The Piedmont Section 



history and though in wooing the Lady Spotswood he met vigorous 

 opposition from her children, the following bit of a letter proves 

 that his cause was plead well: 



"Madam: By diligently perusing your letter, I see that there is 

 a material argument, which I ought to have answered, upon which 

 your strongest objections to completing my happiness seems to 

 depend, viz.: That you would incur ye censures of ye world for 

 marrying a person of my station; by which I understand that you 

 think it a diminution of your honour and ye dignity of your family 

 to marry a person in the state of a clergyman. Now, if I can make 

 it appear that the ministerial office is an employment in its nature 

 ye most honourable, and in its effects ye most beneficial to mankind, 

 I hope your objections will immediately vanish, you will keep me 

 no longer in suspense and misery, but consummate my happiness." 



That the gentleman of the cloth won his suit, history well 

 knows and though he was the master of Horseshoe but a short 

 while, his name and that of his Lady will always add lustre to 

 the old place. From the Thompsons the estate went to William 

 Morton from whom it passed to Charles P. Moncure, who, in 

 1859, built the splendid house that is much admired today. 



Overlooking a bend of the Rapidan River, the form of which 

 gave the estate its name, the white columned house stands upon a 

 slight rise of ground. An avenue of over-arching trees leads up 

 to it from the high road, and immediately around it, on all sides of 

 the lawn, venerable shade trees spread their branches. 



A wide porch upheld by lofty columns, proves the southern front 

 of the house, the walls of which are of brick washed with buff 

 cement. The interior presents an effect of spaciousness. A wide 

 entrance hall opens into a stair hall which runs at right angles 

 across it and separates the two rear from the two front rooms. 

 Where these halls join are pilasters which seem to permit the use 

 of a paneled wainscot around the walls. To the right of the 

 entrance door is the office; to the left, the morning room. Passing 



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