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BY KAYE KOHLER
Rappahannock News Contributing Writer ,
Visiting with Mary Louise Fannon was a great treat. If you’ve ever met this gentle lady, the owner of Laurel Mills Store, you will know what I mean. Have you ever been one of the lucky customers of her store who is treated to her Black-eyed Pea and Hog Jowl Soup on Jan. 1?
For the past 11 years, it has become her tradition to cook up to 40 pounds of black eyed peas for her New Year’s Day soup to thank her customers and bring them wealth and health for the upcoming year. Being a store owner, she says she can look at customers and know if they are “just visiting or lost.” You can imagine what a visit to her home would be like!
Her husband, Bill, fell in love with this farm, before they owned it, back in the 60’s when they lived in Culpeper. They originally decided they wanted to come to Rappahannock for fox hunting and good friends.
He was very disappointed when he heard that the farm had been sold to someone else. But he called the new owner and fortunately was able to buy a portion of it after all. At that time the house, which had been built in the 30’s, was made of rock and cement and was not very attractive. The Fannons have added the age and decor that make it very inviting. They have lived there for 35 years raising their family of three children: Chet, Heather, and Beth.
The railing surrounding the upstairs porch on two sides of the house came from the Waverly Hotel in Culpeper. It had been built in the 1840’s, 12 years before the railroad ran on a regular basis. When the trains did begin service, the Waverly became the regular meal stop for the train until dining cars were added to the train.
When Route 29 became four lanes instead of two in Reva, the Fannon’s bought the old store, and have transformed the original wood into flooring and paneling in rooms in their home, giving it a wonderful feeling of history and age.
The view of Big Battle Mountain from the front of their house is spectacular. You can almost envision the Civil War battle in action. Between their home and the mountain is a low spot that Mrs. Fannon said was often wet, so her husband decided to turn
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