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Civil War. The original grant reached all the way to the Covington River, which was called the Gourdvine River then; While owned by the Chapmans, the house was used as a retreat facility.

Centuries old trees, notably a large and leafy linden tree, surround the white painted brick manor house and lead the eye to the westward facing entrance, and the original part of the house. The large center hall has the original plaster medallions, and is graced by many paintings by Renate Chapman’s father, Eugene Wagner.

lb the right and left of the entry hall are the living and dining rooms, both with original fireplaces, and heart pine flooring, complete with bum marks. Two comer cupboards in the dining room hold interesting serving pieces of the Chapmans. One living room window boasts original glass, made by the oldest method. In this method, glassblowers produced a large glass bubble, cut it open, and then flattened it.

Dan Lewis, a local painter, has painted a local scene on one of the old windows, whose view was lost when an addition was built. A large Austrian bookcase, a Chippendale desk, Chapman family clocks, and a painting by Hudson River School artist Regius Gignoux, complete the decor. Ted Chapman’s family, the New England branch, was in the China trade, and that is the source of many old and interesting furnishings.

House tour visitors will enter the house using the original carriage dock, from which countless visitors arrived at the home over the years. They will enter the north wing, built in the 1850s, which added a new hall and two rooms. One room is now a small chapel, with wide board flooring, closets on each side of the mantel and old