Mayhurst
Encyclopedia
Mayhurst is an 1859 Italianate
mansion in Orange, Virginia
. It was built by the Willis family relatives of President James Madison
as the plantation house for an estate comprising 2500 acres (10.1 km²) of fields, pastures and forest. It was a scene of action in the Civil War. It is currently operated as an Inn.
. Colonel Willis acquired Mayhurst, then and during his lifetime known as Howard Place, from the estate of Charles P. Howard in 1856.
During the winter of 1863-64 when the Army of Northern Virginia
was camped in Orange County
, Lieutenant General A. P. Hill
had his headquarters in the yard at Mayhurst. The Mort Künstler
painting "Tender is the Heart" is set at Mayhurst.
During Reconstruction the house was occupied by the family of Federal Judge Hiram Bond and his son Marshall Latham Bond
was born there.
. The roof is surmounted by two large chimneys and a central belvedere
. This belvedere reflects the roof shape which surrounds it and completes the total pyramidal massing with an elaborate finial
. The entire exterior wall surface above the brick basement is covered by wooden drop siding cut to resemble ashlar
stonework. The deep, overhanging eaves are emphasized by the placing of oversized paired brackets, with their undulating curves and pendants, around the entire roofline.
The three-bay main facade (north) features a central entrance porch with an elliptical-arched fanlight
and sidelights framing the double doors. On the second level, twin-arched windows which open to the balustraded porch roof visually support the circular window above, set in the cross-gable. At either side of the central porch and window bay on the first level are also twin-arched windows with hood molds
and shallow balconies. On the second level of the two end bays are three-sectioned windows in the Palladian
motif. The east and west facades are similar, both being four bays wide and having arched windows. On the east front, however, a five-sectioned oriel bay
was placed on the first story which is partially blocked by a frame wing added circa 1912. The rear (south) facade has been partially obscured by shallow wings and a sleeping porch.
On the interior, the broad central hall is divided at mid-point by a graceful elliptical arch which rests at either side on piers alluding to the Doric order
in detail. The stair which ascends along the east wall of the hall and curves at the beginning and end of each flight, develops exceptional rhythm of design due to the repetition of the octagonal-shaped and turned baluster
s, two to a tread. In addition, the scrolled, uncarved brackets on the step ends and the fascia board on the landings increase the activity of the design, making the stairway the finest single piece of woodwork in the house.
Two rooms flank the hall on both sides and offer a calm contrast to the stair by featuring broad, flat window and door framings as well as black marble mantels with arched openings and subtle curving lines in the shelf. The southeast room has been partitioned into several smaller rooms, including a kitchen. Although most doors have a pair of small rectangular panels below the lock rail with two tall ones above, variations occur with the lower panels being octagonal while the upper panels have arched tops.
An old structure to the rear appears to date from the first quarter of the nineteenth century due to some remaining architrave
door framings and doors, the brick noggin walls, and the 6'-10" wide fireplaces on both ends of the two-story, hipped roof building. This house is believed to be the original Howard dwelling.
Italianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
mansion in Orange, Virginia
Orange, Virginia
Orange is a town in Orange County, Virginia, United States. The population was 4,721 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Orange County...
. It was built by the Willis family relatives of President James Madison
James Madison
James Madison, Jr. was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and at first an opponent of, and then a key author of the United...
as the plantation house for an estate comprising 2500 acres (10.1 km²) of fields, pastures and forest. It was a scene of action in the Civil War. It is currently operated as an Inn.
History
Mayhurst was completed in 1860 by Colonel John Willis, a great-nephew of President James MadisonJames Madison
James Madison, Jr. was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and at first an opponent of, and then a key author of the United...
. Colonel Willis acquired Mayhurst, then and during his lifetime known as Howard Place, from the estate of Charles P. Howard in 1856.
During the winter of 1863-64 when the Army of Northern Virginia
Army of Northern Virginia
The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, as well as the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed against the Union Army of the Potomac...
was camped in Orange County
Orange County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 25,881 people, 10,150 households, and 7,470 families residing in the county. The population density was 76 people per square mile . There were 11,354 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile...
, Lieutenant General A. P. Hill
A. P. Hill
Ambrose Powell Hill, Jr. , was a career U.S. Army officer in the Mexican-American War and Seminole Wars and a Confederate general in the American Civil War...
had his headquarters in the yard at Mayhurst. The Mort Künstler
Mort Künstler
Mort Künstler is a historical artist in the United States of America whose work now focuses mainly on the American Civil War. Before he turned to the Civil War in the early 1980s, he had built a body of work that dealt with America's national story: from portraits of prehistoric American life to...
painting "Tender is the Heart" is set at Mayhurst.
During Reconstruction the house was occupied by the family of Federal Judge Hiram Bond and his son Marshall Latham Bond
Marshall Latham Bond
Marshall Latham Bond was one of two brothers who were Jack London's landlords and among his employers during the autumn of 1897 and the spring of 1898 during the Klondike Gold Rush. They were the owners of the dog that Jack London fictionalized as Buck....
was born there.
Architecture
Mayhurst is a frame two-story structure set on an exposed brick basement with an attic level lighted by small windows in the eaves and circular windows placed in each of the four cross-gables of the hipped roofHip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
. The roof is surmounted by two large chimneys and a central belvedere
Belvedere (structure)
Belvedere is an architectural term adopted from Italian , which refers to any architectural structure sited to take advantage of such a view. A belvedere may be built in the upper part of a building so as to command a fine view...
. This belvedere reflects the roof shape which surrounds it and completes the total pyramidal massing with an elaborate finial
Finial
The finial is an architectural device, typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure. Smaller finials can be used as a decorative ornament on the ends of curtain rods...
. The entire exterior wall surface above the brick basement is covered by wooden drop siding cut to resemble ashlar
Ashlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
stonework. The deep, overhanging eaves are emphasized by the placing of oversized paired brackets, with their undulating curves and pendants, around the entire roofline.
The three-bay main facade (north) features a central entrance porch with an elliptical-arched fanlight
Fanlight
A fanlight is a window, semicircular or semi-elliptical in shape, with glazing bars or tracery sets radiating out like an open fan, It is placed over another window or a doorway. and is sometimes hinged to a transom. The bars in the fixed glazed window spread out in the manner a sunburst...
and sidelights framing the double doors. On the second level, twin-arched windows which open to the balustraded porch roof visually support the circular window above, set in the cross-gable. At either side of the central porch and window bay on the first level are also twin-arched windows with hood molds
Crown molding
Crown molding encapsulates a large family of moldings which are designed to gracefully flare out to a finished top edge. Crown molding is generally used for capping walls, pilasters, and cabinets, and is used extensively in the creation of interior and exterior cornice assemblies and door and...
and shallow balconies. On the second level of the two end bays are three-sectioned windows in the Palladian
Palladian architecture
Palladian architecture is a European style of architecture derived from the designs of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio . The term "Palladian" normally refers to buildings in a style inspired by Palladio's own work; that which is recognised as Palladian architecture today is an evolution of...
motif. The east and west facades are similar, both being four bays wide and having arched windows. On the east front, however, a five-sectioned oriel bay
Oriel window
Oriel windows are a form of bay window commonly found in Gothic architecture, which project from the main wall of the building but do not reach to the ground. Corbels or brackets are often used to support this kind of window. They are seen in combination with the Tudor arch. This type of window was...
was placed on the first story which is partially blocked by a frame wing added circa 1912. The rear (south) facade has been partially obscured by shallow wings and a sleeping porch.
On the interior, the broad central hall is divided at mid-point by a graceful elliptical arch which rests at either side on piers alluding to the Doric order
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
in detail. The stair which ascends along the east wall of the hall and curves at the beginning and end of each flight, develops exceptional rhythm of design due to the repetition of the octagonal-shaped and turned baluster
Baluster
A baluster is a moulded shaft, square or of lathe-turned form, one of various forms of spindle in woodwork, made of stone or wood and sometimes of metal, standing on a unifying footing, and supporting the coping of a parapet or the handrail of a staircase. Multiplied in this way, they form a...
s, two to a tread. In addition, the scrolled, uncarved brackets on the step ends and the fascia board on the landings increase the activity of the design, making the stairway the finest single piece of woodwork in the house.
Two rooms flank the hall on both sides and offer a calm contrast to the stair by featuring broad, flat window and door framings as well as black marble mantels with arched openings and subtle curving lines in the shelf. The southeast room has been partitioned into several smaller rooms, including a kitchen. Although most doors have a pair of small rectangular panels below the lock rail with two tall ones above, variations occur with the lower panels being octagonal while the upper panels have arched tops.
An old structure to the rear appears to date from the first quarter of the nineteenth century due to some remaining architrave
Architrave
An architrave is the lintel or beam that rests on the capitals of the columns. It is an architectural element in Classical architecture.-Classical architecture:...
door framings and doors, the brick noggin walls, and the 6'-10" wide fireplaces on both ends of the two-story, hipped roof building. This house is believed to be the original Howard dwelling.