John Marshall House

Virginia Is---and Was---for Lovers

In an era when their contemporaries were marrying for wealth and position, John Marshall and Mary "Polly" Willis Amber married for love.  It was a love that was to last a lifetime and influence the career decisions of a major figure in American history.

John Marshall, who was to become Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, met Polly Ambler when she was a girl of 14.  When Marshall first proposed Polly burst into tears; he was taken aback and left in despair.  A cousin of Polly's caught up with Marshall as he was leaving and gave him a lock of Polly's hair.  Marshall kept the talisman and proposed again several years later.  She accepted and they were married in 1783 when he was 28 and she was 17.

Along with his good fortune in obtaining the hand of the girl he loved, Marshall also inherited the law practice of Edmund Randolph who relinquished it to run for governor of Virginia. With this practice and his own clients, Marshall had a thriving practice. He also had a growing family and in 1788 John Marshall purchased a one-block lot in the center of Richmond.  While their house was being built the Marshalls lived in a small two-story cottage on the grounds.  They moved into the two-story brick house in 1790.   The main house still stands, though the large kitchen dependency, laundry, smokehouse, carriage house and Marshall's law office are gone.

The John Marshall House itself has been open to the public since 1913, and it contains the largest collection of Marshall memorabilia in existence.  The Marshall silver, returned to the house for his 225th birthday celebration, is here as is the French porcelain purchased by Marshall when he was Ambassador to France in 1797.    His wife’s  invalidism and nervous disorders meant that Marshall did far more of the housework and child care than men typically did in the 18th century.  Although Polly did not enjoy entertaining, he frequently invited 30 fellow attorneys for his "lawyer dinners."

His tenure as ambassador was one of the rare times Marshall accepted an appointment away from Richmond.  As chief justice, he was able to do much of the case work at home.  When you look at the portrait of Polly Marshall at age 33, you can see why he was reluctant to leave her.  She was a gorgeous woman despite her ill health that came in part, from bearing 10 children and suffering several miscarriages.  Marshall also had health problems; he had over 1,000 gallstones removed with only alcohol for an anesthetic.  Despite their problems both lived long lives, Polly Marshall to age 66 and John to just prior to his 80th birthday.

John Marshall may well have attributed some of his long life to his wine cellar.  He spent a tenth of his income on wine.  His Richmond home boasted a superb wine cellar that has been restored.  A reproduction of a sundial John Marshall set in place in the 18th century can be seen on the lawn.

The John Marshall House is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.  Admission is charged, either for this house alone or as a Court End block ticket that provides reduced admission to three houses and St. John’s Church on a self-guided walking tour which includes ten additional points of interest.  The block ticket provides admission to the Marshall House, the Wickham-Valentine House and the John Brockenbrough House which served as the White House of the Confederacy (see selections).

Directions: From I-95 south, take Exit 74C to Broad Street west.  Travel to 9th Street and make a right. The John Marshall House in at 818 East Marshall Street on the corner of 9th and Marshall streets. 

Back to top

Back to Free Virginia Guidebook

Goshen Pass and The Virginia Horse Center

Don’t Pass This Up!

Matthew Fontaine Maury, the 19th-century scientist and VMI instructor known as the “Pathfinder of the Seas” for his pioneering work in oceanography, was inordinantly fond of Goshen Pass.  He viewed it as the loveliest spot in the state.  His funeral instructions stipulated that his body be carried through the pass when the rhododendron were in bloom. Although he died on February 1, 1873, the following May the cadets of Virginia Military Institute formed an honor guard and carried his coffin through Goshen Pass.  Later the scenic, boulder-strewn river that meanders through the three-mile-long Allegheny Mountain pass was renamed the Maury River.

Native Americans used this narrow-wooded canyon pass to cut through the mountains.  The elk and buffalo created a trail here as they crossed the mountain in search of food.  Eventually wagons began widening this route and around 1880 the pass was the stagecoach thoroughfare.  First called Dunlap’s Gap, the name was changed to Strickler’s Pass and then Goshen Pass.

A wayside park provides a base for those pursuing recreational opportunities.  The park also has picnic and restroom facilities.  Fishing, swimming, tubing, canoeing and hiking are all options.  There is a walking trail on the north side of the river.  In the spring the gorge is abloom with rhododendron and dogwood; later the laurel comes into flower.  Low lying ferns and mosses are underfoot, while magnificent pines, hemlocks and evergreens provide a lush canopy throughout most of the year.  Up from the wayside park there is a shady trail along Laurel Run, a sparkling mountain stream.  Another spot with picnic tables and grills is Indian Pool,  just 1.1 miles inside the pass from the Goshen Pass sign at the southern entrance.  There is a parking area and steps with an iron railing lead down to the river.  The walk takes you past a massive stone wall, and then along the river past a spot where the water falls over two rock ledges.  At this picturesque spot you’ll find picnic facilities.  There is an overlook and monument to Matthew Fontaine Maury before you reach the main wayside park.  Maury’s plaque states that he was “The Genius Who First Snatched From Ocean and Atmosphere The Secret Of Their Laws.”  Past this park is one final parking area, just before the portion of the river called Devil’s Kitchen.  Just past this area is a turn-around if you want to return to Lexington.

On the way to or from Goshen Pass you might want to stop at The Virginia Horse Center, just outside Lexington on Route 39.  Established by the Virginia legislature in 1985, it is one of the finest equine complexes in the country.  The facility includes a 4,000 seat coliseum, outdoor arena and grandstands, and state-of-the-art barns that can stable over 700 horses. There are no horseback riding facilities for the general public.  The center hosts shows, auctions, educational clinics, workshops and a horse festival in April.  For scheduling information call 540-463-2194. 

Directions: Just north of Lexington, I-81 south and I-64 west merge for a brief time.  When they split at Lexington take I-64 west and then take Exit 55 onto Route 11 north for one tenth of a mile to Route 39 west.  It is Route 39, designated a Virginia Scenic By-Way, that winds through Goshen Pass (which is only 12 miles outside Lexington).

Back to top

 

Lee Chapel and Museum

On October 2, 1865, less than six months after the surrender at Appomattox, Robert E. Lee accepted the presidency of Washington College at an annual salary of $1,500.  At 58, he was anxious for the chance to be of use to the "rising" generation.

Lee first lived in the president's house that Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson had shared with his in-laws during his 14-month marriage to Elinor Junkin, whose father was the college’s president (see Stonewall Jackson House selection).  Soon after Lee arrived he embarked on a building program. 

His first project was the chapel that ultimately became known as the Lee Chapel.   Lee lavished great enthusiasm on the chapel he requested the trustees build on campus.  Work began in January 1867, under the close supervision of Lee and his son, Custis, a professor at neighboring Virginia Military Institute.  It was completed in time for the 1868 June commencement.  From then until his death in 1870, Lee attended daily worship service there with his students.

Lee’s son also helped him formulate plans for a new president's home.  Although unhappy that the house cost more than the $15,000 originally appropriated for it, he was pleased with several architectural details.  The verandas were designed so that his wife, crippled with arthritis, could move her rolling chair across them.  Lee was also happy to have his old friend, Traveller, nearby in a new brick stable adjoining the house.  Reports from the 1860s indicate that Traveller certainly needed a refuge.  Souvenir hunters had pulled out so much hair from its mane and tail that the warhorse shied away from people.

On the chapel’s lower level, Lee established his office.  He fashioned and furnished it, and it remains today as it was when illness forced him from his desk on September 28, 1870.  The remains of Traveller are buried just outside the office.  Today the rest of the lower level is a museum where reminders of both Lee and Washington can be seen.

A letter dated 1796 thanks George Washington for his gift of stock, saving the school from bankruptcy.  Washington endowed the school with $50,000 of James River Canal Company stock that is still paying dividends.  Students today each receive roughly $3 a year in residuals.  Many of Lee's personal belongings are included in the museum collection.  The portraits bring famous figures from history to life.  Paintings include the Charles Willson Peale portraits of Washington and Lafayette and the popular Lee portrait done by Theodore Pine.

The lower level also contains the Lee family crypt where Lee is buried with his wife, parents and their seven children.  Many visitors mistakenly believe Lee is buried in the chapel apse beneath the impressive Edward Valentine statue.  Lee's widow chose the recumbent pose; she wanted to remember him as if he were sleeping on the battlefield.

Robert E. Lee died on October 12, 1870. Later in the month, when George Washington Custis Lee  was elected to succeed his father as president, the college name was changed to Washington and Lee University.  Both the Lee Chapel and the Front Campus Colonnade of Washington and Lee University are National Historic Landmarks.  There is no charge to visit the Lee Chapel and Museum.  Hours are 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. Monday through Saturday from mid-October to mid-April and until 5:00 P.M. the rest of the year.  Sunday hours are 2:00 to 5:00 P.M.

Directions:  From I-95 in the Richmond area, take I-64/I-81 west to Lexington.  Take Route 11 exit off I-64 and travel south.  Just outside Lexington Route 11 will fork right onto Main Street.  Follow Main Street to the Washington and Lee campus. From the south if  you are traveling on I-81 take Exit 188, Route 60 West.  Follow Route 60 West to Main Street.  Turn left to Henry Street which will take you to the Washington and Lee campus. For information on this and all the Lexington attractions stop first at the Lexington Visitor Center at 107 East Washington Street. 

Back to top

Back to Free Virginia Guidebook

Stonewall Jackson House

From Square Box to Stone Wall

 

Jackson was nicknamed Square Box and Tom Fool by his young charges at Virginia Military Institute who thought "...his classes too dull, his methods too rigid and his discipline too severe."  It is said that when he was asked for clarification by a student he would simply repeat his statement using the same words and intonation.  His lectures were not lightened by explanations or discussions.  Yet those who survived the carnage of the War Between the States grew old bragging that they were taught natural philosophy or artillery tactics by Old Jack.

The teacher who memorized his lessons standing at his desk in his Lexington home went on to glory by standing firm at Bull Run.  He became known as "Stonewall" after that opening Civil War battle when General Bee spotted Jackson's brigade and cried, "There stands Jackson like a stone wall.  Rally behind the Virginians."

But it is the days Jackson spent in Lexington before the war that are remembered at the Stonewall Jackson House.  A short slide program introduces you to the young, handsome Virginia instructor.  He was a deeply religious and disciplined military man who began each day with a cold bath and a brisk walk around town before his morning devotions.  During the week he taught his classes at VMI.  On Sunday he founded and taught a Sunday School for African American youngsters.  When he left for the war he earmarked part of his pay so that these religious classes could continue.  Jackson regularly contributed a tenth of his income to the Presbyterian Church.

Two years after he arrived in Lexington he married Elinor Junkin, whose father was president of Washington College.  The newlyweds lived on campus with Elinor's parents in what is now called the Lee-Jackson House.  Their life together was brief; she died the following year in childbirth.

In 1857, after three years as a widower, Jackson married Mary Anna Morrison and in 1858 they purchased this house on Washington Street. 

The furnishings you see today are personal possessions and period pieces that match the inventory made following Jackson's tragic death after the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863.  The first room on the tour is the kitchen, which is furnished with a six-burner wood cook-stove.  The Jacksons owned one like it which was valued at $50 on the estate inventory. On a 20-acre farm at the edge of town Jackson, with the help of three slaves, grew much of the food for his table.  He would often supervise the preserving of his crops, keeping an eye on the kitchen slaves and lending a hand to seal jars of tomatoes.

In Jackson's study there is a desk like the one he stood before while memorizing his lessons. In the parlor are a loveseat and two chairs that belonged to the Jacksons.  Representing Jackson's one extravagance is a piano like the one he purchased for Mary Anna for $500.  Even though he was a devout church-goer he was known to occasionally waltz his wife around the parlor.  (He learned to waltz and polka while serving in the Mexican War.)  Jackson's rocking chair is in the bedroom.  An early picture of Jackson reveals just how handsome he was without his beard.  Legend has it that he vowed not to shave until the South was victorious, a story that is suspect as he did carry his shaving kit with him to war. At least one British journalist described him during the war as having "...thin colorless cheeks, with only a very small allowance of whiskers; a cleanly-shaven upper lip and chin..."

The dining room was used every morning and evening for Bible reading and prayers. On Sunday evenings slaves in the neighborhood would join the Jacksons for devotions.  Before ending your visit be sure to view the exhibits that focus on General Jackson, the Civil War era and life in Lexington during its "golden age."

The Stonewall Jackson House, at 8 East Washington Street, is open for guided tours 9:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.  Monday through Saturday and 1:00 to 4:30 P.M. on Sunday.  During the summer it stays open until 5:30 P.M. Admission is charged. 

To discover other city sites associated with Jackson, stop at the Historic Lexington Visitor Center just down Washington Street at number 106.  You'll realize that this is a town with character when you read the historic plaque on the house next to Jackson's. It reads:

N.O.N. Historic Marker

On this Spot

February 29, 1776

Absolutely Nothing Happened. A whimsical marker that shows you are in the center of town.

While you are exploring the 19th century houses, inns and quaint shops, join Lexington natives at the Sweet Things Ice Cream Shoppe at 106 W. Washington Street.  Here you can get homemade ice cream in homemade waffle cones---a double delight.  For an extra taste treat try a waffle cone sundae.

 Directions:  From I-95 in the Richmond area, take I-64 west.  At Staunton head south on either I-81 or Route 11.  From I-81 take Exit 188B, then follow the signs to Lexington’s visitor center.  If you are on Route 11 it will divide and you should take Main Street, not Route 11 By-Pass.  From Main Street, turn left on Washington Street for the Stonewall Jackson House. 

Back to top

Back to Free Virginia Guidebook

 

Theater at Lime Kiln and Lenfest Center

Artful Presentations

The Roanoke Times & World News may be guilty of regional boosterism in calling the Theater at Lime Kiln “one of the most agreeable spots in the western world.”  But there is no denying that this is, to quote another claim, “the most unusual theater setting in the United States.” Performances take place in an outdoor amphitheater amid the ruins of a 19th-century lime quarry and kiln where stone masons once worked and the kilns burned red-hot 24 hours a day.

The professionally presented musicals, plays and concerts are often family oriented and there are annual performances scheduled specifically for children.  Many of the works performed from Memorial Day through Labor Day  are original plays that focus on the history and culture of Virginia and the southern mountains.  Sunday concerts feature a wide range of music from the classics to zydeco and from folk to gospel.  The increasingly popular Family Folk Tale Festival offers a rotating repertory of one-act plays based on Appalachian fairy tales and legends.  The box office opens in mid-April; for schedule and ticket information call (540) 463-3074.

There are also two theaters for student and professional productions at Washington and Lee University’s Lenfest Center for the Performing Arts.  The attractive lobby has a gallery of art from the American West.  Call (540) 463-8000 for the schedule of performances.

At the Lexington Visitor Center, 106 East Washington Street, you can pick up brochures on the galleries in Lexington, including the popular Artists in Cahoots at 1 West Washington Street.  This cooperative gallery, run by local artists and craftspeople, always has innovative original pieces.  The gallery is open Monday through Saturday 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. and Sundays 11:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M.

Directions: From I-81 take Exit 188B toward Lexington; you will be on Route 60 west, Nelson Street.  Continue on Nelson Street through Lexington, go under the bridge at Washington and Lee University and continue .4 miles and make a left onto Borden Road (this is across from the athletic fields).  Borden Road will bear right through a residential community.  The entrance to Lime Kiln is .2 of a mile on your left.  From I-64 east take Exit 50 toward Lexington; you will be on Route 60 east.  Continue on Route 60 for five miles and make a right at the Shell gasoline station onto Belle Road, Route 666.  The entrance to Lime Kiln is at the end of Belle Road. Once in Lexington you will see small white and blue directional signs to the Theater at Lime Kiln.  

Back to top

Back to Free Virginia Guidebook

 

VMI Museum

From RAT to VIP

On November 11, 1839,  23 men reported to the Franklin Literary Society Hall in Lexington.  They became the first Virginia Military Institute cadets when their sole instructor, Major Francis Smith, assumed command of the old arsenal and established the nation's first state supported military college.  The history of VMI and its well-known graduates unfolds at the museum located on the campus parade grounds.

For 146 years VMI has trained officers who have made outstanding contributions to the military.  The young cadets study in spartan surroundings as you will learn in the museum's cadet exhibit room.  This is just part of the cadet life exhibit that details their surroundings, uniforms, ROTC program, and VMI’s sport, academic, military and spiritual program.  The collection of VMI rings dating from 1848 to the present is enormously popular.

The first graduates barely completed their college years before being called to serve in the Mexican War, 1846-48.  A captured Mexican general's war chest with its silver goblets provides a look at what the Mexican high command considered roughing it. 

Three years after the Mexican War in 1848, Thomas Jonathan Jackson resigned his army commission and joined the faculty at VMI.  He found the peacetime army too tedious and unrewarding for a man anxious to make his reputation.  As a teacher of natural philosophy and artillery tactics his students found him dull, rigid and severe (see Stonewall Jackson House selection).  The blackboard from his classroom is displayed at the museum.

Jackson's genius became apparent when he led the Stonewall Brigade in the War Between the States.  The VMI Museum displays the uniform Jackson wore as a teacher as well as his battlefield raincoat, a poignant reminder of his senseless death after the Battle of Chancellorsville.  Jackson was wearing the Indian rubber raincoat on May 3, 1863, when he was accidentally shot in the arm by one of his own men.  The bullet hole is clearly visible; it seems too small to have caused such a big hole in the Confederate command.  After his arm was amputated Jackson contracted pneumonia and died within a week.  It also interesting to discover that while teaching at VMI, Jackson had escorted cadets to stand guard at the hanging of John Brown.  A further historical footnote to that event, John Brown’s lawyer was a VMI graduate.  One of the museum’s most popular items is Little Sorrel, Jackson’s favorite horse.  Little Sorrel died in 1886; he was not stuffed but rather his hide was mounted over a plaster of Paris form.  The saddle was made by H. Peat, saddler to the queen of England.

It was not only teachers who marched off to battle during the Civil War.  The small butternut jackets on display remind visitors how young the boys were who were sent off to join General Breckenridge's battle-worn regulars.  The southern general was ordered to stop the northern push into the crucial Shenandoah Valley.  The Union troops numbered 6,300 against Breckenridge's 4,900.  To augment the ranks the 157 cadets at VMI were ordered out of the classroom into battle.  Ten cadets lost their lives on May 15, 1864, at the Battle of New Market (see New Market Battlefield selection).

Jackson is only one of the illustrious professors profiled in this museum.  Following him so closely that they used the same microscope, was physics professor Matthew Fontaine Maury (see Goshen Pass selection), noted for his marine charts.  A small section of the Trans-Atlantic cable is exhibited.  As Cyrus Fields, who laid the cable, explained, “Maury provided the brains, I provided the brawn.”  Another faculty member, John Mercer Brooke, designed the armor for the Merrimack, the ironclad the Confederates called the Virginia.  Brooke also invented a device to bring up samples from the ocean floor.  One of VMI's most gifted graduates was George Catlett Marshall (see George C. Marshall Museum selection), and his accomplishments are proudly noted.

Today when cadets enter the barracks through the Jackson Arch, they are reminded of Stonewall's determination.  Carved overhead are his time-honored words: "You may be whatever you resolve to be."  The museum shows that many VMI graduates have followed his advice.