burwells ownership of the property. The limited
canopy cover in the 1937 aerial photograph indicates that the
area had been managed to maintain an open landscape until
quite recently before the image was taken. In addition, the
fence recorded on the 1931 topographic survey of the north
garden indicates the area was likely in use, and the fence helped
to prevent people or animals from entering the ravine area.
Retaining Wall
Fence
Wattle fences are also helpful for containing erosion.
The agricultural use of the east hill is further supported by
documentation of an orchard within the wattle fenced area during
John Townsend Burwells ownership. While the large scale
Olmsted Brothers survey (ONHS 09311-7 Oversize) portrays
the orchard as situated within a small southwestern corner of the
east hill, it is very possible the orchard was grown on the terraces
themselves.
Gate
No features matching the curvature of the terraces are
found on the western side of the promontory. However, it is
interesting to note that a path appears to extend from the front of
the West House to the lower terrace.
Left:
Figure 80 - 1931 Survey detail. [Credit: ONHS Archives Image 09311-3 sheet 1, n.d.]
94
Note the long, wide terrace that separated the North yard from the agricultural
landscape of the East hill. The survey identifies the stone wall and wattle fencing at
the top of the East hill.
Unfortunately, the slight path or depression does not
follow the same geometry of the terraces, and it is difficult to
determine their relationship.
It has not been determined if the terraces are visible from
the upper floors of the mansion, but they are visible from the
front portico, particularly the upper terrace. From the portico,
the lower terrace was only visible when objects two feet or taller
were placed on it. The terraces are not visible from road in front
of the house. They are most prominent when viewed from the
second story rooms of the old kitchen house (East House) or
when approached from below along the entry road (Figure 84).
History:
No previous documentation of the terraces was found
during this study. Neither of the two topographical survey
drawings from 1931 and 1932 documents the terraces. However,
this does not mean they were not yet in existence, as the survey
312 ft
216 ft
Carter
Hall
North
100
200
Feet
400
Figure 82 - Geometry of south yard terraces. The focal point of the blue circle is
placed approximately on the center of Carter Hall. [Credit: Author]
95
96
This aspect of the terrace design may detract from the likelihood
the terraces were built to serve a formal decorative function
such as providing a planting area to be viewed from the carriage
turnaround.
The lip does not preclude the possibility of the terraces
being planting areas. The location of the terraces out of direct
sight of the mansion but within full view and accessibility of the
old kitchen house would make it seem like an optimal spot for
additional kitchen garden planting. Research at Bremo has shown
a similar arrangement of agricultural terraces, that is proximate to
the kitchen house, but out of direct view of the mansion. Similar
features also exist within the Carter Hall grounds. In the north
garden along the northern edge of the second terrace, a slight
mound is utilized as a planting bed for a row of twelve boxwood
shrubs.
Aside from circulation or decorative or agricultural use,
the terraces may have been built to serve a fourth function.
During the Sharpe Sisters ownership of Carter Hall, jousting
parties were held in the south lawn, in a natural amphitheater
(Spur, 10).
It is possible that the terraces are located in the natural
amphitheater used for the jousting parties and that the terraces
were built to not only provide seating within the amphitheater,
but also provide access to the area from the front porch of the
mansion.
Finally, the terraces may simply be the creative
rearrangement of earth excavated while constructing the modern
entry road. A comparison of Townsend era photographs and
drawings from the Olmsted Archives indicate the area around
the East dependency was graded and raised between three and
five feet (Figure 85). The road was likely regraded before being
paved under the Christophers. The terraces blend quite well into
the hillside and may have been an economical way of disposing of
earth while simultaneously protecting the slope from erosion.
Figure 85 - Photo of east house ca. 1929. [Credit: Project HOPE Archives]
97
ased on oral history interviews, it is likely the pattern of
circulation through the site has changed significantly in over 223
years since the plantation was built. In addition to changes in the
mode of transportation from horse and wagon to automobiles, the
uses of the property have also changed significantly. For most of
the propertys history, the property was primarily agricultural and
retained a historic connection to key elements of the plantation/
agricultural landscape.
It is likely that the entrance to Carter Hall has always
been located along Lord Fairfax Highway across from the church,
once it was built. During the early 20th century the entrance road
directly connected the main entrance to the front of the house
(Charles Burwell personal communication), however the road
did not loop as it does currently. Rather, the looping tour road
for Carter Hall likely dates to 1931-1932. It is also likely that
the location of the entrance road was slightly north in order to
provide a more direct path to the house. However, a photo from
between 1900 and 1907 of the road from the front of the portico
indicates a similar trajectory to the current road layout [CCHA
#1998.00470.004].
98
Historically, Carter Hall was connected to Millwood by a
lane or stile that came out just behind Lockes store (Charles
Burwell personal communication). Based on personal interview
with Mr. Charles Burwell, son of Townsend Burwell, his family
frequently used the lane to access the house from town. The area
adjacent Millwood was still referred to at that time as the grove
and covered the entire southern part of the mansion tract. It is
possible the area was used for pasturing livestock. Carter Hall and
Millwood were connected by the North Gate since at least the
George H. Burwell period of ownership (VHS Burwell Family
Papers, Section 13 Plat).
Figure 86 - South yard lane ca. 1931. [Credit: ONHS Archives Image #09311-2]
The connection between Carter Hall and Millwood
may also be indicated by a baseball diamond that existed on the
southern boundary of Carter Hall during the Townsend Burwell
period (Charles Burwell, personal communication 6/12/2013).
In order to explore the changing circulation patterns
at Carter Hall, a GIS-based study was conducted to identify
locations of possible road beds and compare them to oral history
data. Attempts at visually identifying historic paths using ground
survey were thwarted by the rolling topography and vegetation
on the site. Areas with slight depressions were visually identified
through ground survey, but no historic road beds have yet been
confirmed.
The Carter Hall grounds were analyzed through visual
interpretation of 1-meter LiDAR data using hillshade models
and techniques outlined in White et al (2013) to maximize the
visibility of anomalous topographic features. In order to more
accurately distinguish between natural features and potential road
beds, flow accumulation was modeled to identify potential stream
channels.
Figure 88 - Detail of road revision by engineer W.E. Shendell, May 1931. The new
road is shown in red, areas to fill in blue (at top of image adjacent East House), and
areas to cut in yellow. Note the yellow turnaround at center-right of image.
[Credit: ONHS Archives #9311-4]
Next, GIS models were used to generate Least Cost Paths
between known destination features on the landscape, such as the
main gate and front door, the barn and the mill house. These
automated models detect the easiest way to travel between two
specified points. Slope was the only data used to calculate cost
for path analysis in this study. Historic roads are assumed to have
been developed by/for horse and carriage travel, therefore a slope
of 7.5 percent was used as the maximum allowable slope for the
model. The vegetation has changed only slightly in character over
the course of the propertys history, however, the location of trees
and other vegetation has likely changed depending on land use
and management decisions.
Soils data was acquired using the USGS Web Soil Survey
and were found to be primarily silt loams with rock outcrop
complexes. The soils indicate that some limitations for road
99
Additional study of circulation on the Carter Hall property
should include a review of the connections between the historic
North Gate connecting the town of Millwood to the Carter
Hall property as evidenced in a George H. Burwell era plat. A
review of hillshade models of the site indicate many possible roads
between the historic intersection and the North Gate, however
the node was not included in formal study. Further study of
circulation at Carter Hall would also benefit from comparison
of the plantations spatial organization to other properties to
understand the relationship between the formal entrance and
house.
100
Figure 92 - 1-meter LiDAR data hillshade model showing structure of historic Carter Hall landscape. [Credit: Author; base data: AXM2, University of Mary Washington, 2012]
101
!
(
Entry
!
( Mansion
!
(
Historic
Intersection
generated from each of the smoothed data sets then visually compared against a hillshade of existing
LCP elevation.
from Focal Statistics
LCP from 10 resampled data
0 hillshade
resampled data
of existing
ss
atistics
250
LCP from!
(Focal Statistics
elevation.
0
250
Entry
500
Feet
250
250
Feet
500
Feet
!
(
250
500
! Mansion
Figure 93 - Road model tests. [Credit: Author;
Feetbase data: AXM2, University of Mary Washington,!
(2012] (
102
!
(
Mansion
Historic
!
( Mansion
500
Historic
Intersection
Barn
500
Feet
Viewshed Study
The areas visible from
each of the known historic
viewpoints was modeled in GIS
to understand the relationship
between potential road beds and
visibility on the hilly site.
Legend
Carter Hall Boundary
Viewpoint
Visible from Entrance
Visible from Intersection
Visible from Barn
Edited Road Beds
from LiDAR
Water Flow Channel
Figure 94 - Viewshed study. [Credit: Author; base data: AXM2, University of Mary Washington, 2012]
103
Potential road beds were
overlaid on viewshed areas to
determine visibility from key
nodes on the historic landscape.
House
Legend
Carter Hall Boundary
Viewpoint
Rock Outcrop
Possible Road Trace
Basin Ridgeline
Least Cost Path
Stone Wall
Water Flow Channel
Figure 95 - Potential historic road system. [Credit: Author; base data: AXM2, University of Mary Washington, 2012]
104
Figure 98 - Modern road curving around historic tree, looking east. [Credit: Author]
Rock outcrops likely constrained development on the site. The southeast yard
(Figure 96) contains many more outcrops than areas near the house, which may have
been cleared for construction. The modern road was designed in a picturesque style
which reveals scenes of the landscape (Figure 97). The modern road accommodated
historic trees (Figure 99). The lane to Millwood likely crossed the modern road
perpendicularly near the V in the road, just west of the area pictured above (Figure 99).
105
1908 - 1929
John Townsend Burwell
1929 - 1947
Gerard Lambert
1947 - 1976
Frank and Mable Christopher
* Increasing canopy
* Formal boxwood parterre
* Increasing evergreen foundation
* Woods areas encroaching on formal garden
* Strong separation between formal garden and
area near slave quarters
Data from aerial images, ground photographs,
historic survey, written description and interview data was
used to craft proposed plans for the North Yard during three
periods of ownership.
Figure 100 - Comparison of garden periods. [Credit: Author]
106
107
Project HOPE
(1977 - 2013)
In August 1977 The People to People Health Foundation
purchased Carter Hall in order to have a land base for their
global humanitarian work in healthcare, called Project HOPE
(HopeBuys). The property had been on the market for
approximately one year (HopeBuys) before the Foundation
purchased the manor tract which included the major buildings
and 77 acres (Paid). After the purchase, Carter Hall became
the international headquarters for the Foundation, which was
previously located on Wisconsin Avenue in Washington D.C.
(HopeBuys).
The plan for Carter Hall was to serve as a center for
international symposiums and conferences, attracting scholars
and experts in medicine, public health, education, and government
(HopeBuys). Currently, Carter Hall and the grounds function as a
for-profit conference center for use by like-minded organizations.
The property holds administrative offices for the non-profit
Project HOPE in a building built soon after they acquired the
property. The structure was built in the northwest of the property
and is obscured from view by a grove of trees that may have been
planted during the Christopher and Project HOPE periods
(Figure 104).
108
The original sale notice listed a 700 acre property (Paid)
which included agricultural amenities such as silos, cattle sheds
and barns (Sotheby) in addition to the house and yard. These
features were likely located on the additional 130 acres for which
Project HOPE had a lease option (Hand). This agricultural land ,
which lays to the southeast of the house across Spout Run, is leased
to local farmers (Kaplan, personal communication 05/15/2013).
Modifications to the landscape appear to have been
made in the early 1980s soon after the organization purchased
the property. Project HOPE extended the entry road to provide
access to the administrative building and added additional site
amenities such as a small parking lot, service buildings to the far
north of the property adjacent to Mt. Airy Farm Lane, and a
tennis court near the administration building.
In addition to the large swimming pool in the North yard,
the small fish pond on the terrace behind the east dependency
Figure 102 - Brick sitting terminating vista on terrace behind east house.
[Credit: Author]
Figure 104 - A young grove shields modern Project HOPE structures. [Credit: Author]
109
Despite earlier efforts, primarily under Gerard Lambert,
to revive the historic grove on the property, forty to fifty oaks
have been lost since the mid-1970s, with a lot of the devastation
occurring during the 2008 wind storms (Burt Kaplan, personal
communication 5/15/2013). As Clarke County has gone from
an agricultural to residential community in the 20th century,
the landscape of Carter Hall remains an important vestige of
earlier landscape conditions, including the agricultural lands
which Carter Hall rents to local farmers ( Shadow, 8).
Around 1988 the English boxwood that had been
installed and carefully tended by Wade Muldoon to decorate
the North yard and form the maze succumbed to a blight.
Project HOPE hired Saunders Brothers nursery to replace the
English boxwood maze in the North Yard with Green Beauty
a more hardy cultivar, which the company may have helped to
develop (Burt Kaplan, personal communication 5/15/2013).
Project HOPE had consulted with Blandy Arboretum (home
of the American Boxwood Society) prior to the restoration
project, which involved fumigating the soil. The restoration
project sought to follow the existing design (B. Kaplan, personal
communication 6/20/2013) implemented by the Christophers.
Figure 105 - Proposed design for Alumni Terrace north of service buildings.
[Credit: Project HOPE Archive]
110
A line of English boxwood that extended from the last
flight of stairs under the Lebanon Cedar at the base of the third
terrace along the thin fourth terrace to the cutting garden was
removed at that time and was never replaced (Burt Kaplan,
personal communication 5/15/2013).
The Project HOPE period has also resulted in the
implementation of many small scale features intended to serve as
memorials and donated by classes of volunteers commemorating
their time spent serving together. In addition to the redesigned
mill pond bridge, examples of memorial features on the landscape
include a small garden dominated by spring and summer
blooming bulbs on the rock outcrop adjacent to the northern end
of the narrow third terrace; a path winding from the spring pond
through the East Hill terraces to the North Yard (overgrown
The concern for the retaining the historic character of the
property during the Project HOPE period is evidenced by the
fact that when the three-story Learning Resource Center was
under construction in 1978, Project HOPE installed new water
lines so as not to disturb the layout of the grounds (Schedule).
Figure 106 - Example of small scale site features built on site during the Project
HOPE era. [Credit: Author]
111
North of the three work sheds is a large rectangular
concrete slab enclosed with an eighteen-inch high concrete
wall that supports chain link fencing topped with barbed wire.
The area has become overgrown with successional plants, but a
small dog house can be seen inside. Against the fence gate on
the structures east side is an approximately seven-foot tall feature
that resembles a large shower head attached to a fence post.
Two large porticos measuring twenty-by-twenty feet serve
to connect the house to the north garden. The brick-paved openair porticos, which date to the early 20th century, are attached to
the primary wings of the mansion and are connected by a narrow,
brick-paved patio that runs along the length of the mansion.
Stairs lead down from the porticos and the patio beneath the rear
door to provide access to the garden. The top terrace of the garden
is adorned with a boxwood parterre garden. Directly adjacent the
patio is a central parterre panel that contains a sundial at its center.
Brick paths lead past this area to the symmetrical parterres that
flank an open turf panel on axis with the centerline of the house.
The central panel of each flanking garden parterre is composed
of turf with a single magnolia (likely Magnolia acuminate) at
its center. Four small flights of stone stairs lead from the first to
second terrace, with two flights located on the north edge, and
one each on the east and west sides.
The second garden terrace is dominated by an
exceptionally large Lebanon cedar which at one time partially
shaded an oval swimming pool. The second garden parterre
is bordered on the east half of the north edge by a line of
shaped boxwood. Whereas two wide sets of stone stairs allow
for parallel traffic to descend northward from the first terrace,
a single narrow set of stairs leads to the third terrace. Located
under the spreading branches of the Lebanon cedar, the stairs
are flanked by boxwood and lead to a narrow third terrace that
is situated west of the house axis. The third terrace extends
north to the line of outbuildings which were likely built as slave
cabins. The terrace terminates in the cutting garden designed
and implemented under Bunny Mellons direction in the 1980s.
113
The author also found other agricultural implements
along the entry road under the grove of Norway Spruce
located just southwest of the house. These items included a
rusted knife (Figure 25) blade and an unidentified implement
(Figure 24) that may be part of a winch. Sections of post
and wire cattle fencing indicate previous organization of
the Carter Hall landscape and indicate pastoral land use.
Today there is an abundance of wildlife on the property
including fox, groundhogs, blue birds, hummingbirds, deer, and
waterfowl and crayfish in the pond. Truly, it has become the
landscape garden that the Christophers likely sought to nurture
since the 1940s.
The landscape retains other features that hint at past uses
of the landscape, including three small metal fence posts and bent
metal plaques placed in the south yard near the cluster of specimen
trees. Maintenance staff for the property were consulted, but there
was no indication the signs had been placed by Project HOPE.
Research and field work during 2013 sought to lay the
framework for a landscape history of Carter Hall including the
major events, cultural trends, and people who helped to shape the
development of the property.
A few giant oak trees remain, providing a sense of the
grove that once existed primarily between the house and the
entry road. However, the last remnant of the original grove
was lost to a tornado in 2008. The small knoll overlooking
the spring pond bears the remnants of the giant trees as large
stumps, and piles of wood chips and large debris remaining from
efforts to chop through the fallen trees. The area is overgrown
with raspberry brambles and is a favorite spot for deer to forage.
Carter Hall and Apple Hill remain connected by the
asphalt paved Mt. Airy Hill Lane. Apple Hill, the residence for
Project HOPEs president when he is in Virginia, is open and
visible from the mill pond area. The small island formed by the
springs on the north and Spout Run to the south is maintained
as an open field. It is not clear at what point the area was cleared,
but it was likely wooded during the Christopher era (Farland).
The historic connection between Carter Hall and
Millwood has been lost as a result of the altered circulation
patterns and the apparent restoration of turf over the historic
lanes.
114
Study Conclusions
Over the course of its history, Carter Hall has been shaped
by humans seeking to utilize the abundant resources of the site
and capitalize on the beauty of the surrounding countryside.
Starting approximately 80 years ago the property followed
local and regional trends for plantation homes and transitioned
from an agricultural to a purely residential function. Fo l l ow i n g
a change to a residential use came changes in management
strategies for the property, starting with Gerard Lambert who
focused on renovation and addition of buildings in a Colonial
revival style. Lambert also created the scenic entry road, designed
in a style reminiscent of Olmsted Brothers, although it is not
possible to credit the firm for the design.
The most significant changes to the structure of the historic
gardens and broader landscape were made under the Christophers
who designed the existing formal North yard garden and worked
to create a landscape garden on the wider property.
Due to the long history and twists and turns of fate
befalling owners and land managers along the way, there are many
aspects of the propertys history that remain to be discovered.
115
Legend
1 - Main Entrance
2 - Largest extant tree on property (White Oak)
3 - Project HOPE headquarters
4 - Flagstone Paved Area
5 - North Yard
6 - Specimen Tree Planting
7 - South Yard Terraces
8 - East Hill Terraces
9 - Mill Pond
10 - Spruce Grove overlooking path to Millpond
11 - Carter Hall Mill and Millers House
t. A
iry
La
ne
Limestone Outcrop
Post and Wire Fence
Parcel Boundary
Road
116
t. A
iry
La
ne
9
8
10
5
6
11
4
400 feet
2
un
Fairf
ax H
ighw
ay
Sp
ou
tR
Lord
117
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!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
Source: Esri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA, USGS, AEX,
Getmapping, Aerogrid, IGN, IGP, swisstopo, and the GIS User Community
!
118
Acer buergeranium
Cornus spp.
Platunus occidentalis
Robinia pseudoacacia
Acer saccharum
Cryptomeria
Populus alba
Syringa spp.
Aesculus hippocastanum
Fraxinus pennsylvanica
Prunus serotina
Tsuga canadensis
Albizia julibrissin
Gingko spp.
Quercus spp.
Viburnum plicatum
Betula nigra
Juglans nigra
Quercus alba
Viburnum prunifolium
Buxus spp.
Juniperus virginiana
Quercus falcata
Unidentified Species
Carpinus spp.
Liquidambar styraciflua
Quercus palustris
Carya ovata
Magnolia acuminata
Quercus phellos
Carya spp.
Morus spp.
Quercus prinus
Carya tomentosa
Paulownia tomentosa
Quercus rubra
Celtis laevigata
Picea abies
Quercus veluntina
119
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125