A Lost Generation.

History at Sunset.

Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park,

"The Tragic Deaths of Stephen Dodson Ramseur and Charles Russell Lowell, Jr."

On Friday I went to Ranger Shannon's presentation at Belle Grove. She used the deaths of Major General Steven Ramseur, CSA, and Col. Charles Russell Lowell, Jr., USA, as examples of the tragic deaths of young men as a result of the Battle of Cedar Creek in 1864.

It was the losses of the American Civil War that led to the establishment of Decoration Day, which is now called Memorial Day.

The talk began on the lawn of beautiful Belle Grove, Middletown, Virginia. We made a couple more stops via car caravan. It was a perfect evening for an outdoor program.

Belle Grove Road, seen from the Valley Pike at dusk.

There is a monument to Ramseur at the corner of Belle Grove Road and U.S. 11 (Valley Pike). Here we see a monument to Lowell which stands by the Wayside Inn.

Commanding Reserve Brigade, 

Cavalry Corps,

Army of the Shenandoah.

Fell in action near this place, 

October 19, 1864.

Useful Citizen * Gallant Soldier 

He died too early for his country.


Links: Visit Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park.
Through My Lens.

Slave Cemetery at Belle Grove

Behind the Big House

Belle Grove Plantation

Middletown, Virginia

This new sign starts off:

The fenced area within the orchard is believed to be a burial ground for some of Belle Grove’s enslaved African workers. As is typical at many such cemeteries, simple uninscribed stones mark each grave. Slaves at Belle Grove provided agricultural and household labor including as blacksmiths, drivers, cooks, carpenters, and mill operators. It is possible that buried here are one or more of the first 15 slaves at Belle Grove, who were transferred from Montpelier with Nelly Madison’s marriage to Isaac Hite, Jr. in 1783.

On the right side of the marker we see a copy of a deed signed by James Madison, Sr., father of Nellie Madison Hite and her famous brother James Madison, Jr., who became president in 1809. In the document, the senior Madison conveys 15 slaves to Hite in consideration of the "intermarriage which has taken place."

Link: Article on Slavery at Belle Grove

Belle Grove, the Mansion

Here are the front and rear facades of Belle Grove in Middletown, VA. The first photo shows the front (facing the Valley Pike); the one below depicts the rear view. Note that the trim over the windows is different.

I attended the Living History Events at Belle Grove on Sunday but did not attend the Re-enactment of the Battle of Cedar Creek which was next door. For one thing, I saw part of the re-enactment last October. Then there was a twinge of conscience because I was aware of a controversy surrounding the Cedar Creek Battlefield Foundation, which sponsors the re-enactment. They made a deal with a nearby limestone mining company which is planning to expand onto historic land without telling the Belle Grove folks or the other preservation groups which opposed the expansion.

See the Civil War Preservation Trust page on Cedar Creek.

Belle Grove in Autumn

Belle Grove Plantation, Middletown, VA

You can see more photos of Belle Grove on my Civil War field trips site or at the official Belle Grove website. Also, you can search this blog for all posts mentioning Belle Grove.

The View Along Belle Grove Road

Middletown, Virginia

Late in the afternoon before our last snow storm the sky became dark and dramatic. I stopped the car at Belle Grove Plantation and got out to take some pictures.

The first picture shows a red barn that's across the road from the manor house. A funny thing about this picture is that another local blogger shared a very similar photo, and since I had seen a car stop a little way up the road just long enough to take a picture, I asked her on Facebook if that was her. It was, and she even had another version that showed my car parked in the distance!

Belle Grove

Belle Grove is operated by the National Trust and is well worth a visit if you find yourself near Strasburg or Middletown.  I've posted a number of pictures of Belle Grove over the years.

Sharing with The Barn Collective and Our World Tuesday

Belle Grove Plantation in Middletown

I've been working on my photographs of Belle Grove and have finally posted them on my Civil War battlefields website. Belle Grove is a lovely old manor home in the Shenandoah Valley where the Battle of Cedar Creek was fought. The house has connections to Presidents Madison and Jefferson.

I also posted a page from a Civil War encampment at Belle Grove. There are some cute shots of a little girl taking hay to horses as well as some photos of reenactors in uniforms. I almost took a photo of a Civil War soldier talking on a cell phone in front of his SUV, but it didn't seem right! It was strange seeing soldiers haul cannons away on trailers behind their pickup trucks too.

Belle Grove is on the Valley Pike (U.S. route 11) between Strasburg and Winchester, VA. It's run by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. They close it during the winter although there are a few weekends when it's open for holiday-theme tours.

Belle Grove Plantation

I drove past here the other day on my way home from shopping, just as the sunshine flowed in from low in the sky. Belle Grove was the site of the Battle of Cedar Creek in 1864. It's on U.S. 11 between Middletown and Strasburg.

Belle Grove is a National Trust for Historic Preservation site. Yes, I've taken pictures here before. You can search this blog for Belle Grove or Cedar Creek, or visit my field trips pages.

A New Exhibit at Belle Grove

Near Middletown is historic Belle Grove, built in the 1790's. I went to see the new exhibit, "Unearthing Enslaved Lives at Belle Grove."

Black and White Weekend

I was delighted to see my friend Ranger Shannon along with archaeologist Matt Greer (in plaid shirt), who led the excavation and artifact research of the slave quarters. I visited the site a couple of times before the pandemic.

The exhibit is beautifully done. There are several activities for children so they can learn about archaeology.

I was impressed by the type collection, an extensive array of labeled artifacts under glass, arranged in drawers by category. 

The grounds of Belle Grove are lovely and peaceful, a contrast to the Civil War battle that took place here in 1864. 

Friday Bliss / Garden Affair / Friday Flowers

Skywatch / Barns

Archaeology at Belle Grove

Middletown, Virginia

"Archaeology in Progress. Visitors Welcome"

Belle Grove is a beautiful historic site in nearby Frederick County. Historical records show that enslaved people lived and worked there before the Civil War. Since only bits and pieces of their stories are left in the historical record, archaeology is one way of learning more details. On this field across from the manor house, archaeologists are seeking to find where the field hands lived and what items they owned.

Matt Greer and a small staff are doing the methodical digging. They record the location of every artifact, whether it is a piece of pottery or an old nail. Matt is a doctoral candidate at Syracuse University. 

The youngsters we see here were visiting the site and asking intelligent questions. 

I missed the site tour that was given in late June because of our travel schedule. I have an interest in historic archaeology because I volunteered for many years with a program in Alexandria, Virginia.

Here's a picture I took by Belle Grove Road. Over the years I have posted many photos of Belle Grove.

Belle Grove Exhibit

We went to Belle Grove yesterday. It was the last day to view an exhibit of Strasburg* pottery, which turned out to be displayed like furnishings, lined up on shelves in a few of the restored rooms. Interpretive signs were lacking, but we were given brochures which gave a history of Strasburg pottery plus a list showing the size and maker of each piece. The majority of pieces were made by Eberly or Bell.

Belle Grove will be closed for the winter now, except for holiday-theme tours on December 4-6 and December 21-23, 2009.

*Strasburg is only a few miles from Belle Grove, which has a Middletown address. The brochure tells us that the earliest potters in the area were "Native American Indians," followed by European immigrants and their descendants including:

• Brother Theoney
• Peter Grim
• Adam Keister
• Samuel and Solomon Bell
• J. Eberly & Sons

See C. Sonner's site for more on Strasburg history.

Seeking Freedom

A Presentation at Belle Grove

Last weekend I went to a talk in Middletown. NPS Ranger Anthony told stories of enslaved people at Belle Grove Plantation who escaped from slavery or earned their freedom. There were a couple of men who apparently had help from someone who forged papers for them so that they were able to make their way out of the state.

Brief versions of their stories are available online, at least for now. 

Belle Grove in Middletown (not to be confused with another plantation of the same name that is in King George County) is a beautiful farm that is part of Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park. A Civil War battle was fought here in 1864.

Garden Club Members at Belle Grove

On Wednesday I met other members of the Mt. Jackson Garden Club for a program at Belle Grove in Middletown. Master Gardener Lynn Hoffman gave a talk and then showed us the garden behind the manor house.

When I viewed this photo, I thought it looked like the ladies were trying to do an Irish dance, but I'm pretty sure they were just walking across the grass.

Belle Grove is about an hour from home and I've been there a number of times. I posted pictures of a living history event there in October (see archive for 10/2008) and I have several pages of Belle Grove pictures on my Civil War Tour Site.

Belle Grove in Summer

Belle Grove is a historic plantation between Strasburg and Middletown, VA.

See Belle Grove in Autumn.

The Little Office at Belle Grove

For at least 20 years I've been coming to Belle Grove in Middletown, but I'd never been inside the little stone house that you see as you come up the lane. On Saturday it was open to the public for the first time as part of the plantation's opening day of the season, so I made it a point to go.

In the 18th century, this building had an office on one side and a store on the other side. Later it saw other uses and eventually became a residence. Over the past two years it underwent remodeling, and the upstairs is now ready as sleeping quarters for guests.

 

See other posts about Belle Grove.

Sharing with Tuesday Treasures.

The Stickley Farm on Cedar Creek

The final program of the 150th Anniversary of the battle that I attended at Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park dealt with the aftermath of the battle.  We started at Belle Grove and then went to the Stickley Farm and St. Thomas Chapel in Middletown.

Like the church and Belle Grove, this farm was turned into a hospital site, as there were thousands of wounded soldiers needing emergency care.

The farm is privately owned but the park service had permission to bring the tour there. I've been there on tour before (see Lone Confederate Grave and the Stickley mills).

The Confederate grave in the yard is a bit mysterious. Long ago a marker was placed there inscribed "John Helms of Atlanta, GA [who] was killed Oct. 19, 1864 in the battle of Cedar Creek", but Ranger Driscoll said he has been unable to find a John Helms in Confederate records of the battle. (A clear picture of the marker is in the Handley Library collection.)

Since Cedar Creek Battlefield is not far from our home, I've done many posts about it over the years. In contrast to it's dramatic history, it's now a lovely and serene place, unless you happen to arrive during a reenactment. 

Sharing with: The Barn Collective

This Afternoon, Middletown and Oranda.

This afternoon I went to a talk at Belle Grove Plantation on the findings of an archaeological study of the slave quarters site. Excavations have been going on for a few summers and are now winding down. I visited the site two years ago.

Matt Greer explained what they have found, including a cabin site, a fire pit, and a trash pit. Enslaved people at Belle Grove were able to have gardens and sell the extra vegetables.

Link: Enslaved at Belle Grove.

After I left Middletown, I still had a trunk load of recycling to take to one of the "convenience sites." I decided to avoid the highway and drove down a couple of back roads. I stopped in Oranda to take pictures of this little chapel at "Millersville."

This little village is not a real town, but rather a reconstructed assemblage of old buildings. The chapel has been added since I photographed the little store in 2015.  I don't know where it is from.

Sharing with InSpired Sunday and The Barn Collective.

I also passed some nice farms, but could only stop safely to photograph this one because there was a lane where I could pull over.