Old Mansion – In Progress
LOCATION
Bowling Green, Virginia
Partners
Jamestown Rediscovery
Dean Norton, Mount Vernon
The new public-spirited owners of this mid-18th century house and surrounding 128 acres wish to develop a master plan for work to stretch over the next couple decades. The overall goal is to accommodate modern needs and enhance the beauty of the gardens and grounds without losing the unbroken line to the past. Ground penetrating radar revealed the original (or early) arrangement of outbuildings and other site features. Elements of the master plan include defining the historic landscape immediately surrounding the house, restoring a version of the original terraced garden, and creating new period-appropriate, but low maintenance formal garden spaces. Also planned are a small amphitheater for use by school children and the surrounding community, a pond, two barns, a forest management plan, and trails and maintenance roads throughout the wooded parts of the property.