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Home , Corrotoman River, Mary Ball Washington, Northern Neck

HOSTED BY THE GARDEN CLUB OF THE Northern Neck – Lancaster County 121

TICKET INCLUDES ADMISSION TO THE STATE PARK AND 6 PROPERTIES IN LANCASTER:

START Belle Isle State Park, the HERE Epping Forest, 677 Morattico Mansion and the Manor House Road (Rt.622) 1632 Belle Isle Road Mary Ball (1708-1789), moth- Using funds from the 1992 Park er of , was born and and Recreational Facilities Bond Act, the spent her early childhood at Epping For- Virginia Department of Conservation and est. Her father, Colonel Joseph Ball, pur- Recreation purchased approximately 675 chased this plantation, sometimes referred Photo courtesy of Betsy Stanley acres of land slated for development to to as Forest Plantation or the Forest Quar- create Belle Isle State Park the following ter, in 1677 and built a residence soon af- year. The 1770s Belle Isle Manor House ter. When he was widowed, he married was purchased from the Gruis family in Mary Johnson. Colonel Ball died in 1711, 2015 and is now part of the park, and also and Mary’s mother managed her dower in- protected from development. The park is terest in this farm until her death in 1721. the recipient of Garden Club of Virginia In 1731 Mary Ball married Augustine Centennial grants in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Washington of Westmoreland County. George was the first child from this mar- Bel Air Mansion riage. The present house encompasses Built in 1940 by John G. Pollard, Jr., and 1780 and 1800 additions, as well as the his wife Peggy, this Colonial style house north elevation, which dates to 1820. was designed by Thomas T. Waterman. When William T. Jesse bought the planta- An expert in his field, Waterman served as tion, he added a finely detailed Feder- the director of the Historic American al-style, left-side addition with fanlights, Building Survey and consulted on the res- mantels and casings in 1840. The house toration of Colonial Williamsburg. Bel Air has been restored to its simple elegance, NorthernNeck typical of a Northern Neck plantation was built by local craftsman Bayse Haynie WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2020, 10 A.M. TO 4 P.M. using cypress trees harvested from Belle home. There are two noteworthy depen- Lancaster County, the “lower neck” or southernmost region of the Northern Neck, is a land Isle Farm. Inside accents, including walnut dencies, a c.1830 brick barn and a brick- of rivers, creeks and coves that feed into the . It is blessed with some of the balusters and pine dados, were repurposed lined ice house made from an estimated most scenic and historic vistas in the region. This driving tour leads visitors through the back from a nearby King and Queen County 15,000 bricks that line a circular pit that is roads of upper Lancaster County and features a private home at the confluence of the eastern home built by Carter Braxton, signer of approximately 18 feet deep. Epping Forest and western branches of the , properties located in Belle Isle State Park (a the Declaration of Independence. continues to be a working farm. recipient of a recent Garden Club of Virginia Centennial grant) including the first floor of Mr. and Mrs. John T. Kincheloe, owners. the Belle Isle Manor House, as well as St. Mary’s Whitechapel, Bewdley and Epping Forest, Belle Isle Manor House each with historical significance to the area – six locations in total. Bewdley, 1429 Bewdley Road This excellent example of a small but formal plantation was built for The first house, built by Major Kendall Thomas Bertrand Griffin following his Ball, a cousin of Mary Ball Washington, was purported to be the only house in the marriage to Judith Burwell of Carter’s TOUR CO-CHAIRS • Contact Carol Hughes: [email protected] with one set of dormer win- • Cathy Mecke (313) 670-4735 • Pick up between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Grove in 1766. One-story wings were added around 1790 by Rawleigh dows above another in the early 1700s. A • Betsy Stanley (804) 347-3488 century later, the first steamboats docked [email protected] REFRESHMENTS Downman, whose family ran a thriving • Complimentary at St. Mary’s Whitechapel plantation for nearly 100 years. In 1918 at its pier. Unfortunately, this structure, lo- cated adjacent to the , BUS AND TOUR GROUP INFORMATION • Homemade cookies and lemonade Belle Isle was purchased by the Somers • 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. family. During this time, the main house burned in 1917 after having been occupied • Dana Smith (804) 438-6559 by at least four generations of the Ball [email protected] FACILITIES was used to store grain and livestock. Sections of the interior paneling were sold family. It was rebuilt about ten years later TOUR HEADQUARTERS • Tour Headquarters by the late Matt P. Will of Richmond, with • St. Mary’s Whitechapel to Henry Frances du Pont for use in his • The Visitor Center at Belle Isle State Park: Winterthur home. In 1939 Suzanne the help of Andrew Kidwell, AIA, by con- 1632 Belle Isle Road, Lancaster, 22503 PARKING & BUSES Pollard Boatwright and her husband sulting the original plans and Mrs. James Kendall Ball, the last member of the fami- TICKETS • Available at each location except Belle Isle Herbert Lee Boatwright embarked on a Manor House ly to inhabit the house. Built more than 90 • $40 pp day of tour at all locations restoration of the house and the years ago, this replica is very similar to the Cash or Check will only be accepted at Tour Headquarters. surrounding terraced gardens with the SHUTTLES original house. It is located several hun- Discount Advance Tickets: $30 pp • Continuous loop between the Visitor help of Thomas T. Waterman and land- dred feet from the old foundation that has • Online: vagardenweek.org Center, Bel Air Mansion and Belle Isle scape architect R.E. Burson. Reproduc- long been lost to the eroding river shore. • Local: The Dandelion in Irvington, Manor House tions of the original paneling were in- An early smokehouse, all that remains of Lancaster Virginia Historical Society, stalled based on measurements Waterman DIRECTIONS: TOUR HEADQUARTERS the 1700s plantation, is located near the Mosaic in Callao, Dreams Fashions in took at Winterthur Museum. Belle Isle main residence. It contains a brick over the Burgess, Colonial Collectibles in Warsaw, • From Rt. 3, take Morattico Rd. (Rt. 622) for Farm was purchased by Edward and Rose- and The Art of Coffee in Montross 2.9 mi. then take a left on River Rd. (Rt. 354S) mary Gruis in 1980 and sold to Belle Isle fireplace inscribed with Major Ball’s name for 0.9 mi. Take a right onto Belle Isle Rd. State Park in 2015. It is listed on the Na- and the date 1789. The current residence is LUNCH AT TOUR HEADQUARTERS (Rt. 683) for 1.6 mi. to park entrance. tional Historic Register of Historic Places surrounded by more than 287 acres of • $15 box lunches prepared by Old Farm Truck Follow posted signs to the Visitor Center. and is a Virginia Historic Landmark. fields and forest and has been enjoyed as a • Available by pre-order only before April 15 summer home for five generations by Will HOSTED BY THE GARDEN CLUB OF THE NORTHERN NECK Northern Neck – Lancaster County 123

family members. The families of the late Mr. Henry Lee and . The and Mrs. Matt P. Will, owners. formal east garden was restored by the Garden Club of Virginia 1930-32 and was St. Mary’s Whitechapel restored twice since. The GCV is currently 5940 White Chapel Road restoring the East Garden, Upper Terrace to Founded in 1669, this is one of the oldest more nearly reflect the plan of Philip Ludwell churches in Virginia. Last year marked the Lee, who inherited the plantation in 1750. 350th anniversary of its founding. The This garden will feature a wide central path graveyard surrounding the church is one of lined by yews in a bed of perennials. Yew the most picturesque graveyards in the hedges on three sides will enclose vegetable Northern Neck. Situated on the west- gardens with trellises supporting antique ward-facing slope of a wooded hill, the pear varieties. stratfordhall.org. graveyard contains more than 750 graves George Washington’s Birthplace that date back well over 300 years. The old- and National Monument, 1732 est marked grave is that of “John Stretch- ley, Gentleman,” who died in 1698. The Pope’s Creek Rd., Colonial Beach site includes the resting places of many Preserves much of the character of the 18th other notable residents of Lancaster Coun- century plantation where Washing- ty, including a number of the members of ton lived until he was about four. the Ball family, maternal kin of George Lancaster Virginia Historical Society Washington. The Ball family graves are to the rear of the south wall of the church. 8346 Mary Ball Rd., Lancaster Probably the most famous “resident” is This center for local history and genealogy Margaret Brooke Sullavan Wagg, a Broad- located in the Lancaster Courthouse Historic way and film actress during the 1930s District was originally named in honor of through the 1950s, who was nominated for George Washington’s mother who was born an Academy Award for Best Actress, and is in the county. Tour the jail, clerk’s office and Photo courtesy of Roger Foley possibly a distant Ball relative. Lancaster House, and the grounds that include a restored formal garden, herb Stratford Hall Konerding Residence garden and the original 1742 courthouse Your tour ticket helps support this site and other Garden Club of Virginia restoration gardens. 9 Yankee Point Road green. lancastervahistory.org Overlooking the Corrotoman River at the confluence of its western and eastern branches, this three-acre property enjoys stunning views due to its raised elevation. The three-story home, built in the Low Country style, is surrounded with porches. Inside, period antiques complement ele- gant window treatments and upholstered furniture. Sorbet colored walls provide a backdrop for the owner’s various collec- tions including oyster plates, English wa- tercolors and Victorian shell-craft boxes. An elegantly outfitted pool house sports tongue and groove walls and ceilings. Drs. Karsten and Hazle Konerding, owners.

PLACES OF INTEREST Historic Christ Church 420 Christ Church Rd., Weems A National Historic Landmark, and a destination for those interested in architecture, Virginia history, and the Colonial period. The grounds were landscaped by the Garden Club of Virginia with proceeds from Historic Garden Week. christchurch1735.org. Stratford Hall Plantation 483 Great House Rd., Stratford Historic Home of the Lees and one of the finest examples of Georgian architecture in this country. Also, the home of Richard