Monday, May 12, 2008

historic house tour: belle grove

Saturday afternoon found our little historic house group at Belle Grove Plantation in Middletown, Virginia. Nestled in the foothills of the Shenandoah Mountains, the house was built by Major Isaac Hite (who married James Madison's sister Nelly). Completed in 1797, it is a delightful example of Jeffersonian Palladian architecture. I loved the T-shaped floor plan and simple, but elegant rooms (particularly the sitting room, above). The grounds are extensive, and feature an ice house and smokehouse (built 1815), dairy (a reconstruction of the original, which was destroyed by fire), and a slave cemetery. And of course, the setting is stunning (and I'll give you a peek at that tomorrow!).

For now...happy monday!



4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've never been a fan of blue walls, but the color in the sitting room sure makes me want to reconsider that thought! Thanks for sharing your photos. MIR

Pigtown*Design said...

Ohhhhh, they let you take pix inside? Looks like you had fun.

Janet said...

Weeeellll, Meg, I took a page from the Pigtown*Design handbook on interior photography...

Pigtown*Design said...

Glad you picked up some tricks!