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black walnut columns on the front porch, the original simple molding in the house, the high ceilings, and the old heart-ofpine flooring. Outside, there were many fine old bams and other dependencies and original stone guest cottage. Interestingly, Anderson designed the Montpelier-style arched brick supporting walls of the old poxh.
Another distinctive feature of the property were the. sweeping but simple gardens that slope down to a stream in front and a lake behind the house, as well as veiy large old trees and towering boxwood that have been there for over one hundred years. Anderson is much indebted to his farm manager, George Jenkins, who maintains the lovely grounds.
The manor house
The three-story main house — built in a style with both Federal and Jeffersonian inspiration — comprises some 13,000 sq. ft., has five bedrooms, 5 baths, a double parlor, a formal and an informal dining room, sitting rooms on the first and second floors, a sunroom, and a ballroom. As was customary at the time, the bricks to build the walls of the house (five bricks thick) were made on the farm and the huge beams for the rafters came from trees cut on the property.
As he reflects on the size and beauty of the old house, Anderson digresses momentarily in a fancifUl aside: “Can you imagine the grand weddings and balls they must have had here in the past? The fancy carriages that arrived in the circle drive with guests all dressed up in their latest finery? The formal dinners held in the large dining room? What a time that must have been!”
In restoring the interior and exterior of the main house, Anderson used various contractors but wanted to commend in particular the work of George Peyton who plastered and painted the whole house and Ray Coffey who, with his crew, did most of the restoration work.
As for the new d6cor of the interior, he credits his fiancee, Kathleen Robertson, for choosing all the colors and fabrics, and helping choose much of the furniture, old paintings, and antiques now seen in the house. Anderson is especially proud of the old portrait hanging over the dining room fireplace of Thomas Fletcher, the original owner of Jessamine Hill. The antiques reflect both Virginia and European craftsmanship, as would have been appropriate for the mid-1800s.
Reflecting on the fascinating history of the house and its earlier owners, Anderson said he is proud that he had the opportunity to purchase and restore the property that he has put into scenic easements. Among his favorite discoveries as he explored his new home were the
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