What We Do
William Golding, a British novelist, poet, and playwright best known for his 1954 novel Lord of the Flies.
Since arriving at Belle Grove in April 2013, Brett and Michelle Darnell have been working hard to improve the grounds and make repairs to the mansion. The mansion saw repairs to the plaster and painting on the interior and running of the systems and repairs made when needed. Through the help of many wonderful volunteers, they have taken the grounds from little to no landscaping to new beds of flowers, bushes and trees. The first year at Belle Grove, Brett and their son, Tyler spent many weekends pulling old brick walkways up from the river side and moving the brick to the carriage side to be repurposed for walkways there. On the river side, there were two sets of stairs built into the bluff. Both were in bad disrepair. They have since been removed and rebuilt for safe use. The foundation that once graced the bluff overlooking the river was not able to be saved. It was removed, filled in and the bricks used in the walkways on the carriage side.
When Belle Grove Plantation was open to the public on August 1, 2013, very few people knew about it. Michelle spent the first year reaching out to as many media outlets to get the word out. She used social media and word of mouth to let everyone know about Belle Grove Plantation. This is a practice that continues even today.
It has always been our hope that by reaching out to schools and universities, we might see these institutions use Belle Grove Plantation as one of their teaching tools. By being where history occurred, it helps students to “put a face” on an event or location.
In 2014, American University Film Students used Belle Grove Plantation’s interior as a stand in for George Washington’s Mount Vernon. George and Martha Washington and many of their “friends” came in period dress for the shoot. This was a documentary doctoral thesis for the film students. It was directed by Meng Wang and released on August 15, 2014.
From the moment we walked onto the plantation, artifacts have been found. With the plantation being established in 1670, not only was the plantation occupied by the English and later Americans, but was also home to many Native Americans. There has even been some artifacts that date back to prehistoric times.
Many artifacts have been found on the plantation through digging for the landscape and finding pieces that have worked their way to the surface. Having these pieces are priceless when it comes to knowing where past buildings and areas were. It helps us tell the story of Belle Grove Plantation.
After finding the artifacts, we started looking for help with identification and dating of the artifacts. It was through a blog written by an archaeological student digging at George Washington’s Ferry Farm that we met our favorite archaeologist, Mara. Since then, we have been honored that Mara and Ferry Farm has become a partner in our archaeological endeavors.
In the Spring of 2014, the University of Mary Washington’s Archaeology Department requested permission to bring their Field Study to do an archaeological study of Belle Grove Plantation. This consisted of setting up grid plans and digging test holes. The first year was so successful, they returned in 2015.
Our future goal is to set up an archaeological dig with hopes of mapping the footprint of the Conway homes, one which President Madison was born in. We do know there are two foundations located under the south side of the mansion and behind the garage. Other locations would be where the slave quarters were located and possible find the slave cemetery.
Tennessee Williams, an American playwright and author.
Many of the family decedents of Belle Grove Plantation have found us through our online blog and marketing. These families have reached out and asked to return to Belle Grove Plantation. This has been one of the most rewarding parts of being at Belle Grove. Many families come with information to share or are seeking information from our own research of the families.
During a family reunion in 2014, the Turner Family made a stop at the plantation to see where forefather once lived. Carolinus Turner owned Belle Grove Plantation from 1839 to 1894. We pulled all our research and displayed it for them to look through and to possibly fill in the holes in their own research.
No only has the Turner Family returned. We have had several members of the Conway Family (1670-1790), Hipkins-Bernard Family (1790-1839), Savage Family (First Owner in 1670), Thornton Family (1894-1906) and the Hooker Family (1930 to 1987). It is our hope to continue our research on these and other family trees so we can tell their stories at Belle Grove.
Our research into the history of Belle Grove Plantation started in 2011. We have logged thousands of hours of research that took us to the Virginia Historical Society, the Library of Virginia, William and Mary College, the Library of Congress and the Seaver Center in Los Angeles. Online research has provided new directions as well as helping us confirm our findings from oral history.
But our research isn’t done. We are always looking for new leads, photographs and writings and family oral history to help us confirm other research and to fill in our missing information. It’s through families reaching out to us with information that leads us to the next new discover.
With a place as beautiful as Belle Grove, having Living History Events here only adds to the grandeur of this historic property. From celebrating the birthday of President Madison to our annual Civil War Weekend, history come alive for our guests as they experience the sights and sounds of days gone by.
Eleanor Roosevelt, an American political leader.
On arriving at the plantation, one of the first projects we have taken on is the restoration of the three 1720 to 1750 Outbuildings. The Summer Kitchen, Ice House and Smokehouse are priceless pieces of history that were already in use for thirty years when President Madison was born on the property. Their use would continue until 1930. The Summer Kitchen is especially valuable because it is divided into two rooms, the kitchen and the lodging quarters for the enslaved cooks.
It has become the first goal of the foundation to see these pieces of American History restored. Once restored, the Summer Kitchen will be used as a museum to house the many artifacts found on the property and to tell the story of Belle Grove Plantation. The enslaved lodging will be turned into a memorial for the enslaved people that once lived, worked and died on this plantation. Their stories need to be told and they need to be recognized for the work they did to make Belle Grove Plantation successful.
Future goals would be to rebuild the slave quarters along the track from the caretakers home to the current silo. In our research, a map has been found to show us where buildings stood. After the archaeology is completed, the foundation would like to have these cabins returned to help us tell the story of everyone that called Belle Grove home.
Since opening the doors of Belle Grove to the public in August, 2013, many donations of furniture, décor items, china, books, linens, clothing and even a box grand piano have made their way to us. Each item have become part of our Special Collection at Belle Grove. Each item is special to us and each item comes with a story. We not only preserve this oral history, but display it and tell the story to others. Local residents have found us as a safe haven for their historic items, knowing that they will be loved and cared for and that they story will be told.
One of our future goals as a foundation is to design and start a school education program for school aged children. We would like to bring Belle Grove Plantation to life to help students understand the workings of this plantation as well as the many American Historic events that happened here. It is our desire to be a teaching tool that will make an impact on students and help them understand more about our American History.
Many groups have come to Belle Grove for social gatherings or to tour its halls. One of our goals is to partner with many of these groups to continue the growth and support of Belle Grove Plantation. From the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Daughters of the War of 1812, the Daughters of the Confederacy and the Colonial Dames, each of these groups bring knowledge and a desire to support Belle Grove Plantation.