FOLLY 



OLLY, in Augusta County, is the residence of 

 Joseph Smith Cochran. The house, now in its 

 second century, was built by Joseph Smith, the 

 great-grandfather of the present owner, and has 

 been occupied by four successive generations. 

 Following the architectural style of its day, the 

 dwelling is of red brick with large white pillars on the front and side 

 porches. At that time there were no railroads in the Valley, so 

 the farm wagon was sent to Philadelphia — 300 miles away — to 

 get the finishing touches for it. The marble mantelpieces in the 

 drawing-room and the dining-room were the first to come into the 

 Shenandoah Valley. 



Coming down to the western side of the garden and overflowing 

 onto the lawn is the forest primeval. This piece of woods, extend- 

 ing for a mile, resembles a park; with its handsome oaks, hickory, 

 chestnut, and walnut trees, free from undergrowth, it affords shady 

 and interesting walks and drives in the summer-time, reminding one 

 of an English estate with its extensive grounds. 



Facing the house, and at the end of the avenue, is a rocky, 

 wooded slope. In olden times this was enclosed by a high fence, 

 and was known as the deer park. In it roamed and bounded from 

 rock to rock twenty-odd deer. They were so gentle that they would 

 come up to their mistress to be fed, and would lick out of her hand. 

 Sometimes she would let down the bars and they would follow 

 her up to the house, playing about the lawn. This deer park 

 extended for a quarter of a mile along the Staunton and Lexington 

 turnpike, and travelers passing by in stage-coaches and private 

 vehicles would stop to admire the deer and watch the little fawns 

 play on the soft moss. Finally, thoughtless people would put their 

 dogs over the fence to watch them chase the deer, and many a 



[329] 



