Glen Mary

Glen Mary, lying on the southern end on Southern Rockfish Valley, was said to have been part of the Rodes “High View” property, present “Mill Hill” in the Wintergreen Winery. There were approximately one thousand acres of land in this farm and it extended as far as Beech Grove and Cub Creek, and from Brent’s Gap to Three Ridge Mountain. All the land near the house was under cultivation, and eight hogsheads of tobacco, and one thousand bushels of wheat, among other grains and feeds were raised each year.

The date of construction is unknown. 1937’s W.P.A. survey points the house dates from late 18th century. The house is thought to have built by Jacob Warrick, the son of Abraham B. Warrick. A. B. Warrick was one of the first justices of Nelson County. The Warrick heirs sold it to Dr. Edward Clarke in 1863. It was then purchased by Mr. Charles H. Ewing of Dublin Ireland in 1913 and descended to his sons. Arthur T. Ewing Sr. married Nannie Noble Coleman, daughter of Dr. Hawes Nicholas Coleman, and his wife Nannie Elizabeth Watson Coleman. The Ewings lived at Glen Mary until Arthur Ewing bought Elk Hill. Mr. Kemper Ramsey then purchased Glen Mary, leasing it to the Waynesboro Nursery Company in 1965. The house later burned.

Description

The house was situated in the center of a large lawn with several spruce, locust, and poplar trees, enclosed with an old plank fence with large stone gate posts.

It was a two-story, three-part house of a central block and wings on either side. It had gabled roof with wood shingles and three brick chimneys on each end and rear. The house featured outstanding woodwork. It was of frame construction with brick between plain poplar weatherboarding and lathes. The timber was cut on the place, hewed and whipsawed by hand and put together with locust pins and hand-made iron nails. The one-story porch in front was of colonial design with large columns. Above the porch, in the center section were three round windows and plain wood cornices.

In the eight-feet high interior housed seven large rooms and two of smaller size. All interior walls were plastered and had hand-carved cornices. A closed string, one-flight stairway connected the central section to room on the second floor. The stairs had hand-carved hand rail, balusters and newels. The flooring was a four-inch pine and hand-carved, high, and elaborated mantels framed the fireplaces. All doors were four-panel made also of pine.

The cellar entrance was at the end of the porch. It had three large rooms and brick plastered walls.