﻿AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  son, 
  who 
  has 
  many 
  later 
  deeds, 
  including 
  those 
  to 
  

   Nathaniel 
  Harrison 
  dated 
  1698, 
  1720, 
  1724 
  

   and 
  1725. 
  

  

  The 
  date 
  of 
  Captain 
  Martin's 
  death 
  is 
  un- 
  

   known, 
  but 
  at 
  least 
  he 
  was 
  living 
  in 
  1626-1627; 
  

   his 
  grave, 
  which 
  is 
  doubtless 
  at 
  Brandon, 
  is 
  un- 
  

   known 
  and 
  unmarked. 
  The 
  connection 
  between 
  

   Martin 
  and 
  the 
  Harrisons 
  is 
  not 
  clear. 
  An 
  En- 
  

   sign 
  Harrison, 
  who 
  was 
  probably 
  Harmon 
  Har- 
  

   me 
  to 
  Virginia 
  in 
  160S, 
  and 
  was 
  com- 
  

   plained 
  of, 
  together 
  with 
  Captain 
  Martin, 
  before 
  

   the 
  First 
  Assembly 
  in 
  1 
  619. 
  It 
  is 
  possible 
  there 
  

   was 
  a 
  relationship 
  between 
  the 
  t 
  

   is 
  at 
  least 
  certain 
  that 
  Brandon, 
  with 
  its 
  ten 
  thou- 
  

   sand 
  acres, 
  passed 
  into 
  the 
  Harrison 
  family, 
  and 
  

   became 
  completely 
  identified 
  with 
  it, 
  for 
  at 
  a 
  very 
  

   early 
  time 
  it 
  became 
  their 
  ancestral 
  home. 
  

  

  The 
  earliest 
  buildings 
  on 
  the 
  plantation 
  were 
  

   long 
  since 
  swept 
  away 
  to 
  make 
  room 
  for 
  the 
  pres- 
  

   ent 
  stately 
  mansion, 
  commenced, 
  doubtless, 
  by 
  

   Colonel 
  Nathaniel 
  Harrison 
  about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  

   the 
  eighteenth 
  century; 
  it 
  was 
  completed 
  by 
  his 
  

   son, 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  name. 
  It 
  is 
  thoroughly 
  typic; 
  

   of 
  the 
  old 
  Colonial 
  architecture 
  of 
  Virginia, 
  being 
  

   built 
  of 
  brick, 
  with 
  two 
  wings. 
  The 
  latter 
  are 
  

   earlier 
  than 
  the 
  center, 
  the 
  brick 
  being 
  laid 
  in 
  

   Flemish 
  bond, 
  the 
  northern 
  wing 
  having 
  black 
  

   headers. 
  The 
  house 
  is 
  built 
  on 
  a 
  high 
  bluff 
  and 
  

   is 
  about 
  six 
  hundred 
  feet 
  back 
  from 
  the 
  river. 
  A 
  

   landing 
  at 
  the 
  water's 
  edge 
  abuts 
  against 
  a 
  path 
  

   by 
  which 
  the 
  main 
  entrance 
  is 
  reached. 
  A 
  great 
  

   central 
  hall, 
  completely 
  wainscoted, 
  fills 
  the 
  cen- 
  

   ter 
  of 
  the 
  house. 
  Its 
  depth 
  is 
  broken 
  by 
  a 
  triple 
  

   arch, 
  supported 
  on 
  Ionic 
  columns, 
  beneath 
  

   of 
  which 
  rises 
  the 
  stairway 
  that 
  leads 
  to 
  the 
  

   billiard- 
  room, 
  which 
  is 
  directly 
  over 
  the 
  hall. 
  

  

  On 
  one 
  side 
  is 
  the 
  drawing-room; 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  

   the 
  dining-room, 
  while 
  passages 
  opening 
  beyond 
  

   lead 
  to 
  the 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  house. 
  Each 
  is 
  a 
  

   of 
  great 
  size, 
  with 
  vast 
  fireplaces, 
  and 
  pan- 
  

   eled 
  throughout 
  like 
  the 
  hall. 
  The 
  

   unfortunately, 
  was 
  greatly 
  injured 
  during 
  the 
  

   Civil 
  War, 
  when 
  much 
  of 
  it 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  

   off 
  by 
  seekers 
  for 
  treasure. 
  To 
  complete 
  

   the 
  sketch 
  of 
  the 
  plan 
  of 
  the 
  house 
  it 
  is 
  sufficient 
  

   to 
  state 
  that 
  an 
  anteroom 
  from 
  the 
  drawing-r 
  

   gives 
  access 
  to 
  four 
  sleeping-rooms, 
  two 
  on 
  the 
  

   first 
  floor 
  and 
  two 
  on 
  the 
  second; 
  the 
  opposite 
  

   wing 
  contains 
  the 
  oflice 
  and 
  room 
  of 
  the 
  manager 
  

   of 
  the 
  estate 
  and 
  two 
  guest 
  rooms 
  in 
  the 
  second 
  

  

  Perhaps 
  no 
  one 
  feature 
  of 
  Brandon 
  is 
  so 
  In- 
  

   teresting 
  and 
  important 
  as 
  the 
  great 
  gallery 
  ol 
  

  

  portraits 
  which 
  is 
  hung 
  

   drawing-room 
  and 
  the 
  dinin 
  

   portraits 
  by 
  Sir 
  Godfrey 
  Kn 
  

   Vandyke, 
  Sir 
  Peter 
  Lely 
  

   including 
  a 
  collect'u 
  

   the 
  eighteenth 
  century. 
  The 
  

  

  the 
  walls 
  of 
  the 
  

   There 
  arc 
  

   imin 
  West, 
  

   id 
  other 
  celebrated 
  

   England 
  in 
  

   portrait 
  of 
  the 
  cele- 
  

  

  brated" 
  Colonel 
  William 
  Byrd, 
  and 
  the 
  lattcr's 
  

   beautiful 
  daughter, 
  Evelyn, 
  are 
  among 
  the 
  most 
  

   notable 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  series 
  and 
  among 
  the 
  choic- 
  

   est 
  possessions 
  of 
  the 
  house. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  drawing-room 
  is 
  a 
  portrait 
  of 
  Sir 
  

   Charles 
  Wager, 
  which 
  hangs 
  above 
  the 
  mantel, 
  

   and 
  continuing 
  around 
  the 
  room 
  to 
  the 
  right 
  arc 
  

   portraits 
  of 
  G. 
  E. 
  Harrison, 
  Sir 
  Robert 
  South- 
  

   Mrs. 
  Evelyn 
  Byrd 
  Harrison, 
  the 
  second 
  

   wife 
  of 
  Benjamin 
  Harrison, 
  Lady 
  Betty 
  Clay- 
  

   pole, 
  Evelyn 
  Byrd, 
  Lord 
  Halifax, 
  Earl 
  

   mont, 
  Earl 
  Orrery, 
  Mrs. 
  Fitzhugh 
  and 
  Benjamin 
  

   Harrison. 
  In 
  a 
  case 
  in 
  the 
  corner 
  is 
  a 
  fan 
  which 
  

  

  The 
  Overgrown 
  Box 
  Hedge 
  in 
  Front 
  of 
  the 
  Garden 
  Side 
  of 
  the 
  M 
  

   Still 
  Flourishes 
  in 
  Splendid 
  Growth 
  

  

  The 
  Old 
  Garden 
  Laid 
  Out 
  Over 
  Two 
  Centuries 
  Ago, 
  with 
  the 
  Box 
  Hedge 
  Still 
  

   Tracing 
  the 
  Old 
  Garden 
  Walks 
  

  

  