Civil War Oatlands

What kind of Civil War buff would I be if I left Oatlands without saying something about the Civil War? A sign next to the parking lot tells us about that era.

The Civil War arrived in Loudoun County on October 21, 1861, with the Battle of Ball’s Bluff. As Confederate forces gathered to protect Leesburg, Elizabeth Grayson Carter, the widowed mistress of Oatlands, wrote in her journal on October 17, “Our troops falling back on Centerville - Mississippi Regt’s encamped at the Mill – Solders here all day.”

Elizabeth’s son Benjamin served with the 8th Virginia Infantry Regiment, while her son George acted as a courier. On the day of the battle, she wrote, “A day of excitement – Ben came home at night wounded in the little finger. Wonderful escape – Terrible Battle near Leesburg – great victory for us tho’ our loss is great.”

The marker goes on to say that Mrs. Carter left Oatlands for Upperville and Confederate Gen. Nathan “Shanks” Evans made Oatlands his headquarters. As the war went on, Oatlands was "a haven for family, friends, and soldiers, including Eppa Hunton, Norborne Berkeley, Baron Von Massow, and Mosby’s Rangers." (The entire text can be read on HMDB.org.)

Linking to: Our World Tuesday

Gardens at Little Oatlands

According the Historic Garden Week Guidebook, when Edith and William Corcoran Eustis bought Oatlands (a historic plantation next door) in 1903, they also purchased the Little Oatlands property. In the mid-1930s their daughter Margaret and her husband David Finley "moved to Little Oatlands and began a garden that incorporated their love and respect for Italian design with their knowledge of horticulture.... Mr. Finley was the first director of the National Gallery of Art and a founder of the National Trust for Historic Preservation."

It was a privilege to see this delightful garden! Normally it is not open to the public so this was a special opportunity.

See all my Oatlands and Little Oatlands posts.

Sharing with Today's Flowers

From Slavery to Freedom

In Loudoun County, Virginia

There were two related events that we attended Saturday, one at Oatlands and the second at a nearby church on Gleedsville Road. Both featured speakers and music, followed by the unveiling of a Civil War Trails Marker.

Oatlands was once part of a plantation owned by Robert Carter III and his descendants. You can find a link to a database of names of enslaved people known to have worked on the plantation on the Oatlands website.

At Saturday's ceremony, descendants of people who once labored there were invited to unveil the marker. It is headlined "The Enslaved at Oatlands" with the subtitle "Passing on Dreams of Freedom to their Descendants."  After the Civil War, some of the newly-free people built a village nearby named  Gleedsville.

Five Images from Oatlands.

Willy Nilly Friday.

1. This fence interested me, with its varied-height pickets and the sharp angle. On the hill behind it stands Oatlands, built between 1804 and the 1820s.

Black and White Weekend.

2. Here's a better view of the manor house. My older pictures of Oatlands show a deeper yellow paint color.

Sharing with Skywatch Friday.

3. Oatlands is known for its lovely gardens, so I'm devoting the rest of this post to them.

I filtered the image of the zinnias to give it a bit of drama for Orange You Glad It's Friday and Floral Friday.

4. Frank wanted to see water features so we traipsed down to the lily pond. It is a peaceful spot.

Weekend Reflections.
 

5. Since there were many flowers calling to me to take their portrait, I made a collage of pictures from the gardens using PhotoCollage. 

P.S. If you are in the path of Hurricane Florence (or any other storm), please be cautious. It has not reached us in Virginia yet but we are expecting days of rain, and the ground is already wet from a series of showers. We have extra supplies in case the road to town gets flooded or the power goes out.

Keep your phone charged!

Spring at Oatlands

After we toured the gardens at  Little Oatlands last week, we went next door to Oatlands to see the gardens, although we've been there before.

The Good: The manor and grounds at Oatlands are open to visitors from spring through fall.  Established in 1798, this old plantation is operated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The Random: There are several outbuildings on the property, including some barns.

The Fun: There are many paths to explore on the property, some of which wind through hidden gardens.

Sharing with The Barn Collective

and The Good, Random, and Fun

A Visit to Oatlands

Last month I toured Oatlands Plantation with members of the Mt. Jackson Garden Club. This was my first visit to the historic house and gardens, although I had been to events in the carriage house meeting room.

The house dates to the early 1800's and has been lovingly restored. The extensive gardens are on a hillside landscaped into tiers.

Oatlands is near Leesburg, VA. It is a National Trust for Historic Preservation site.

Spring Weather, No Flowers Yet

It feels like spring! We generally have to wait until April, but I'm enjoying the warm weather for now. I'm looking forward to Virginia's Historic Garden Week, which starts on April 23. Judging by past years, some of the tours will be spectacular. Here are some photos from last year.

We've been to Oatlands a number of times and visited it again during Garden Week 2015. The gardens of Little Oatlands next door were also open and we enjoyed touring them. Now I'm sharing some Oatlands scenes with you and the following linkups:
Today's Flowers, NF Trees and Bushes, Tuesday's Treasures, and the Barn Collective

Trees and Views at Oatlands

Oatlands is lovely in the spring! The gardens are colorful and the trees are starting to leaf out yet you can still see the shapes of their branches.

If you've never visited this historic plantation and you find yourself near Leesburg, try to spend a few hours there.

Sharing with Our World Tuesday

and NF Trees and Bushes

Good, Random, and Fun at Oatlands

For today's Random-osity linkup, I chose three photos I took at Oatlands Plantation in Loudoun County. First we have the graceful manor house as seen from the garden. The house dates from the early 1800's. Next, for "random," I chose a shot taken through the library window. An aging statuette graces a shelf inside.

For the fun category, I'm sharing a picture of the gift shop. It's fun to look for unique souvenirs, isn't it?

Linking to: Good, Random, and Fun

Sepia Statuary

Next to Oatlands (near Leesburg) is a property known as Little Oatlands. It's privately owned but the beautiful gardens were open to visitors as part of Historic Garden Week. We found the gardens to be delightful and I took many pictures, including several of the statuary. 

Since classical-style sculpture is typically monochromatic, it looks fine in black and white or sepia tones.

Sepia toning was prized in film photography because it made prints last longer. Now it's sometimes done in digital imaging to give a warm nostalgic look to images.

Even though monochromatic treatment is appropriate for sculpture, there are times when I like to see the color of the background. It can distract from the subject, so I have mixed feelings about these examples. I love the colors of the Virginia stone on the wall. (I'm fairly certain this is Bull Run Mountain stone, which we had on flagstone walkways of my childhood home.)

Which treatment do you prefer? Let me know in the comments.

Sharing with Sepia Saturday

Assorted Views, Late October

We spent most of the afternoon in Leesburg because Frank had a follow-up appointment with Dr. Azad. He has suffered with nausea and balance deficits since last week's cochlear implant surgery. She changed his medication and will check back with him in a few days. 

I drove into the historic section of Leesburg and saw this flag outside a "Belgian beer cafe." There used to be bars but now there are beer cafes, breweries, tasting rooms, and wineries – oh, so many wineries – throughout Virginia.

I also made a quick detour down the lane that goes to Oatlands. This historic property is a rural oasis, but you can glimpse a bit of Leesburg's suburban sprawl from here. I've seen the area change drastically over the past thirty years, and it's kind of sad. You can't stop progress, but does it have to gobble up so much beautiful countryside?

Here's the drive that goes up to Oatlands. It's still beautiful.

I also stopped at a grocery store. They had my special yogurt but were out of Fiji Water. A sign explains why. Actually, most stores are still experiencing shortages on both domestic and imported products, and this has been the case since Covid hit.

Since Halloween is fast approaching, I want to show you a seasonal sign. A store in Strasburg is directing tourists to scary towns. 

Most are far away or fictitious, but Front Royal is only ten miles away. It isn't really scary; it's lovely. But there may be a little rivalry going on!