Virginia Mountains - Vistas, History, & Wineries

[giradman]

Susan and I just returned from a 4-night trip to Charlottesville, Virginia (VA) - we've visited the area a half dozen times over the decades but has been 4-5 years since our last trip - I mainly wanted to return to see the progress on several historic houses of a number of the early Presidents of the United States. So, I'll start by describing our short journey there w/ a day to day account of our activities; then subsequent posts will describe some of our previous trips - as usual, I'll use some of my photos and borrow many images from the web.

Charlottesville is surrounded by mountains and is near the Shenandoah Valley - map below shows our route from Winston-Salem; we went via HW 29 through Lynchburg (to see one of Thomas Jefferson's homes - will be part of the next post) - there are a number of driving options including I-77 to I-81 which runs through the beautiful valley w/ a number of historic towns to visit. Charlottesville is the home of the University of Virginia, one of the best schools in the Southeast part of the USA - check the link, if interested; Thomas Jefferson (author of the Declaration of Independence & the third United States President) designed the Rotunda and adjacent wings (a couple of pics below after the map).

There are plenty of motels, hotels, and other housing option, but we have usually stayed @ the Boar's Head Inn, which is the official 'inn' of the University w/ an outstanding fitness center and restaurant; however, this time we splurged a little (kind of a second 45th anniversary celebration for us) and stayed at Keswick Hall, a historic property converted into a 48-room hotel w/ several restaurants, spa, and a gorgeous golf course designed by Pete Dye - below are my pics of the hotel from the front & back w/ some panoramic views - the grounds are landscaped beautifully - we really enjoyed our stay there.

Upcoming posts will describe our daily activities which varied from mountain scenery, visiting President's houses in the area, and also finding a number of the excellent wineries. Dave
.

 

[scifan57]

Susan and I just returned from a 4-night trip to Charlottesville, Virginia (VA) - we've visited the area a half dozen times over the decades but has been 4-5 years since our last trip - I mainly wanted to return to see the progress on several historic houses of a number of the early Presidents of the United States. So, I'll start by describing our short journey there w/ a day to day account of our activities; then subsequent posts will describe some of our previous trips - as usual, I'll use some of my photos and borrow many images from the web.

Charlottesville is surrounded by mountains and is near the Shenandoah Valley - map below shows our route from Winston-Salem; we went via HW 29 through Lynchburg (to see one of Thomas Jefferson's homes - will be part of the next post) - there are a number of driving options including I-77 to I-81 which runs through the beautiful valley w/ a number of historic towns to visit. Charlottesville is the home of the University of Virginia, one of the best schools in the Southeast part of the USA - check the link, if interested; Thomas Jefferson (author of the Declaration of Independence & the third United States President) designed the Rotunda and adjacent wings (a couple of pics below after the map).

There are plenty of motels, hotels, and other housing option, but we have usually stayed @ the Boar's Head Inn, which is the official 'inn' of the University w/ an outstanding fitness center and restaurant; however, this time we splurged a little (kind of a second 45th anniversary celebration for us) and stayed at Keswick Hall, a historic property converted into a 48-room hotel w/ several restaurants, spa, and a gorgeous golf course designed by Pete Dye - below are my pics of the hotel from the front & back w/ some panoramic views - the grounds are landscaped beautifully - we really enjoyed our stay there.

Upcoming posts will describe our daily activities which varied from mountain scenery, visiting President's houses in the area, and also finding a number of the excellent wineries. Dave
.
View attachment 66817 View attachment 66818 View attachment 66819 View attachment 66820 View attachment 66821 View attachment 66822 View attachment 66823 View attachment 66824 View attachment 66825 View attachment 66826

Thanks for another interesting travel thread. I'm looking forward to the next post as I've always been interested in historic homes.

 

[giradman]

Thanks for another interesting travel thread. I'm looking forward to the next post as I've always been interested in historic homes.

Hi Scifan.. - enjoying your conference pics!

We've been going to the Virginia Mountain area for years and was surprised that I had not put together a travelogue of the region - plan to summarize the current trip and then add more posts of other past visits - great area to visit for many reasons. Dave

 

[giradman]

Poplar Forest - Tom Jefferson's Getaway House

First day of our recent trip - on the way to Charlottesville, we visited Poplar Forest near Lynchburg, VA - he inherited the plantation from his father-in-law in 1773 and began construction of an octagonal house during his presidency (quotes below from the start of a Wiki article & the link given). We first visited the property about 4-5 years ago - the house has been reconstructed (much destroyed by fire) and is in the process of restoration - the changes since our last tour are amazing - historic (Jefferson wrote a LOT of letters and used a polygraph that made duplicate copies - so much of his writing is left for study) and archeologic investigation. Restoration of the brick work & wood details are done by standards of the time, e.g. wooden woodworking planes of various types are used (John Hemings, a Jefferson slave was one of Tom's favorite woodworkers - see last quote below, also a Wiki reference).

Pics below - first a floor plan of the eight-sided house; the central dining room extends to the roof w/ a sky light - the frieze is only partially restored (SO, we'll have to return again in a few years!); the next two images show the front and back of the structure - a number of huge poplar trees remain, likely 200 or so years old. Jefferson designed one wing (for storage, kitchen, smoke house, and other purposes) - the following pics show that wing and also the top roof which was like a walking evening porch for him and his family. The remaining images show some interior scenes, including his bedroom which is now much more restored; kitchen w/ heating sites; and a portion of the museum which occupies much of the lower floor.

Jefferson's main house in the Charlottesville area is known as Monticello (an upcoming post) - Poplar Forest was his 'escape' retreat - he went alone or w/ close family members, such as his grandchildren - after his presidency and because of his fame, many people would just show up at his 'big' house often unannounced and staring into the windows to see him eating his meals - SO, easy to understand his joy to return to his secret home near Lynchburg - now less that an hours drive by car, but then a 2-day trip on horse or a 3-day trip by carriage. Dave

n 1773 Jefferson inherited the estate of 4,800 acres (1,900 ha) from his father-in-law, John Wayles. He supervised the laying of the foundations for a new octagonal house in 1806, when President. This octagon house, built in accordance with Palladian principles, includes a central cube room, 20 feet (6.1 m) on a side, porticos to the north and south, and a service wing (to the east).

Poplar Forest is considered Jefferson’s most mature architectural masterpiece. At Poplar Forest, elements from ancient, Renaissance Palladian and 18th century French architecture, as well as British and Virginian design, fuse into a harmonious whole. The 16th century architect, Andrea Palladio, greatly influenced Jefferson’s plan for the revival of ancient Roman architecture and integration of landscape design into the architectural design.

John Hemings (also spelled Hemmings) (1776 – 1833) was born into slavery at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello as part of the large mixed-race Hemings family. He trained to become a highly skilled carpenter and woodworker, making furniture and doing the fine woodwork of the interiors at Monticello and Poplar Forest.

Jefferson's sons by Sally Hemings: Beverly, Madison and Eston, were each apprenticed to John Hemmings at the age of 14 for training as fine carpenters. After decades of service, John Hemmings was freed in 1826 by Jefferson's will, together with two older Hemings' males who had long served Jefferson, and the much younger Madison and Eston.

.

 

[The OB]

What a fabulous drive and great photos too, Dave. A most enjoyable travelogue, thanks
Andrew


Sent from my iPad Air2 using Tapatalk

 

[scifan57]

It will be even more interesting to see the house when the restoration is finished.

 

[giradman]

It will be even more interesting to see the house when the restoration is finished.

As to Poplar Forest, the previous pic of Jefferson's bedroom is what the room looked like on our previous visit, so now more fully restored - the walls are plastered but the historic records are vague about whether they were painted (and what color?) and/or wall papered (again, type?). A portion of the house will be left unrestored simply to show visitors 'how' the house was constructed.

The dining room frieze (what is currently in place in the pic below w/ the sky light will be completely restored on all four walls). And despite Jefferson's voluminous letters concerning the house's construction, the other wall details in that room are not known, so a decision as to go as far as historically correct vs. choosing a period option, such as a wall paper? Roy Underhill who's PBS show 'The Woodwright's Shop' has been around for nearly 30 years has done episodes on both Poplar Forest and Monticello (and other houses & places), which are extremely interesting, just not sure if available online (vs. buying the DVDs as in the link given).

And for those curious about Jefferson's correspondence, he used a 'polygraph' (reproduction below), so that he kept a copy of virtually every letter he wrote which has provided much information in understanding his times. Dave
.

 

[giradman]

Aboriginal Art, James Monroe's Ash Lawn, and Wineries

As to our first full day in the Charlottesville area, the morning included a spa date for Susan and the fitness room for myself, followed by a light shared Caesar salad & a ham/veggie wrap lunch at the Keswick Club Grill restaurant (couple first pics below) - then off for just a half day's touring in the area.

First stop was the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection on the University of Virginia campus - the museum is small and located in an old historic house - below the building plus just one example of an art work. Many larger American Universities have one or more 'museums', so always worth some research while visiting these campuses.

Then off to Ash Lawn-Highland, the home of James Monroe (1758-1831), the 5th President of the United States (1817-1825) (also the fourth Virginian to hold the office - a dynasty!) - quoted below the beginning from the Wiki link given - the house is modest compared to the others in the area and comprised just the portion painted in white from the pics below (the yellow addition came later); also on the property are reconstructed outbuildings and slave quarters. The dining room shows a cabinet that has some of his china from the White House during his presidency - he was the first to have his own china made which of course started a tradition; also, noticed that he died on July 4, our Independence Day - both Thomas Jefferson & John Adams died on July 4th in 1826!

The remainder of the afternoon included visits to two nearby wineries; first Burnley Vineyards and then Jefferson Vineyards near Monticello - much more on the Virginia Wine industry in the next post and other vinous visits - we brought back 12 bottles (2 each from 6 different wineries). Dave

James Monroe (April 28, 1758 – July 4, 1831) was the fifthPresident of the United States (1817–1825). Monroe was the last president who was a Founding Father of the United States and the last president from the Virginia dynasty and the Republican Generation. Born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, Monroe was of the planter class and fought in the American Revolutionary War. He was wounded in the Battle of Trenton with a musket ball to his shoulder. After studying law under Thomas Jefferson from 1780 to 1783, he served as a delegate in the Continental Congress. As an anti-federalist delegate to the Virginia convention that considered ratification of the United States Constitution, Monroe opposed ratification, claiming it gave too much power to the central government. He took an active part in the new government, and in 1790 he was elected to the Senate of the first United States Congress, where he joined the Jeffersonians. He gained experience as an executive as the Governor of Virginia and rose to national prominence as a diplomat in France, when he helped negotiate the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. During the War of 1812, Monroe held the critical roles of Secretary of State and the Secretary of War under President James Madison.

.

 

[giradman]

Virginia - Wine History & Wineries Today

The first permanent English colony here started in Jamestown (on the James & York River peninsula) in 1607 - attempts to produce wines began in America at that time. Thomas Jefferson, an ambassador to France before becoming the first Secretary of State under Washington acquired a taste for French wines and imported many in his lifetime; he also attempted to grow grapes at Monticello but the European varietals failed to grow successfully (because of vine/root diseases unknown then - the best example being phylloxera).

Now, there are nearly 200 wineries in the state located in many areas from the coast (i.e. eastern shore near Chincoteague - part of another travelogue of mine) to the mountains, plus north and south (Ch. Morissette & Villa Appalachia on the Blue Ridge Parkway are just a 45 minute drive for me) - see the maps below; only California, New York, Washington State, and Oregon produce more wine - Thomas Jefferson would be proud! A brief description quoted below of the landscape and climate of Virginia and the many areas in the state where wine is produce - there are now 6 AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) in Virginia (only 3 at the moment in my state of North Carolina) (Source) - take a look at the 'overview' on the link - there is a short video that may be of interest.

As in North Carolina, a wide assortment of grapes and fruits are used to make fermented beverages, so there is plenty of variety for all to enjoy - these include the use of classic European Vitis vinifera types, such as Chardonnay & Cabernet Franc; French-American hybrids (e.g. Seyval Blanc, Vidal Blanc & Chambourcin); native American varieties (e.g. Norton) - often, these assorted types are blended together to produce unusual and tasty concoctions. In my upcoming posts, I'll include some of the wineries that we visited (only about a half dozen of the MANY in the area). Dave

The landscape and climate of Virginia offers countless choice sites for vineyards. Each of the state’s five main land regions – the Appalachian Plateau, the Appalachian Ridge and Valley Region, the Blue Ridge, the Piedmont, and the Atlantic Coastal Plain – boasts vineyards and wineries. Granite-based soils in western areas of the state and sandy loam soil in the eastern both offer prime grape-growing ground. And good drainage can be found on all landscapes at all elevations.

Virginia’s five distinct climate regions – the Tidewater, Piedmont, Northern Virginia, Western Mountain and Southwestern Mountain – provide a temperate climate that’s not too hot or cold for extended periods. Virginia’s varying weather patterns see the mountainous southwest and Shenandoah Valley average a 160-day growing season; and east of the Blue Ridge, an average of 200 days.

Six of the United States’ 187 American Viticultural Areas, or AVAs – grape-growing regions defined by geographic features that influence the wines they produce – are in Virginia: Eastern Shore, Monticello Northern Neck, North Fork of Roanoke, Rocky Knob, and Shenandoah Valley. Given Virginia’s preponderance of well-situated grape-growing sites with ideal soil conditions, fine wines now come from all over the state.

.

 

[scifan57]

Keep up the good work, I'll be waiting for the next instalment.

 

[giradman]

Keep up the good work, I'll be waiting for the next instalment.

Thanks again - plenty more to cover!

But, forgot to mention in my general 'wine' post - bought the book reviewed below (quote from Amazon) - second edition released in December 2014, so should be pretty much up to date - a recommendation if you are planning to visit Virginia wine country. Dave

For 30 years, Thomas Jefferson grew grapes in his Monticello vineyards in hopes of producing fine wine --but to no avail. Today that has completely changed. Virginia wine now has a reputation as some of the best in America, with increasing sales and more wineries (nearly 200) welcoming an ever-larger number of visitors. Richard Leahy, a former editor for Vineyard & Winery Management magazine, has written the essential book on Virginia wine, covering its history, interviews with the state's top winemakers, and updates on the latest industry developments.

 

[giradman]

Staunton Virginia, Shenandoah Valley Attractions, & Wineries - Part 1

On our second full day, we headed west on I-64 to the Staunton, VA area, a short 45 minute drive - activities there included a stop in the town w/ a delightful lunch and a visit to the birthplace of Woodrow Wilson; we started at the Frontier Culture Museum, then a short drive on the Skyline Drive, and ending w/ trips to two local mountain wineries.

Staunton is the middle town near the Shenandoah National Park (see map below - Winchester, birthplace of Patsy Cline, is at the northern end & Roanoke at the southern one of the valley); I-81 runs 'down' the valley. Staunton is a beautiful hilly Virginia mountain town (an image below of one of the main streets), birthplace of an American President, and also where the Statler Brothers (the country music quartet) got their start (pic of the group added, for fans).

Skyline Drive is part of the National Park Service and extends 109 miles from Afton (near Staunton - see map w/ the towns under discussion shown by arrows; note the 'green' arrow, Luray Caverns will be the topic of an upcoming post) to Front Royal - in the past, we've driven the entire length of this scenic mountain highway but just went about 30 miles this time - pics below from the web of some of the scenery along the road. P.S. the northern start of the 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway is a continuation of the southern terminus of the Skyline Drive - a LOT of combined scenic miles to enjoy!

The Frontier Culture Museum is just off I-81 in Staunton - this is a large outdoor walking museum emphasizing the types of peoples (Africans & Europeans) that settled Virginia; nearly all of the structures are from the Old World, i.e. taken apart at their sites of origin and reconstructed on the property (the African Village is one exception). Costumed guides and interpreters are present in each structure - animals are present, plants are grown, and many other activities take place; except for the title, all of the images below from the Frontier Museum are my own. In order: 1) African Village w/ mud walls; 2) English farm house; 3) Irish blacksmith house (w/ smoke emerging) & Irish house w/ pigs and sheep; 4) German house & outbuildings; 5) Mountain log cabin w/ tobacco growing in the foreground and corn in the back; and 6) American farm houses (several not shown) w/ Susan saying hello.

Part 2 coming up next w/ a discussion of Woodrow Wilson and several wineries - Dave
.

 

[scifan57]

Your travel posts make me wish I was there, they're so informative.

 

[giradman]

Your travel posts make me wish I was there, they're so informative.

Thanks again for your support of my travelogues -

Just a couple of extra images to supplement what has (and will regarding the wineries) been discussed - the Frontier Culture Museum had a beautiful map of the grounds (shown below although difficult to appreciate the details at that size - basically divided into the 'Old World' and 'American' sections).

Also a smaller map of the Virginia wine area around the Charlottesville area - over 3 days we visited 7 wineries, which are indicated by red boxes or a red arrow - purchased 2 bottles each @ six of those places - still have five to mention - Dave

P.S. click on the maps for a slightly larger image.
.

 

[giradman]

Staunton Virginia, Shenandoah Valley Attractions, & Wineries - Part 2

Staunton, Virginia is Woodrow Wilson's Birthplace (1856-1924) - he was the most educated United States President (see image below) and the only one to have earned a Ph.D. degree - tours include the house in which he was born (red brick structure) and the museum; his Presidential Library (gray house) can be seen by appointment. Wilson's father was a minister and held many positions throughout the south (Augusta, GA; Columbia, SC; Wilmington, NC, etc.).

Woodrow Wilson was a college professor and President of Princeton University before he became Governor of New Jersey and eventually the 28th President of the USA (1913-1921) - first quote below the start of a Wiki Article on Wilson; his favorite automobile was a 1919 Pierce Arrow which can be seen in the museum - second quote a brief description (Source) - the car still runs and is maintained by 'hand-made' replacement parts.

For the later afternoon, we ended our day journey by visiting several mountain wineries in the Afton area - both were just beautiful w/ mountain views and tasty wines - the first was Veritas Vineyard & Winery - purchased their Chardonnay & Sauvignon Blanc (3 pics below of the label, tasting room, & wines bought); the second was Afton Mountain Vineyards w/ the mountains in the background - there we purchased their Chardonnay & Sparkling Wine. Dave

Thomas Woodrow Wilson (1856 – 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28thPresident of the United States from 1913 to 1921. Born and raised in the South, Wilson earned a Ph.D in political science, working as a professor and scholar at various institutions before being chosen as President of Princeton University, where he worked from 1902 to 1910. In the election of 1910, he was the gubernatorial candidate of New Jersey's Democratic Party, and was elected the 34th Governor of New Jersey, serving from 1911 to 1913. Running for president in 1912, a split in the Republican Party allowed his plurality, just over forty percent, to win him a large electoral college margin. As President, Wilson was a leading force in the Progressive Movement, bolstered by his Democratic Party's winning control of both the White House and Congress in 1912.

When Woodrow Wilson returned from France after negotiating the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, a new Pierce-Arrow limousine awaited him at the dock in New York to take him back to Washington. The automobile had just been added to the White House fleet. Wilson favored this automobile so much that when he left office his friends purchased it for him to use. The car had received its finishing touches at the plant of the manufacturer, the Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company of Buffalo, New York, in June 1919. It was the 120th of the "Series 51" model.

.