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1859 mansion a neighbor to war
February 8, 2008 12:16 am
BY RICHARD AMRHINE
After nearly 150 years, Braehead has reached a crossroads: It is for sale by the only family that's ever owned it. But now with an easement that protects it in perpetuity, it is well positioned for its next chapter.
The owner, Dr. Graham Stephens, has a contract to sell the Lee Drive mansion to the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust, but their objective is to find a third-party buyer who is prepared to embark on its restoration.
Working in concert with the state Department of Historic Resources, Stephens and CVBT established the easement that became effective Dec. 10. In addition to removing concerns about future development of the property, the easement provides federal and state tax advantages for the current and future owners, and any descendant who inherits the property.
"We thought it was important for it to be protected, and now it is," said Stephens. "It's just time for us to give it up."
The 18-acre property is listed by David Johnston of Antique Properties Inc. in Richmond (804/343-7123 or oldhouseman@verizon .net), with an asking price of $995,000, about half its assessed value.
Erik Nelson, CVBT's vice president, said the property's value is enhanced by its being within the National Battlefield Park, listed on the National Register, under an easement and located in Fredericksburg. He said the improvements needed are straightforward, and that any interior changes made along the way can be easily undone.
Stephens and CVBT hope the right person comes along to take over stewardship, restore the mansion and pay homage to its role in the turbulent years of its youth.
BUILDING BRAEHEAD
Braehead was completed in 1859 by John Howison, who owned the then 1,000-acre property. Having grown up in cramped quarters, he was determined to have a large house for his family of nine to live in.
The brick house has two three-story wings joined by a two-story connector. Stephens said the house is completely original except for two porches that were added later. He believes from information passed down that most of the bricks used were finished in a kiln on the property. They were then laid in what's called a "common bond with sixth course headers," which means every sixth row was laid with the head, or short end of the brick exposed.
On what was originally the front of the house a more finished variety of brick was used. They were brought up from Richmond and laid with thinner mortar joints to provide a more formal look. The house cost $15,000 to build--no small sum in 1859.
As is frequently the case with such mansions that faced old carriage roads or had waterway access, the back became the front when Lee Drive was built.
The interior of the house is much as it always has been, aside from the addition of seven bathrooms over the years. One of them is truly a "hall" bathroom, as a hallway passes directly through it. Up to eight of the 15 rooms are considered bedrooms. There are 6,231 square feet of living space.
Stephens points out that there is only one closet in the house. Closets were rare in those days because houses were taxed on the number of doors they had. Armoires were used instead, and some of those, like much of the furniture, were brought into the house a century and a half ago.
To the left of the main entry is a large living room-dining room combination that could be separated by massive pocket doors. The tall ceilings, tall doorways and heavy trim recall late-antebellum style. The center hall has long served as a living area rather than just a pass-through.
In the backyard is the stone foundation of the original ice house.
THE HOUSE IN HISTORY
A history of the house written by Mary "Aunt Mamie" Howison, who was born in 1859, recalls that her Uncle John Howison loved to host his extended family at the house each Sunday, when the dining table would extend through both rooms and lively discussions would ensue.
Music was contributed by the huge, mid-19th century Knabe "square grand" piano that remains in place at one end of the room, seemingly daring anyone to try to move it.
It was a time when a house was where life experiences took place--births, deaths, weddings.
The Howisons enjoyed a relatively high standard of living, thanks to the lucrative dairy plant that John Howison ran from the house. He took in milk from local farmers and distributed it to customers in Fredericksburg.
In just two short years, however, life for the Howisons would change dramatically as the family and community turned its attention to the Civil War. Selling a fine tract of Braehead timber to the Confederate government for the war effort was only the beginning. In 1861, Howison's wife died and three of his sons went to war.
On Dec. 13, 1862, Gen. Robert E. Lee took breakfast with the Howisons on the morning of the Battle of Fredericksburg, tying his horse, Traveller, to the black walnut tree that still stands in the yard.
Lee had positioned his headquarters at a nearby spot now known as Lee's Hill. Viewing the brutality from that vantage point, he observed: "It is well that war is so terrible. We should grow too fond of it."
During the second Battle of Fredericksburg in 1864, the house was used as a hospital by the Union Army. The Yankee soldiers left the place standing, but they tossed furniture through the windows, carved their names in walls and trim, broke the china, and ate or otherwise killed the livestock.
The floors were left so blood-soaked that it was easier for the Howisons to cover them with a dark stain than to clean them.
By war's end, Howison had lost his wife, two sons, all of his dairy equipment and was $60,000 in debt.
"There was also a cannonball hole at one end of the house," Stephens noted.
Howison was forced to turn to his brother, Robert Reid Howison, a Richmond attorney, for help and ended up selling the house to him.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
Subsequent generations maintained and updated the house along the way, and several years ago Stephens' son and daughter-in-law ran a bed and breakfast there. In recent years, however, some of the maintenance work has fallen behind.
A major undertaking for Stephens has been to attack the "creeping damp" in the basement, which has threatened to leave the lower level uninhabitable. He said his father or grandfather addressed the issue by excavating the perimeter of the house, then bricking the trench. Pipes have since been installed to collect and carry rainwater away from the house.
Stephens had propane-gas piping routed into the house for space heaters that work in unison with an electric baseboard system. Years ago he shied away from a retrofitted central air and heating system that would have disfigured the interior walls and ceilings.
And the spur marks left by Union officers on the stair risers--he's left them alone, too.
Richard Amrhine: 540/374-5406
Email: ramrhine@freelancestar.com
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Copyright 2008 The Free Lance-Star Publishing Company.
February 8, 2008 12:16 am
BY RICHARD AMRHINE
After nearly 150 years, Braehead has reached a crossroads: It is for sale by the only family that's ever owned it. But now with an easement that protects it in perpetuity, it is well positioned for its next chapter.
The owner, Dr. Graham Stephens, has a contract to sell the Lee Drive mansion to the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust, but their objective is to find a third-party buyer who is prepared to embark on its restoration.
Working in concert with the state Department of Historic Resources, Stephens and CVBT established the easement that became effective Dec. 10. In addition to removing concerns about future development of the property, the easement provides federal and state tax advantages for the current and future owners, and any descendant who inherits the property.
"We thought it was important for it to be protected, and now it is," said Stephens. "It's just time for us to give it up."
The 18-acre property is listed by David Johnston of Antique Properties Inc. in Richmond (804/343-7123 or oldhouseman@verizon .net), with an asking price of $995,000, about half its assessed value.
Erik Nelson, CVBT's vice president, said the property's value is enhanced by its being within the National Battlefield Park, listed on the National Register, under an easement and located in Fredericksburg. He said the improvements needed are straightforward, and that any interior changes made along the way can be easily undone.
Stephens and CVBT hope the right person comes along to take over stewardship, restore the mansion and pay homage to its role in the turbulent years of its youth.
BUILDING BRAEHEAD
Braehead was completed in 1859 by John Howison, who owned the then 1,000-acre property. Having grown up in cramped quarters, he was determined to have a large house for his family of nine to live in.
The brick house has two three-story wings joined by a two-story connector. Stephens said the house is completely original except for two porches that were added later. He believes from information passed down that most of the bricks used were finished in a kiln on the property. They were then laid in what's called a "common bond with sixth course headers," which means every sixth row was laid with the head, or short end of the brick exposed.
On what was originally the front of the house a more finished variety of brick was used. They were brought up from Richmond and laid with thinner mortar joints to provide a more formal look. The house cost $15,000 to build--no small sum in 1859.
As is frequently the case with such mansions that faced old carriage roads or had waterway access, the back became the front when Lee Drive was built.
The interior of the house is much as it always has been, aside from the addition of seven bathrooms over the years. One of them is truly a "hall" bathroom, as a hallway passes directly through it. Up to eight of the 15 rooms are considered bedrooms. There are 6,231 square feet of living space.
Stephens points out that there is only one closet in the house. Closets were rare in those days because houses were taxed on the number of doors they had. Armoires were used instead, and some of those, like much of the furniture, were brought into the house a century and a half ago.
To the left of the main entry is a large living room-dining room combination that could be separated by massive pocket doors. The tall ceilings, tall doorways and heavy trim recall late-antebellum style. The center hall has long served as a living area rather than just a pass-through.
In the backyard is the stone foundation of the original ice house.
THE HOUSE IN HISTORY
A history of the house written by Mary "Aunt Mamie" Howison, who was born in 1859, recalls that her Uncle John Howison loved to host his extended family at the house each Sunday, when the dining table would extend through both rooms and lively discussions would ensue.
Music was contributed by the huge, mid-19th century Knabe "square grand" piano that remains in place at one end of the room, seemingly daring anyone to try to move it.
It was a time when a house was where life experiences took place--births, deaths, weddings.
The Howisons enjoyed a relatively high standard of living, thanks to the lucrative dairy plant that John Howison ran from the house. He took in milk from local farmers and distributed it to customers in Fredericksburg.
In just two short years, however, life for the Howisons would change dramatically as the family and community turned its attention to the Civil War. Selling a fine tract of Braehead timber to the Confederate government for the war effort was only the beginning. In 1861, Howison's wife died and three of his sons went to war.
On Dec. 13, 1862, Gen. Robert E. Lee took breakfast with the Howisons on the morning of the Battle of Fredericksburg, tying his horse, Traveller, to the black walnut tree that still stands in the yard.
Lee had positioned his headquarters at a nearby spot now known as Lee's Hill. Viewing the brutality from that vantage point, he observed: "It is well that war is so terrible. We should grow too fond of it."
During the second Battle of Fredericksburg in 1864, the house was used as a hospital by the Union Army. The Yankee soldiers left the place standing, but they tossed furniture through the windows, carved their names in walls and trim, broke the china, and ate or otherwise killed the livestock.
The floors were left so blood-soaked that it was easier for the Howisons to cover them with a dark stain than to clean them.
By war's end, Howison had lost his wife, two sons, all of his dairy equipment and was $60,000 in debt.
"There was also a cannonball hole at one end of the house," Stephens noted.
Howison was forced to turn to his brother, Robert Reid Howison, a Richmond attorney, for help and ended up selling the house to him.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
Subsequent generations maintained and updated the house along the way, and several years ago Stephens' son and daughter-in-law ran a bed and breakfast there. In recent years, however, some of the maintenance work has fallen behind.
A major undertaking for Stephens has been to attack the "creeping damp" in the basement, which has threatened to leave the lower level uninhabitable. He said his father or grandfather addressed the issue by excavating the perimeter of the house, then bricking the trench. Pipes have since been installed to collect and carry rainwater away from the house.
Stephens had propane-gas piping routed into the house for space heaters that work in unison with an electric baseboard system. Years ago he shied away from a retrofitted central air and heating system that would have disfigured the interior walls and ceilings.
And the spur marks left by Union officers on the stair risers--he's left them alone, too.
Richard Amrhine: 540/374-5406
Email: ramrhine@freelancestar.com
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Copyright 2008 The Free Lance-Star Publishing Company.
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