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Urbanna Time By Dan Gill Throw away
your appointment book, unplug your computer and come to Urbanna for the
Christmas House Tour. Smack-dab in the middle of River Country, Urbanna is a small
port town centrally located about thirty years away from Gloucester,
Tappahannock and Kilmarnock. I like to think of it as a small eddy off of the
mainstream of civilization: We have no problem with going around in little
circles. Always evolving, yet always the same, Urbanna has been resisting
progress since 1700. The area is
composed of three distinct and immutable classes of people: Comeheres,
stayheres and bornheres. Comeheres, usually urban refugees from
Richmond or Northern Virginia, arrive full of vim and vinegar and want to
change things – NOW. The first thing they want to do is close the door
behind them. They are slowly accepted and assimilated into the local culture
and become stayheres. You can tell when this happens because they start
waving to people they dont know and show up at Marshalls Drug Store in the
morning to join the coffee club. They also start to operate on Urbanna
time: Oh, well get it done - when its time. But no matter how long they stay they can never become
bornheres, as the culture and family ties are deeply rooted and go back
many generations. I was born here, but my family roots are in the Northern
Neck, so even I am an outsider in some circles. Rich in
history and tradition, the land that would become Urbanna was first patented
by Ralph Wormeley of Rosegill in 1650. The town was created as a result of
the Ports Act of 1680, ostensibly to stimulate and enhance trade in the
fledgling colony, but actually to control and tax trade, especially in tobacco.
Prior to the Ports Act, each plantation shipped its own (untaxed) tobacco
from private landings and docks. Throughout
most of its history, Urbanna has been dependent upon the surrounding farms
and the seafood and timber industries for trade and commerce. Now, however,
these industries are pretty much a thing of the past and Urbanna has to rely
on catering to visitors and the growing population of comeheres, who are planting houses
on the lands of former waterfront plantations. The economy now consists
mostly of service and retail businesses. This year,
Urbanna businesses and homes will be showcased for the entire weekend with a
new, second tour on Sunday. The festivities start with the Firemans Parade
on Friday evening. Spectators line the streets to watch the procession of
floats, fire trucks, and local bands. Really smart visitors and locals will
dine at Mojos, Olivias or Virginia Street Cafe and watch events through the
windows, or even grab a cone from Moos or a hot cup from Cross Street Coffee
and sit on the sidewalk benches (purchased with proceeds from past tours).
The main tour is on Saturday from 10 AM to 5PM. Then on Sunday, Rosegill and
Lansdowne will host Its a Wonderful Life In Urbanna Christmas celebration. Sponsored
by The Urbanna Beautification Committee, the Urbanna Business Association and
the Town of Urbanna, this years house tour features homes and buildings,
some new, some old, which tell the story of the past, present and future of
Urbanna and her environs. Houses on two of the original plantations are
featured: Rosegill and Remlik Hall Farm. Tour
headquarters, parking and shuttle service will be at the Urbanna United
Methodist Church on
Marston Avenue between Cross and Rappahannock streets. Cookies and cider will
be served and box lunches are available. Proceeds will go to the church.
Parking is limited at the homes, and visitors are expected to park at the
church and ride the shuttles for the tour. Advance
tickets are available for $20.00 from R.S. Bristow Store, Cyndys Bynn, the
Papeterie, Make Tyme, and The Wild Bunch in Urbanna and from the Hampton
House in Richmond. On the day of the tour, tickets will be available only at
the Methodist Church for $25.00. Proceeds from tickets will be used by the
Urbanna Business Association and the Beautification Committee to promote
local businesses and beautify the town. Within
walking distance of the church, The Pierce House is the only town home on this tour.
Built by Sidney Muir for May and Lewis Pierce in 1940, the Pierce House is a
modest, cottage-style home that has changed little over the years. Sidney was
the most prolific builder in town at that time and built many homes and
businesses, including the Post Office, the Rappanna Theater (now the parking
lot next to the Art Gallery), Marshalls Drug Store and the ABC Store. The
Pierces owned a feed and seed business near the bridge between Haywards
Store and the Urbanna Baptist Church. The home is now owned by Jim and Jewell
Ray, who have updated the bathrooms and kitchen and added an English Garden.
Their walnut and pine furnishings were made by Shamburgers, a well known
furniture maker in Richmond during the early and mid 1900's. Though there
have been additions and remodelings, the home retains the quiet charm and
faade of the typical Urbanna Cottage popular in the 1940s. From the
church, the shuttle travels about four miles Northwest, past Bethpage
Campground and Something Different Country Store and on to Remlik Hall, known
as LaGrange Plantation when Urbanna was established. Willis Sharpe Kilmer
changed the name to Remlik (Kilmer spelled backwards) prior to World War I.
Kilmer turned the old plantation into a training facility for racehorses.
Over the years, the land has given rise to Kilmers Point, Cedar Pointe,
Poynt Quarter, Coves of LaGrange and Remlik Hall Subdivisions as well as
several estate homes on LaGrange Creek. Remlik Hall Farm is still a working
cattle farm. Colonial
plantations were often divided into Quarters, or smaller satellite plantations.
Workers had cabins on the quarters and tended to the crops and livestock.
Poynt Quarter includes part of Cedar Point, a natural landing that was used
to ship crops and offload fertilizer up until the 1940s. Currents around
Cedar Point created a deep drop-off so that vessels could moor right next to
the sandy beach. A corduroy road, still visible after storms, allowed wagons
to get to the point without sinking in the sand. The currents also carved a
deep, protected cove where oyster boats could moor overnight. There were
several of these oyster camps scattered around the county, but the one at
Cedar Point had its own store, where watermen could buy food and essentials.
The cove has closed up now so that it is just a tidal pond. Chic Silver
recently built his Cottage at Poynt Quarter on the site of the old store,
overlooking the tidal pond, LaGrange Creek and the Rappahannock River. The
design was taken from a Southern Living plan by Architect John Lee. The idea
was to have an open space home and large viewing deck, with the look of a New
England Cottage. The
Farmhouse on Remlik
Hall Farm was built around 1910, shortly after Kilmer bought the property. It
was originally a simple, square 2½ story structure with pine flooring
and two-over-two windows typical of the period. My father, Virgil Gill,
remodeled it in the 1940s. The present owners, George and Sandy Sturgill,
have completely rebuilt, stabilized, modernized and expanded the old house.
They have successfully retained the charm and homey comfort of the original
structure, so dear to many generations. The shuttle
also runs across the creek to Rosegill Farm, the parent plantation of
Urbanna in the late 1600s, and of Urbanna Harbour in the late 1900s. Rosegill
was home to colonial governors and was a center of colonial power, culture
and hospitality. Visited by the aristocratic Huguenot, Monsieur Durand in
1686, Rosegill Plantation was described as a village of twenty or more
houses. Durand chronicled nights of carousing and gaming and marveled that
the Cavaliers could drink un-watered wine all night and still keep an even
keel. The present Rosegill was probably built by John Wormeley
in 1716-20. Originally the house
was one and a half stories, brick, with two chimneys; similar to the
dependencies on each side. The house has been through many changes over the
centuries. More recently Rosegill underwent a major remodeling in 1961 when
it was owned by Sidney Shannon. Sidney was a pioneer aviator and former Vice
President of Eastern Airlines, who often entertained aviation legends
including Eddie Rickenbacker. Sidney sold a portion of Rosegill, bordering
Urbanna Creek, to Ben Hurley sometime in the 1960s. Ben owned Southside
Marine Service on the Urbanna side of the creek, then known as the best yacht-finishing
yard on the East Coast and now Doziers Port Urbanna Yachting Center and the
Port Urbanna Waterside Grill. Ben had plans for a major marina and
condominium complex on the Rosegill side of the creek but it never came to
fruition. Instead, it was later developed as Urbanna Harbour and is the
location of Mollys Way. The
most recent renovations have been carried out by the present owners, Alfred
and Strother Scott. Mollys
Way is right in the
middle of the Urbanna Harbour subdivision, overlooking Urbanna Creek and the
town beyond. Inspired by Creating the Not So Big House by Sarah Susanka. Owners Woody and
Peg Davis created a not so big house to accommodate both their family
heirlooms and their lifestyle. The traditional-style house has an updated
floor plan for the way we live today but retains those details that make the
difference. One unique feature is the away room—a quiet retreat
space. A number of pieces of furniture predating the Civil War were
made in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and in Craven and Lenoir County,
North Carolina. The Daviss, collectors both by design and
happen-stance, rotate some of their collections with the seasons, while
others have achieved a permanent place. This home has been designed for
easy living and furnished for comfort. From the
Methodist Church you may drive or take the shuttle downtown for a walking
tour of the Historic District and a visit to the many shops and businesses
decorated for the season. The
Historic Middlesex County Courthouse
was built in 1748 as the second courthouse to serve Middlesex County and was
in use until the seat of county government was moved to Saluda in1852. It
then became a nondenominational place of worship until purchased by Christ
Church Parish to be used as a chapel. When the large mural of the Epiphany
was completed shortly after World War I, it became known as Epiphany Chapel.
Now it is the Middlesex County Woman's Club building. One of the original
stained glass windows from the chapel has been restored and another is being
prepared for installation. For the 2008 Urbanna Christmas tour, the club will
host a display of Santas belonging to members. Each one is
unique. Some are antique, some are handmade, and some are nearly
new. Guests will leave with a very real sense of the significance
of "Santa" in our culture. The
Gallery of the Middlesex Art Guild
is located on Virginia Street right across from the Womans Club. The Art Guild was formed in 2001 to
inspire and support artists in the Middlesex community and with the mission
of cultivating appreciation for the fine and performing arts. The Gallery showcases artists in
various mediums throughout the year. During the Christmas Tour, Christine
Hall, an expatriate Urbanna native will be displaying her extensive
collection of Christmas ornaments and trees. The reception for her exhibit is
scheduled for the Saturday of the tour from 5:00 to 8:00 PM; the public is
invited. Her parents, Beauregard and Christine, operated The Greenfront
Grocery (now Olivias Restaurant) next door for many years. During that
period, the Gallery building housed the Southside Sentinel. I have fond memories of going into
the back room to watch Mr. Brown industriously hand-setting lead type. Perched
on a stool with a green visor shielding his eyes from the glare of a naked
light bulb, he looked like an old bear sitting out in a cornfield. Like many
other town structures built in the 1920s and 30s, the ceiling is pressed
tin and the exterior is of concrete blocks cast to look like stone. The
blocks were molded by Shep Chownings (Nimcock Gallery) father. Shep still
has the molding machinery and plans to display it at the Urbanna Visitors
Center. The plant site later became Pierces Store (See the Pierce house). The
James Mills Scottish Factor Store, better
known as The Old Tobacco Warehouse was built in the 1760s by a Scottish
merchant (James Mills also owned Lansdowne prior to Arthur Lee). In 1932, it
was purchased by the Association
for the Preservation
of Virginia Antiquities to prevent its being
dismantled and displayed at the Words Fair by tobacco interests. Ironically,
there is no evidence that tobacco was ever stored in the building. While
owned by the APVA, it served as a private residence until it was restored and
then housed the public library for many years. It is now owned by the Town of
Urbanna and serves as the Urbanna Visitors Center featuring exhibits of
local interest, including a model depicting how the Urbanna waterfront
probably looked during the 1700s. Through the efforts of the APVA and the
Town of Urbanna, the old store has been authentically restored and is the
only surviving Scottish Factor Store in the United States. Its a Wonderful Life - Christmas
in Historic Urbanna On Sunday
there will be a bonus mini-tour of Lansdowne and Rosegill to celebrate the
joys of Christmas in Urbanna. Each home will be decorated and feature live
music and light refreshments. Tickets are $10.00 and may be purchased in
advance along with House Tour tickets or may be purchased at the door. Lansdowne, stately and imposing, is the heart
of the historic district of Urbanna. Portions
were built around 1740 and subsequently inhabited by Americas first official spy.
Arthur Lee, patriot, physician, lawyer, politician and author, was
commissioned by the Continental Congress to transmit information from
England. His surreptitious activities in England and France before, during
and after the Revolution were instrumental in determining the course and
eventual outcome of the war. Assigned to France along with Benjamin Franklin
and Silas Deane, Lee was often frustrated and shunned because his motives
were purely patriotic whereas Franklin and Deane apparently had their own
agendas. Lee tried in vain to warn his colleagues that their friend,
confidant and countryman, Dr. Edward Bancroft was actually an informant
working for the British. Six decades later, declassification of English
archives confirmed that Bancroft was "one of the most remarkable spies
of all time", according to Julian P. Boyd, biographer, and was
responsible for the loss of many supply ships, and generally thwarting the
efforts of our emissaries. Lee retired to Urbanna and is buried behind
Lansdowne. Abandoned and forlorn for many years, the grand old manor has been
revitalized and is being lovingly restored by the present owners, Col. And
Mrs. A. B. Gravitt Rosegill will be furnished and decorated for
the weekend by a number of well-known interior decorators and retailers, each
taking a room and applying their own special magic: From Urbanna, Cyndys
Bynn, the Urbanna Antique Mall, the Garden Club, Forget Me Not Gifts and
Consignments, Make Thyme and the Rolling Road Gallery (a newly opened antique
shop located next to Moos); from Richmond, the Richmond Antique Mall; from
Mathews, Annie Rooney Antiques and Snug Harbor Interiors (Tammy Van Clief of
Charlottesville); From Kilmarnock, Chesapeake & Crescent; and from White
Stone, Interior Innovations. Note: The author
has unabashedly stolen some descriptive phrases from promotional materials. Something Different Country Store and Deli More Blurbs from a Country Store
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