​Historic Garden Week 2023
King William County 
April 21, 2023

Flower Arrangements on Tour Day

​A Celebration of History, Conservation and Faith

Visitors enjoyed pastoral King William County on the Middle Peninsula, an area full of verdant landscapes, family farms and fields of grain. The courthouse, built in 1725, is the oldest courthouse in continuous use in the United States. This tour showcased four distinguished homes in the Manquin area – one dedicated to celebrations such as weddings and family gatherings, one built for the homeowner’s love of wildlife and conservation, and two 18th century homes. Two beautiful historic churches were also included.  All properties were open for the first time for Historic Garden Week. 

Cherry Grove

Viewing the picturesque old home surrounded by a pristinely kept yard, it is easy to understand why the owners decided to buy this house. But forty years ago, the building a relative had seen while deer hunting, was a far cry from what it is now. It had been vacant for 10 years, had no running water and exposed electricity, but it was exactly what they wanted. They moved in and renovated it room by room. The oldest part of the home was built in the late 1700s, and an addition was added in the mid-1800s. In researching the home to place it on the historic registry, the owners have created a stir of excitement with department heads at VA Department of Historic Resources and Colonial Williamsburg. All but one room retain the original flooring and woodwork, and the living room has original marble and wood grained faux painting. The excitement, though, is due to the painter’s name painted on a riser of the steps – a first in the state. 
​4381 Manfield Road, Aylett
Elaine and Lee Ramsey, owners. 

Chestnut Grove Farm

Surrounded by planted fields and shaded by ancient trees including a few chestnut trees, the old house immediately makes you feel welcomed home. Eight generations of the same family have loved and preserved their farm established in 1759 on property which was part of a College of William and Mary land grant. The original home was a one-over-one-over-one built circa 1759 and, with an early 1800s addition, became a central hall two-over-two-over-two dwelling.  Several generations have added to the home, keeping it symmetrically appealing and retaining the old while making it modern and comfortable. The welcome continues inside where you realize that this is a homeplace not a house museum. The furniture pieces probably have names attached telling of the distant relatives who once owned them. Family photos going back generations adorn walls and shelves. The ground floor with its original fireplace is a favorite gathering place and reveals the bones of the structure. The home features an interesting and extensive library reflective of an academic family.
2308 Manfield Road, Aylett
Frances Taliaferro Thomas and Emory Morton Thomas, owners. 

Hollyfield Manor

The stately Greek Revival manor that dominates the landscape of farmland is not the original home on this site. The original was a frame house built circa 1750. In the late 1700s the Honorable Burwell Bassett, the brother-in-law and close friend of George Washington, owned the property and named it Bassettaire. A fire destroyed the frame home and in the early 1800s a brick Georgian home was built. The present-day manor house was the vision of John L. Clark and his wife Elvira in 1935. He bought, remodeled and added to the old brick Georgian home that had stood vacant for many years doubling its size to accommodate his many guests. Today the house Clark renamed Hollyfield and its grounds of lush greenery, small settings for relaxation, and large patio overlooking a 28-acre lake is the site of romantic weddings, family reunions, and other events. 
289 Hollyfield Lane, Manquin
Susie and Frankie Barham, owners.

Strykefyre

Built in 1990, Strykefyre, a two-story white frame home, was given the name of part of the property on which it is located and is believed to be a reference to the Indians who once lived there. The owner’s love of flowers welcomes visitors with her multiple beds surrounding the house that by summer will overflow with blossoms, and pots planted with seasonal foliage. The home, filled with the same pastel colors from outside, also shows their love of collecting – ranging from O-gauge model trains, decoys and taxidermy representing the local wildlife to floral bone china tea cups, McCoy pottery, Wedgewood Jasperware, and seasonal décor. For the tour, the house will usher in spring. The owners bought the 406-acre property to create a home for themselves and for wildlife.  They added a pond, an impoundment, and a greentree reservoir.  All are maintained seasonally to create a habitat for both waterfowl and wildlife. There will be explanations of how the systems work all day long. 
​648 Pampatike Road, King William 
Bonnie L. Stokes, Laura S. Harris, and Brandon Stokes, owners. 

McKendree United Methodist Church
​Tour Headquarters

McKendree began at Chestnut Grove, a nearby house, in 1886 when a small group gathered to discuss building a church closer to their homes. The little white country church was built in 1890 not far from the birthplace of Bishop McKendree, the first American born Methodist bishop. Additions were built in 1953, 1973 and 2013.
4347 Manfield Road, Manquin 

Rock Spring Baptist Church

Rock Spring was organized in March 1877 when members began worshipping in a log cabin. In 1905 a church was constructed on the present site. Over the years many upgrades have taken place, to include the stained-glass windows and the 2006 addition of a new fellowship hall.
4134 Manfield Road, Aylett 

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