Amherst County Historic House Tour 2003
Saturday, April 26 10:00-3:30
Block Tickets $12 each -- Lunch $5 (reservations required)
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Join us for an exciting tour of homes along the Old Stage Road in Amherst and Clifford. This is the first house tour hosted by the Amherst County Museum & Historical Society in many years. We have chose six wonderful and varying homes to include on the tour. All are invited to come and share their beautiful views of the mountains and experience the thrills of these historic homes.
Block tickets will be available at the Museum for $12 each and at the door to each home on the morning of the tour. This will get you access to each of the six homes. Tickets for individual stops will be available at the door for $3 apiece. Tickets go on sale Saturday, March 15. To order a block ticket ahead of time send a check clearly marked "House Tour" to:
Amherst County Museum
PO Box 741
Amherst, VA 24521.
A homemade lunch to be eaten-in or taken on the go will be available at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Clifford. The cost of lunch is $5 and it will be available from 11:30 AM until 1:00 PM. Reservations for lunch are required by April 15, so call the Museum (434) 946-9068 to reserve one, or include $5 when you order your block ticket.
The following is a little information on each of the six stops along the Old Stage Road you will be able to experience on the tour.
1. Edgewood
Edgewood combines Federal and Greek Revival features as it sits amongst a grove of large trees facing South Main Street in Amherst. Built sometime in the early 1800s, the home also served as the Higginbotham Academy and a meeting place for the Cliton Masonic Lodge.
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2. Kearfott-Wood House
Also known as the Amherst County Museum, the foundation of the Kearfott-Wood House dates back nearly 200 years. On this site once stood the Powelton Hotel. In 1906, J.G. Kearfott purchased the land and demolished the remaining shell of the tavern to construct his home on the existing basement. The Museum moved into the home in 1992, after five years of renovations.
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3. The Glebe
Built in 1763, the Glebe housed one of the first preachers for St. Mark's Church: the Rev. Ichabod Camp. It served as a Glebe for only 20 years before it was purchased by Gabriel Penn. It has passed through many hands over the yeras and today is owned by Ned and Lynn Kable who are excited to open it to the public.
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4. Winton
This is the only home on the tour currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Winton is most well known for being the burial place for Sarah Henry -- mother of Patrick Henry. It is a beautiful structure today used as a country club.
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5. St. Mark's Church
The heritage of the original St. Mark's Church dates all the way back to the formation of Amherst County. It moved to its current location around 1776. The existing structure was built ca. 1815. Several additions have been made, but it retains its 1815 integrity.
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6. Athlone
In April 1996, tragedy hit the nationally registered home of Athlone as a fire burned it to the ground. Over the next several years, Alice and Dick Powell worked tirelessly to 'rebuild' the home as close to the original as possible. You'll have to stop by and see for yourself what a wonderful task they accomplished.
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