Stipulating that Stanhope
S. Johnson, Lynchburg architect, be retained for the restoration work,
the patron of the project is to make possible the landscaping of the
grounds and the rebuilding of the manor house, the office and the
various out-buildings, President Easley said. An approximate amount of
$50,000 is estimated as necessary.
Trustees Meeting
Trustees of the Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation will meet in
Richmond March 22 to work out details of the undertaking, the president
said. Other officials are Henry E. McWane, Lynchburg, and Major John D.
Guthrie, Charlotte County, vice presidents; Mrs. William Page Williams,
Brookneal, secretary; and James R. Gilliam Jr., Lynchburg, treasurer. In
addition to 35 Virginians on the board of trustees, representatives from
nine other states are among the men and women of distinction forming the
governing body of the Foundation. Robert C. Atherholt and Susan Dabney,
the latter a great-great-granddaughter of Patrick Henry, are other
Lynchburg members of the board of trustees. Miss Dabney's sister, Mrs.
Barksdale Penick of Montclair, N. J., also is a member.
Stanhope S. Johnson, Lynchburg architect already busy on plans for
the reconstruction, Easley said yesterday, by good fortune has in his
possession the exact measurements of the original Henry mansion. In the
155 years since Patrick Henry's death, the houses and grounds have
changed considerably. Mrs. Matthew Bland Harrison, a great-granddaughter
of the statesman, in the early years of this century, had erected a
colonial-style residence in which the original simple home of Patrick
Henry was incorporated. In 1918, this building was destroyed by fire, as
were nearby cottages. After that the garden was obliterated by neglect,
and the place left desolate until, in 1945, the property was acquired by
the FOundation and step-by-step improvements were started.
Associated with the firm which built the home of Mrs. Harrison, who
is no longer living, Stanhope Johnson came into ownership of the
house-plans, with descriptions of the out-door appearance. These will
enable the restoration to be exact, it was said yesterday. Plans to
restore the place in such manner that its original atmosphere will be
preserved are in compliance with the objectives of the FOundation,
Easley indicated.
Organized in 1944
Organized in 1944, with James S. Easley of Halifax, well-known
attorney, as president, the Foundation acquired the site of the mansion
and something less than 900 acres of land from their heirs. The law
office of the patriot still stands, with an attached studio built later
by William Wirt Henry Jr. According to restoration plans, the office
will be returned to its original state.
Funds have been raised through the years fro various phases of
improvements, and with the establishment there of the Patrick Henry
Boys' Plantation, gifts have been made for erection of homes for the
boys who will be accepted there. Already two of the ten proposed
cottages are assured. Rebuilding of the house and out-houses will
benefit the plantation project, Mr. Easley said yesterday, adding that
it is highly probable that the Rev. Ralph Bellwood, founder of the
"Youth Community" will occupy the main structure until his
home, one of the several envisioned for the plantation, is constructed.
Attempts to establish a national shrine at "Red Hill" have
been made for the last quarter-century. The late United States Senator
Carter Glass was among those who led an attempt in 1935 and for the next
few years. Senator Harry F. Byrd, former President Herbert Hoover, Mrs.
Alfred I. du Pont, David K. E. Bruce, former Governor William M. Tuck,
J. Edgar Hoover--these and other national figures make up the more than
fifty trustees of the Foundation.
Nearest Living Kin
Patrick Henry's nearest living relative is Miss Elvira Henry
Miller--Lynchburg's "Miss Ella"--of 314 Harrison St. She has
kept the reconstruction of their great-grandfather's estate in constant
remembrance, missing no opportunity to work for its success.
Patrick Henry's stormy career in the cause of liberty ended after 10
years of plantation living at his Staunton River estate. Born in Hanover
county in 1736, he died in 1799. He and his second wife, who was
Dorothea Dandridge, are buried at "Red Hill."
The restoration of the house is not to be as easy as it sounds, with
measurements at hand and the building notable chiefly for its
simplicity. Materials of the period will be sought, and nothing not in
harmony will be used by the architect, the official of the Foundation
state. Throughout the long distance interview from the Jefferson Hotel,
Richmond, where he is staying, Mr. Easley repeatedly referred to the
great happiness and satisfaction the donor of the funds has brought to
those who have labored for the last decade and prior to the land's
purchase, to set up a permanent memorial to the apostle of American
Liberty.
