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  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  November, 
  1907 
  

  

  Historic 
  Mansions 
  of 
  the 
  James 
  River 
  

  

  III. 
  — 
  "Westover," 
  the 
  Ancestral 
  Home 
  of 
  the 
  Byrds, 
  Now 
  the 
  Ramsay 
  Homestead 
  

  

  By 
  Francis 
  Durando 
  Nichols 
  

  

  ESTOVER, 
  which 
  lies 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  bank 
  of 
  

   the 
  James 
  River, 
  about 
  half 
  way 
  between 
  

   Martin's 
  Brandon 
  and 
  Shirley, 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   oldest 
  and 
  most 
  beautiful 
  of 
  the 
  old-time 
  

   properties 
  in 
  Virginia. 
  

  

  The 
  plantation 
  was 
  laid 
  out 
  by 
  Sir 
  John 
  

   Pawlett, 
  the 
  original 
  patent 
  having 
  been 
  

   issued 
  to 
  his 
  brother, 
  Thomas 
  Pawlett, 
  January 
  15, 
  1631. 
  

   In 
  1665 
  ^ 
  passed 
  into 
  the 
  hands 
  of 
  Theodoric 
  Bland, 
  from 
  

   whom 
  William 
  Byrd 
  purchased 
  it 
  in 
  1688. 
  It 
  consisted 
  of 
  

   two 
  thousand 
  acres 
  of 
  land, 
  for 
  which 
  he 
  paid 
  300 
  pounds 
  

   sterling 
  and 
  ten 
  thousand 
  pounds 
  of 
  tobacco. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  summit 
  of 
  a 
  bluff 
  which 
  rises 
  abruptly 
  from 
  the 
  

   James 
  River, 
  and 
  some 
  two 
  hundred 
  yards 
  back 
  from 
  the 
  

   terraced 
  sea-wall, 
  William 
  Byrd 
  proceeded 
  to 
  build 
  the 
  

   Mansion 
  House 
  of 
  Westover. 
  Though 
  he 
  owned 
  consider- 
  

   able 
  land 
  in 
  the 
  neighborhood 
  and 
  could 
  have 
  placed 
  his 
  resi- 
  

  

  dence 
  wherever 
  he 
  thought 
  proper, 
  he 
  chose 
  this 
  site 
  upon 
  

   which 
  Westover 
  is 
  built, 
  for 
  the 
  reason 
  that 
  Nature 
  had 
  

   endowed 
  it 
  magnificently, 
  with 
  its 
  high 
  plateau 
  gracefully 
  

   studded 
  with 
  fine 
  trees 
  and 
  shrubs, 
  and 
  the 
  mansion 
  was 
  

   erected 
  in 
  due 
  order 
  and 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  position 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  placed 
  

   just 
  far 
  enough 
  from 
  the 
  river 
  to 
  insure 
  the 
  retirement 
  which 
  

   he 
  sought. 
  The 
  main 
  approach 
  to 
  the 
  house 
  is 
  through 
  a 
  

   lofty 
  gateway, 
  the 
  stone 
  pillars 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  about 
  ten 
  feet 
  

   high 
  and 
  are 
  surmounted 
  by 
  eagles. 
  From 
  these 
  stone 
  pil- 
  

   lars 
  swing 
  handsome 
  gates 
  of 
  hammered 
  iron, 
  which 
  were 
  

   made 
  in 
  England 
  for 
  Colonel 
  Byrd, 
  and 
  are 
  particularly 
  in- 
  

   teresting 
  as 
  being 
  the 
  first 
  ornamental 
  iron 
  work 
  brought 
  

   into 
  America. 
  The 
  monogram 
  of 
  Col. 
  William 
  Byrd 
  is 
  

   interwoven 
  in 
  the 
  scroll 
  at 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  gate. 
  Extending 
  

   in 
  either 
  direction 
  from 
  the 
  gateway 
  is 
  an 
  iron 
  fence, 
  the 
  

   many 
  posts 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  surmounted 
  by 
  ornamental 
  tops, 
  a 
  

   different 
  design 
  for 
  each 
  post. 
  Passing 
  through 
  the 
  chief 
  

  

  Fine 
  Old 
  Trees 
  Shade 
  the 
  River 
  Front 
  of 
  the 
  House 
  

  

  ■ 
  

  

  