VIII 



VIRGINIA 



Virginia was the first of the States to adopt a luxuri- 

 ous mode of living. Its early men and women, so recently 

 English, were not many of them of the strictly Puritan 

 type, but rather the ease and pleasure loving class, and 

 shortly their fertile plantations, developed by countless 

 slaves, yielded rich results, and Virginia, followed soon 

 by the neighboring States, became famous for homes and 

 gardens on an extensive scale. 



One of the earliest and best of these estates was Mount 

 Vernon, so well preserved and yet so familiar as not to 

 need an introduction or even a space in this book. Bran- 

 don, Westover, Shirley, Berkeley, Castle Hill, and others 

 on the River James, as well as some of the splendid places 

 in the "hill country," have been renovated in recent years 

 and should be considered among the treasures of America. 



Mr. William du Pont is the fortunate present owner of 

 Montpelier, the home of President Madison, in Orange 

 County, and situated between Charlottesville and Rich- 

 mond. This splendid garden was planned by Mr. Mad- 

 ison soon after 1794. To quote Mr. Capen:* "On the plan 



* " Country Homes of Famous Americans." 



219 



