Some Houses we Love...

Nice architecture requires form and function. If a house is to be great, it should look nice, and be useful.

When we see an historic building, or consider a home for ourselves, we think about these things.

Our Home in Florida.
This house was built once we settled in Florida. It was not exactly our dream home, but is very nice. This house is situated on an acre near orange groves. In the spring, we enjoy the scent of the orange blossoms.

My Husband designed the house and did the drawings (he knew what I wanted, you know!) We have been in there for over 20 years, and still love it!

My First Home...
This shot was taken while visiting my Mom at my childhood home. It was Thanksgiving, and we got an interesting surprise. We looked out one evening to see the snow just coming down!

My Husband's Grandparents' Home
In Mid-1962, my Husband's Grandfather retired, and sold his old house and farm land. It was the end of an era, so to speak. My Husband tells me of laying awake in the twilight hours and listening to Locomotives pulling freight down the tracks a couple hundred yards from this house.

It seems like it must have been ancient times (Late '50s) since steam engines pulled trains in America! All the passenger trains were pulled by Diesel engines, and were really fast in comparison.

An Antebellum House
This is a Photo taken in the Winter of 1946. It was just before my Husband's Grandfather bought this old house. It was a nice Antebellum home (circa 1860,) and had quite a history.

There was a battle fought near this house during the War Between the States, and at times like those, the house was used as a Hospital. Later, the house was used, at various times, as the County Courthouse.

Another Antebellum House
On one vacation to the mountains, we stopped at the Manor at Taylor Store. This house was built circa 1850, and is now a "Bed & Breakfast." It was the early '90s, and we just loved our stay at this old house.

As we enjoyed the Autumn colors, we walked around the grounds, and even spent an hour in a motorboat on Smith Mountain Lake. It was amazing how far that lake goes, and we were a little concerned we'd get lost out there!

Berkeley Plantation
This VERY OLD house is claimed to be the OLDEST 3-Story Brick house in America! We visited there a few years ago, and really enjoyed it. It is, also, the oldest continuously working plantation in America, and the home of some famous men in America's history.

Guest House at Berkeley
Such a nice place where visitors over the centuries should be allow to repose while visiting the Harrisons at Berkeley. Times were different, and, what would take an hour by car today, was a two day journey 150 or 250 years ago.

The grounds of this plantation are full of the most interesting scenes and points of interest. I had heard how beautiful this place was all my life, but only recently made the trip to visit.

Wonderful Old Farm House
Right in Appomattox, we see a beautiful farm house in the middle of the rolling land. An old fence sets it off nicely, and makes this a picturesque scene.

There are other great houses there, and maybe I'll show you more great pictures. It was such a clear day, we got a number of them.

Monticello
This should be familiar to EVERYONE, seeing this view was on the back of the Nickel (US 5¢ piece) for most of the past century. The house was designed and built by the Third President of the U.S. Thomas Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, and died 50 years later TO THE DAY.

The design was from a Roman Temple, and has many interesting features. The home was built on a dry mountain, and cisterns were built under it to retain rainwater. Still, he had to have water carried up the mountain daily.

Jefferson redesigned this home and reworked it numerous times. He seemed to be ever in the design phase, and construction was a regular interruption for more than forty years..

The Mabry Mill
Okay, this is not a house, but this IS the most photographed old grist mill in America. When friends see this picture, they comment on how that is the place in the picture they have. Maybe it was a calendar, or a tote bag, but I have heard this a few times myself.

Stopping along the Blue Ridge Parkway, we are treated to this beautiful day, and a nice scene. The mill is still in operation, and they sell meal and flour they have ground there. The problem is that we don't intend to pay that much for a small bag!

Another Jefferson Design
Again, this is not the home of a particular family, but a beautiful and important building,

The Capitol of VA was designed by Thomas Jefferson from a Roman Temple in southern France. This old building truly has character, and holds a lot of history.

The original Capitol was built in 1788, and the legislative wings were added in 1906.

Don't miss our other Photos!     

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