Dolley Madison Garden Club presents annual tour

Historic Garden Week, sponsored by the Dolley Madison Garden Club is Saturday, April 18, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This year’s tour features “legacies from the 1800s amid the Blue Ridge foothills… with one modern twist” at locations in Madison and Greene Counties. Properties on the tour need not be visited in the order listed. You may start your tour at any property open for the day.

Sweely Winery Estate
Situated in rolling farmland with the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance, Sweely Estate Winery has had its world-class vineyards, winemaker and production facility in place since 2005. Visitors age 21 and older may enjoy a wine tasting with a souvenir wine glass, $5. Pre-ordered box lunches may be picked up at this location; a limited number of additional lunches will be available for purchase. Bring a blanket to enjoy a picnic on the Great Lawn if weather permits. 

Ashland
Built in 1862, Ashland, a Federal-style 12-room brick mansion, stands high on a hill surrounded by rolling farmland and forests. Like the original owner, William Frederick Nicol, the current owners are gardeners, and have enhanced the beauty of the house and its huge maple trees by planting flowering fruit trees and redbuds.

Firnew Farm
Firnew Farm’s rich history dates to 1732 when King George II granted Francis Conway 10,000 acres in what is today Greene and Madison counties. Eighty years later, in 1812, John Fitzhugh Conway, Francis’ great-grandson and a cousin of James Madison, built a five-room dormered frame house on a beautiful knoll by the Conway River. The milking parlor, from the days when Firnew was a dairy farm, has been converted into an art studio where local artists meet weekly. On Garden Day, there will be an artistic exhibit of native Virginia plants. Mr. and Mrs. David Crowe, owners.

Graves Chapel
According to the old pulpit Bible, Graves Chapel was built in 1885 as a Baptist meeting house. Written records, however, begin with the Sunday school which was organized in 1888. A Parish hall was added to the chapel in 1955, built with money from eggs and the harvest from “God’s acres,“ and with local materials and labor. The Graves Mill population declined after the establishment of Shenandoah National Park, and chapel attendance was so small that it was closed in 1969. In April, 1979, the chapel reopened as an interdenominational fellowship.

South River Farm
Nestled on a hill overlooking the South River Valley, at the base of Saddleback Mountain, is a handsome antebellum Federal-style brick house approached via a tree-lined driveway. Capt. Jeremiah McMullen was the first owner of this home, built in 1854 from local materials including bricks from clay dug and fired on the premises. McMullen returned home from war in 1865 to hard times, and the land was gradually sold off until only 104 acres remained.

Other places of interest
Greene County Courthouse, Court Square, Stanardsville. This Jeffersonian-inspired courthouse was built in 1838 by one of Jefferson’s master builders, William B. Philips. The portico was added in 1927-28. The courthouse was restored following a devastating fire in 1979. Open especially for Garden Day, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Greene County Historical Society Museum, 38 Court St., Stanardsville. Housed in the county’s first jail building, next to the courthouse, the museum collections illustrate 8,000 years of Greene County history. Open Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with extended hours until 5 p.m. especially for Garden Day.
Greene County Library, 222 Main St., Stanardsville. The Greene County Library began in the late 1960s in the the former county jail building. In 2003, with an enormous outpouring of community support and grant money, a stunning new building was opened, with 8,000 square feet of space, lots of room for a growing collection, a community meeting room and a reading garden. Washroom facilities available. Open for Garden Day 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Old Mill House B&B, 29 Graves Rd., Graves Mill. Located within the historic Journey Through Hallowed Ground, the old mill house, gristmill, miller’s house and barn complete the compound recently placed on the Virginia Landmarks and The National Register of Historic Places.
Skylight Farm Art Studio, 2595 South River Rd., Stanardsville. The English basement of an 1832 Federal-style brick farmhouse, which was renovated in 2008, houses the art studio of painter Chee Kludt Ricketts. The artist’s gallery with original paintings is situated in what was once the farmhouse kitchen. The house’s original features have been preserved. Open for Garden Day 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
James Madison’s Montpelier, 4 mi. south of Orange on Rt. 20. Montpelier was the home of the fourth president of the United States, James Madison, and his wife, Dolley. The main house has undergone extensive renovation, meticulously returned to the 1820 house that James and Dolley Madison loved. Today, visitors have a rare opportunity to observe a state-of-the-art restoration as they look behind the scenes. Historic Garden proceeds have enabled The Garden Club of Virginia to restore Montpelier’s two-acre formal terraced garden.  Admission fee.

Tickets
Tickets may be purchased in advance for $20 until Friday, April 17 at: East Main Shops, 110 E. Main St., Orange (540) 672-5554; The Arts Center in Orange, 1293 E. Main St., Orange (540) 672-7311; Elmwood at Sparks, 124 W. Main St., Orange (540) 672-0060; Greenscapes Nursery, 531 Cedar Hill Rd., Madison (540) 948-6478; Museum of Culpeper History, 803 S. Main St., Culpeper (540) 829-1749; Pepperberries, 102 N. Main St., Culpeper, (540) 829-2290; Lafayette Inn, 146 East Main St., Stanardsville, (434) 985-6345.
On the day of the tour, tickets are $25, or $10 for single-site admission. Children six to 12, half price; children five and under, free of charge.  Tickets are available at each location on the tour.

Lunch
Pre-ordered box lunches will be available at the Sweely Estate Winery from 11 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. for $12. A choice of 1) shaved turkey and Swiss on croissant with mustard and mayonnaise or 2) chilled toasted orzo salad, kalamata olives, tomatoes, red onions, capers, extra virgin olive oil. Both choices are served with harvest cheddar Sun Chips, Fuji apple, locally baked chocolate chip cookie and a bottle of water. Elmwood at Sparks will accept lunch orders by telephone (540) 672-0060, e-mail, or personal visitors to Elmwood at Sparks: 124 West Main St., Orange.
General information
Due to uneven surfaces at rural properties, locations are not handicapped-accessible. Only 24-seat or 28-seat buses will be allowed. Cars and vans are welcome. Flat-soled shoes are recommended for walking. Washroom facilities are available at The Sweely Estate Winery, Firnew Farm, and the Greene County Library. Lemonade will be served at Firnew Farm all day, and iced tea will be available from 2 to 4 p.m. at Graves Chapel.

Directions
Tour properties are located along state Rt. 230 in Madison and Greene Counties. South of the town of Madison on southbound Rt. 29, turn right on Rt. 230 and drive 1.2 mi. west on Wolftown Hood Rd. (Rt. 230) to the Sweely Winery Estate on the right. Leaving Sweely Winery Estate, cross Rt. 230 to Willis Rd. (Rt. 663) and proceed south for 1.4 mi. to Ashland on the left.  Leaving Ashland turn left, travel 0.5 mi to Shelby Rd. (Rt. 662.)  Turn right on Shelby Rd. Drive 1.3 mi. to Rt. 230. Turn left and travel west 0.3 mi. to Graves Mill Rd. (Rt. 662.) Turn right on Graves Mill Rd. and travel 5.3 mi. to Rt. 615.  Proceed 0.1 mi. to Graves Chapel on right. Return to Rt. 230 and turn right. Travel west on Rt. 230 for 3.5 mi. to Firnew Farm on the right. Leaving Firnew Farm turn right on Rte 230 and proceed west 2.3 mi. to South River Rd. (Rt. 661.) Turn right and drive northwest 2.5 mi. to South River Farm on the right. Leaving South River Farm turn left and drive 2.5 mi. to Rt. 230. Turn left and drive (8.1 mi.) to Sweely Winery Estate.